Inviscid and viscous interactions in subsonic corner flows.

Area of Science:

• Aerodynamics
• Fluid Mechanics
• Turbulent Boundary Layers

Background:

• High-lift devices like flaps enhance aircraft performance by increasing lift.
• Understanding compressible flow behavior over curved surfaces is crucial for aerodynamic design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the aerodynamic performance of deflected surfaces in compressible flows.
• To investigate turbulent boundary layer behavior past convex and concave corners.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of mean and fluctuating pressure distributions.
• Examination of naturally developed turbulent boundary layers.
• Application of small perturbation theory for flow similarity.

Main Results:

• Observed strong inviscid-viscous interactions at both convex and concave corners.
• Identified upstream expansion and downstream compression for convex corners.
• Noted the opposite pressure trend for concave corners.

Conclusions:

• The study provides insights into flow physics over corners in compressible regimes.
• A novel flow similarity parameter is proposed for subsonic convex- and concave-corner flows.
• Results aid in the design and optimization of high-lift devices.