Extending the aircraft flight envelope by mitigating transonic airfoil buffet

arXiv (Cornell University)

Abstract

In the age of globalization, commercial aviation plays a central role in maintaining our international connectivity by providing fast air transport services for passengers and freight. However, the upper limit of the aircraft flight envelope, i.e., its operational limit in the high-speed regime, is usually fixed by the occurrence of an aerodynamic phenomenon called transonic airfoil buffet. It refers to shock wave oscillations occurring on the aircraft wings, which induce unsteady aerodynamic loads acting on the wing structure. Since these loads can cause severe structural damage endangering flight safety, the aviation industry is highly interested in suppressing transonic airfoil buffet to extend the flight envelope to higher aircraft speeds. In this contribution, we demonstrate experimentally that the application of porous trailing edges substantially attenuates the buffet phenomenon. Since porous trailing edges have the additional benefit of reducing acoustic aircraft emissions, our findings could pave the way for faster air transport with reduced noise emissions.

Authors 4

1. Esther Lagemann Aachen Institute of Aerodynamics

   RWTH Aachen University · University of Washington

   Affiliation as printed

   AI Institute in Dynamic Systems , Department of Mechanical Engineering , University of Washington , Seattle , WA 98195 , United States

   Institute of Aerodynamics , RWTH Aachen University , Wüllnerstraße 5a , 52062 Aachen , Germany

2. Steven L. Brunton

   University of Washington

   Affiliation as printed

   AI Institute in Dynamic Systems , Department of Mechanical Engineering , University of Washington , Seattle , WA 98195 , United States

3. Wolfgang Schröder
4. Christian Lagemann Aachen Institute of Aerodynamics

   RWTH Aachen University · University of Washington

   Affiliation as printed

   AI Institute in Dynamic Systems , Department of Mechanical Engineering , University of Washington , Seattle , WA 98195 , United States

   Institute of Aerodynamics , RWTH Aachen University , Wüllnerstraße 5a , 52062 Aachen , Germany