Experimental Low-Subsonic Unsteady Aerodynamic Response: Pitching Airfoil and Control Surface Analysis

The unsteady pressure distribution over a pitching NACA 0012 airfoil with and without a control surface is measured in a low-speed wind tunnel. Two sets of motions (step change and oscillatory) are enforced on the wing angle of attack and the control surface deflection angle to obtain the linear and nonlinear kernels of the Volterra series reduced-order model (ROM), respectively, based on the unsteady pressure field captured by pressure taps along the chord. The experimental procedure is presented, followed by a discussion on the performance of the measurement setting using a stepper motor and pressure transducers located exterior to the wing. The lift coefficient is calculated by integrating the pressure field obtained by the pressure transducers, and the performance of the Volterra series method using linear and nonlinear terms is presented and discussed for each configuration explored in this study.

Duke Scholars

Author Earl H. Dowell Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materia ...