Spiral vortex flow over a swept-back wing

Abstract

SummaryAn experimental investigation has been performed to study the formation and development of spiral vortex flow over a swept-back wing. An aerofoil section with three alternative leading edge shapes was tested at sweep angles ranging from 0° to 56° for unit Reynolds numbers of 1 × 106/m and 2 × 106/m. The principal diagnostic tool was the surface oil-flow visualisation technique supplemented by pressure distribution measurements in certain cases. No spiral vortex flow was observed for sweep angles of 0° and 15° but at higher sweep angles the oil-flows indicated that there were three different mechanisms for the formation of spiral vortices. The angle of incidence at the onset of vortex flow, and the mechanism responsible for its formation, were found to depend upon the sweep angle, the leading edge shape and the Reynolds number. It was also noted that the larger the leading edge radius the greater the dependence upon Reynolds number. However, comparison with other work suggests that Reynolds number, incidence and sweep angle alone are insufficient to determine the type of spiral vortex flow occurring on a given wing.