Abstract
A parametric study of vortex generators (VGs) on the transonic infinite-wing with two types of airfoil is performed using computational fluid dynamics to identify the effects of five parameters: height, aspect ratio, incidence angle, spacing and chord location, on the aerodynamic characteristics. First, an SC(2)-0518 airfoil with large thickness ratio and leading-edge radius is employed. The VG spacing significantly affects the shock wave location. If the spacing is narrow, the shock wave moves downstream, which increases the lift coefficient at a high angle of attack. In contrast, broad spacing suppresses the fluctuation of the pitching moment coefficients. This difference is caused by the interactions among vortices. The VG height changes the drag coefficients and is correlated with the VG spacing. The other airfoil considered is a cross-section airfoil of a NASA common research model with small thickness ratio and leading-edge radius. The spacing effect with this airfoil is almost the same as that of the SC(2)-0518 airfoil. The VG location has little influence, but the VG located more upstream would be better. In addition, an appropriate incidence angle and aspect ratio exist for generating the vortex efficiently.
