De Nayer, Guillaume

© 2020 The Authors The present paper investigates the fluid–structure interaction (FSI) of a wing with two degrees of freedom (DOF), i.e., pitch and heave, in the transitional Reynolds number regime. This 2-DOF setup marks a classic configuration in aeroelasticity to demonstrate flutter stability of wings. In the past, mainly analytic approaches have been developed to investigate this challenging problem under simplifying assumptions such as potential flow. Although the classical theory offers satisfying results for certain cases, modern numerical simulations based on fully coupled approaches, which are more generally applicable and powerful, are still rarely found. Thus, the aim of this paper is to provide appropriate experimental reference data for well-defined configurations under clear operating conditions. In a follow-up contribution these will be used to demonstrate the capability of modern simulation techniques to capture instantaneous physical phenomena such as flutter. The measurements in a wind tunnel are carried out based on digital-image correlation (DIC). The investigated setup consists of a straight wing using a symmetric NACA 0012 airfoil. For the experiments the model is mounted into a frame by means of bending and torsional springs imitating the elastic behavior of the wing. Three different configurations of the wing possessing a fixed elastic axis are considered. For this purpose, the center of gravity is shifted along the chord line of the airfoil influencing the flutter stability of the setup. Still air free-oscillation tests are used to determine characteristic properties of the unloaded system (e.g. mass moment of inertia and damping ratios) for one (pitch or heave) and two degrees (pitch and heave) of freedom. The investigations on the coupled 2-DOF system in the wind tunnel are performed in an overall chord Reynolds number range of 9.66×103≤Re≤8.77×104. The effect of the fluid-load induced damping is studied for the three configurations. Furthermore, the cases of limit-cycle oscillation (LCO) as well as diverging flutter motion of the wing are characterized in detail. In addition to the DIC measurements, hot-film measurements of the wake flow for the rigid and the oscillating airfoil are presented in order to distinguish effects originating from the flow and the structure.

The present paper is the numerical counterpart of a recently published experimental investigation by Wood et al. (2018). Both studies aim at the investigation of instantaneous fluid–structure interaction (FSI) phenomena observed for an air-inflated flexible membrane exposed to a turbulent boundary layer, but looking at the coupled system based on different methodologies. The objective of the numerical studies is to supplement the experimental investigations by additional insights, which were impossible to achieve in the experiments. Relying on the large-eddy simulation technique for the predictions of the turbulent flow, non-linear membrane elements for the structure and a partitioned algorithm for the FSI coupling, three cases with different Reynolds numbers (Re=50,000, 75,000 and 100,000) are simulated. The time-averaged first and second-order moments of the flow are presented as well as the time-averaged deformations and standard deviations. The predictions are compared with the experimental references data solely available for 2D planes. In order to better comprehend the three-dimensionality of the problem, the data analysis of the predictions is extended to 3D time-averaged flow and structure data. Despite minor discrepancies an overall satisfying agreement concerning the time-averaged data is reached between experimental data in the symmetry plane and the simulations. Thus for an in-depth analysis, the numerical results are used to characterize the transient FSI phenomena of the present cases either related to the flow or to the structure. Particular attention is paid to depict the different vortex shedding types occurring at the top, on the side and in the wake of the flexible hemispherical membrane. Since the fluid flow plays a significant role in the FSI phenomena, but at the same the flexible membrane with its eigenmodes also impacts the deformations, the analysis is based on the frequencies and Strouhal numbers found allowing to categorize the different observations accordingly.

© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. The objective of the present paper is to provide a detailed experimental and numerical investigation on the turbulent flow past a hemispherical obstacle (diameter D). For this purpose, the bluff body is exposed to a thick turbulent boundary layer of the thickness δ = D/2 at Re = 50,000. In the experiment this boundary layer thickness is achieved by specific fences placed in the upstream region of the wind tunnel. A detailed measurement of the upstream flow conditions by laser-Doppler and hot-film probes allows to mimic the inflow conditions for the complementary large-eddy simulation of the flow field using a synthetic turbulence inflow generator. These clearly defined boundary and operating conditions are the prerequisites for a combined experimental and numerical investigation of the flow field relying on the laser-Doppler anemometry and a finite-volume Navier-Stokes solver for block-structured curvilinear grids. The results comprise an analysis on the unsteady flow features observed in the vicinity of the hemisphere as well as a detailed discussion of the time-averaged flow field. The latter includes the mean velocity field as well as the Reynolds stresses. Owing to the proper description of the oncoming flow and supplementary numerical studies guaranteeing the choice of an appropriate grid and subgrid-scale model, the results of the measurements and the prediction are found to be in close agreement.