Mechanism of unconventional aerodynamic characteristics of an elliptic airfoil

The aerodynamic characteristics of elliptic airfoil are quite different from the case of conventional airfoil for Reynolds number varying from about 104 to 106. In order to reveal the fundamental mechanism, the unsteady flow around a stationary two-dimensional elliptic airfoil with 16% relative thickness has been simulated using unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations and the γ-Reθt‾ transition turbulence model at different angles of attack for flow Reynolds number of 5 × 105. The aerodynamic coefficients and the pressure distribution obtained by computation are in good agreement with experimental data, which indicates that the numerical method works well. Through this study, the mechanism of the unconventional aerodynamic characteristics of airfoil is analyzed and discussed based on the computational predictions coupled with the wind tunnel results. It is considered that the boundary layer transition at the leading edge and the unsteady flow separation vortices at the trailing edge are the causes of the case. Furthermore, a valuable insight into the physics of how the flow behavior affects the elliptic airfoil’s aerodynamics is provided.