Numerical Study of Wings With Wavy Leading and Trailing Edges

The use of wavy leading edges is presented in the literature as a possible way of delaying stall, allowing a wing to have a better aerodynamic performance at high angles of attack. In this paper, we present results of direct numerical simulations of the flow around infinite wavy wings with a NACA0012 profile at a Reynolds number Re = 1000. The simulations were carried out using the Spectral/hp Element Method, with a coordinate system transformation being employed to treat the waviness of the wing. Several combinations of wavelength and amplitude were considered, showing that for this value of Re the waviness leads to a reduction in the lift-to-drag ratio (L/D), associated with a suppression of the fluctuating lift coefficient. Also, flow visualization indicate that this behaviour is associated with a regime where the flow remains attached behind the peaks of the leading edge while there are distinct regions of flow separation behind the troughs.