A Three-Dimensional Lifting Surface Theory with Leading-Edge Vortices.

Abstract

This report describes a nonlinear lifting surface program for a delta wing with leading-edge vortices in a steady, incompressible flow. The method can be easily extended to general planforms as no assumptions are made to restrict the geometry. The present formulation is an extension of a model in which the leading-edge vortex is added to a vorticity representation of the wing and wake. The vorticity distributions are described by continuous functions with unknown coefficients. The unknowns are found by satisfying the downwash condition, the Kutta condition at the trailing edge and the no-force condition on the leading-edge vortex representation. The Kutta condition is now nonlinear in terms of the unknown vorticity coefficients and is satisfied by direct iteration in a quasi-linearized form. The position of the leading-edge vortex is found by applying a Newton's procedure to eliminate the forces on the vortex. Preliminary results and suggestion to enhance the versatility of the method by reducing the computational effort are presented.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 31, 1975
Accession Number
ADA032184

Entities

People

  • Eugene E. Covert
  • Sheila E. Widnall
  • Thomas K. Matoi

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Aspect Ratio
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Computational Science
  • Delta Wings
  • Equations
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Geometry
  • Leading Edges
  • Lifting Surfaces
  • Military Research
  • Numerical Analysis
  • Pressure Distribution
  • Slender Bodies
  • Three Dimensional
  • Trailing Edges
  • Two Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Finite Element Method (FEM) for solving Partial Differential Equations (PDEs)
  • Fluid Dynamics.
  • Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.