Keywords
Citation
(1999), "Laminar flow control wing", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 71 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.1999.12771cab.004
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 1999, MCB UP Limited
Laminar flow control wing
Laminar flow control wing
Keywords Aircraft, Lamina flow, ONERA, Wings
As reported in the March/April 99 issue of AEAT, recent tests using an Airbus A320 vertical stabilizer featuring a leading-edge system have reportedly confirmed ONERA's theoretical predictions, namely that aspirations of part of the laminar boundary layer through tiny holes in the foil delays the onset of turbulent flow and results in a 10 per cent reduction in fuel burn.
Before initiating this LFC flight test campaign, ONERA-Toulouse undertook a number of theoretical studies designed to model and improve its understanding of laminar-to-turbulent flow transition phenomena. This work was part of an intensive, continuing, theoretical and experimental research effort initiated in the mid-1970s. The 1980s saw European and US-based aircraft manufacturers launch various drives to improve laminar flow controls on airfoils. As part of this effort, ONERA and Dassault Aviation worked in close co-operation on LFC experiments involving the Falcon 50 and 900 business jets. During the same period, Airbus Industrie initiated the European Airbus 3E Lam Tech project, involving co-operation between Airbus Industrie, Germany's DLR and ONERA. The aim was to develop a leading-edge suction-type LFC system and test it on an A320 vertical stabilizer. The flight test in this report marks the completion of the main phase of this project involving close co-operation between theoretical, digital simulation and experimental teams in all three organizations.
Experiments included a large number of wind tunnel tests, involving extensive use of ONERA's F2 wind tunnel, devoted primarily to basic research, and the SI wind tunnel at Moodane in the French Alps. The SI wind tunnel was used to test a model A320 vertical stabilizer under aerodynamic conditions that faithfully represented those encountered in actual flight.