Effects of a Leading Edge Wire on Stall Control

Faculty Mentor Name

Lance Traub

Format Preference

Poster

Abstract

Along with lift and drag, one of the most important characteristics of an airfoil or wing is how it stalls. The angle of attack at stall and how violent the stall is can drastically effect the usefulness or ability of a wing or airfoil to perform certain tasks. There are several methods currently used on aircraft to adjust the stall characteristics of a wing, these modify the shape of the wing through deflecting leading and or trailing edge surfaces in the form of flaps and slats. Flaps and Slats have proven to be very effective on large (manned) aircraft. However, as aviation vehicles continue to get smaller and smaller, in the form of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s), these moving surfaces contribute a substantial weight penalty due to the complexity of their mechanism’s, and the devices needed to move them. The idea behind spanning a thin wire in front of the leading edge of the wing is that the vortex street it causes will inevitably strike the leading edge of the wing and potentially promote boundary layer transition from laminar to turbulent flow, thus making it harder for the wing to stall. Wind tunnel testing has shown that the presence of the wire has a profound impact on both the angle of attack at which the wing stalls, and effects how violent, or docile the stall is.

Poster Presentation

EAGLE PRIZE AWARD

Location

AC1-ATRIUM

Start Date

4-8-2016 1:00 PM

End Date

4-8-2016 3:00 PM

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Apr 8th, 1:00 PM Apr 8th, 3:00 PM

Effects of a Leading Edge Wire on Stall Control

AC1-ATRIUM

Along with lift and drag, one of the most important characteristics of an airfoil or wing is how it stalls. The angle of attack at stall and how violent the stall is can drastically effect the usefulness or ability of a wing or airfoil to perform certain tasks. There are several methods currently used on aircraft to adjust the stall characteristics of a wing, these modify the shape of the wing through deflecting leading and or trailing edge surfaces in the form of flaps and slats. Flaps and Slats have proven to be very effective on large (manned) aircraft. However, as aviation vehicles continue to get smaller and smaller, in the form of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s), these moving surfaces contribute a substantial weight penalty due to the complexity of their mechanism’s, and the devices needed to move them. The idea behind spanning a thin wire in front of the leading edge of the wing is that the vortex street it causes will inevitably strike the leading edge of the wing and potentially promote boundary layer transition from laminar to turbulent flow, thus making it harder for the wing to stall. Wind tunnel testing has shown that the presence of the wire has a profound impact on both the angle of attack at which the wing stalls, and effects how violent, or docile the stall is.

Poster Presentation

EAGLE PRIZE AWARD