An Experimental Investigation Of The Aerodynamics And Vortex Flowfield Of A Reverse Delta Wing

"Reverse or inverted delta wing planforms have been employed extensively in the Lippisch-type wing-in-ground effect (WIG) craft for the past few decades. Despite their industrial applicability and popularity, the aerodynamics and the vortex flowfield generated by the reverse delta wing are, however, not available in archived publications. Extensive experimental investigations utilizing particle image velocimetry, force balances, and dye and smoke-wire flow visualizations were, therefore, conducted in this study to better understand the aerodynamic load generation and the vortex flow structure of a reverse delta wing, both slender and non-slender. The results show that for a reverse delta wing in a free stream the wing stall was delayed and had a lowered lift and drag compared to a regular or conventional delta wing at the same angle of attack. The drag reduction of the reverse delta wing, however, underperformed the decrease in the lift, rendering an improved lift-to-drag ratio compared to the regular delta wing. More importantly, the upper surface flow of the reverse delta wing was found to be characterized by the unique multiple spanwise vortex filaments. In contrast to the leading-edge vortex breakdown-induced stalling of the regular delta wing, the stalling mechanism of the reverse delta wing was found to be triggered by the breakdown of the multiple spanwise vortex filaments. Meanwhile, the reverse-delta-wing vortices were also found to be located outboard, suggesting their irrelevance to the lift generation of the reverse delta wing. The lift of the reverse delta wing was found to be mainly generated by the pressure acting on its lower surface, while the upper surface acts like a wake generator. These two streamwise counter-rotating vortices generated by the reverse delta wing were also found to became nearly axisymmetric at 0.7 chord downstream from the leading edge of the reverse delta wing. For a non-slender reverse delta wing (i.e., with a sweep angle less than 55 deg), the above-mentioned findings were found to remain unchanged but had a much smaller magnitude compared to its slender counterpart.Finally, in order to enhance the lift generation capability of the reverse delta wing, passive Gurney flaplike strips, of different heights and configurations, were applied to both the side edges and the leading edges of the reverse delta wing. The addition of the side-edge strips was found to produce a leftward shift of the lift curve, resembling a conventional trailing-edge flap, and a large lift enhancement. The large lift increment overwhelmed the corresponding drag increase, thereby leading to a further improved lift-to-drag ratio compared to the clean reverse delta wing. The lift and drag coefficients were also found to increase with the strip height. The side-edge strip-equipped wing also produced a strengthened vortex compared to its baseline wing counterpart, while the leading-edge strips were found to persistently produce a greatly diffused vortex flow, which therefore suggests a promising wingtip vortex control alternative. The downward leading-edge strip was found to be capable of delivering a delayed stall and an increased maximum lift coefficient compared to the clean baseline wing. In summary, the present first-of-its-kind experimental findings on the reverse delta wing will not only advance our understanding of the lift and drag generation and the vortex flow characteristics, but can also serve as benchmark data for CFD validation. The present study will also lay a foundation for the study of the effects of ground proximity on the reverse delta wing, and, more importantly, lead to an improved design of wing-in-ground effect craft. " --