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Aerofoil at low speeds with Gurney flaps

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2016

L. Brown  and
A. Filippone
L. Brown
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing Engineering, UMIST Manchester, UK
A. Filippone
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing Engineering, UMIST Manchester, UK
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Abstract

This paper reviews the research on Gurney flaps and related high lift trailing edge devices. It investigates aerofoil performances at Reynolds numbers Re ≅ 105 and below, both with the clean configuration and various Gurney flap sizes. The device height is optimised, and a semi-empirical formula linking flap height to free stream speed and aerofoil chord is proposed. The analysis shows that the optimal size of the device is always below the boundary-layer thickness at the trailing edge. Discussion of results includes analysis of hysteresis loops occurring in the L/D performances. These are mostly due to large changes in drag and small changes in lift, which occur when the aerofoil is restored to the reference angle of attack.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 107 , Issue 1075 , September 2003 , pp. 539 - 546
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2003 

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