Numerical Simulation of the Streamwise Transport of a Delta Wing Leading-Edge Vortex

Abstract

Longitudinal vortices are a common flow phenomenon in the flow around aircraft. They emerge wherever sharp edges are encountered and affect the stability of the boundary layers with which they interact. Hence, for an optimal aircraft design, it is necessary to accurately predict not only the formation of these vortices, but also their downstream evolution. This paper presents a numerical simulation approach for the formation and downstream transport of longitudinal vortices. The approach consists in a hybrid Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes/large eddy simulation (RANS/LES) method with synthetic turbulence forcing for which different RANS/LES interface locations are investigated. The assessment of the suggested numerical approach is performed on an isolated sharp-edged delta wing configuration, allowing to get rid of unwanted uncertainties.