The Effect of Shock Control Bumps on the Transonic Flutter and Buffeting Characteristics of a Typical Wing Section

Abstract

We investigate the effects of small-scale airfoil geometry modifications, in particular so-called shock control bumps (SCB), on the transonic flutter and buffeting behavior of a classical two-degree-of-freedom model employing linearized stability analysis. The unsteady aerodynamic forces are modelled by solving the discretized RANS equations with respect to small-perturbation mesh deformation input. Special emphasis is put on the coupling of fluid modes and structural modes. SCBs that are designed initially towards purely aerodynamic buffet suppression perform also well in the aeroelastic analysis with respect to fluid-mode flutter. Classical flutter and buffeting are found to be separated by an apparent wall of stability. It is further noted that SCBs can potentially serve to improve the classical flutter behavior in the transonic dip region.