Progress in Natural Laminar Flow Wing Design

R&T - Progress in Natural Laminar Flow Wing Design and Wind Tunnel Testing - EGAA - Ref.
PR1103592 - Issue 1 March 2011
AERODAYS 2011
Progress in Natural Laminar Flow Wing Design

and Wind Tunnel Testing
Presentation 2E1
Presented by
David Sawyers / Airbus – Aerodynamics

R&T - Progress in Natural Laminar Flow Wing Design and Wind Tunnel Testing - EGAA - Ref. PR1103592 - Issue 1 March 2011

Overview of the TELFONA project
• TELFONA ran from May 2005 to October 2009 and was
supported by the EC’s Framework 6
• TELFONA had 17 partners across Europe including 2 Russian
partners added after 21 months
• Thanks to all the partners who contributed results to this
presentation
Page 2

© AIRBUS Operations LTD. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.

Project enablers and objective
• The ACARE 2020 targets require aircraft
manufacturers to make significant steps in
reducing CO2 emissions through aircraft
and engine improvements
• Natural Laminar Flow (NLF) involves
changing the wing shape to delay the
onset of turbulent flow and hence reduce
drag
• Wing drag reductions of 10% were
estimated for an NLF wing
• The objective of TELFONA was to develop
NLF wing design and wind tunnel testing
techniques needed for a future NLF aircraft
NACRE Pro-Green configuration
Page 3


NLF design method (1)
• Aerodynamic design tools for NLF aerofoils or
wings have to include a method for predicting
laminar to turbulent boundary layer transition
• The favoured transition prediction technique within
the TELFONA team is local linear stability analysis
• Stability analysis methods calculate the growth of
boundary layer disturbances that eventually cause
transition
• In reality disturbance growth is linked to turbulence
levels, environmental noise, surface roughness etc
• Linear methods do not model these factors and
hence each method has to be calibrated for each
test environment (flight, wind tunnel)
Page 4


NLF design method (2)
• Current approach to modelling transition Upper side
Umax
0.007 1.5
within CFD methods is an instant switch 0.006
skin friction coefficient Cf
Intermittency factor γ
from laminar to turbulent boundary layer 0.005
0.004
γ 1
based on the stability analysis result 0.003

Cf
0.5
• IST and ONERA examined whether 0.002
0.001
13.3%
15.8%
17.8% 20%
transition zone models should be 0

0.1 0.2 0.3
X/C
0.4 0.5
0
0.6
integrated into CFD methods

• Calculations were validated through 1.5
Polar 259_C1
Re=10 Mio, M=0.76, CL=0.45
0.025
Cp, Intermittency function

1 0.02
Skin friction coefficient

comparisons with ETW test results 0.5 0.015
Transition TSP
• Results dependent on transition onset 0

zone length
Cp
Cf
0.01
location -0.5
Gamma
0.005
-1 0
0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5 0.55 0.6
X/C
Page 5


Calibration of transition prediction tools for ETW (1)
• Use of ETW gives the chance to demonstrate NLF
at flight Reynolds numbers at relatively low cost
(compared to flight testing)
• Transition tools had to be calibrated for ETW and
this calibration data compared to flight test
calibrations to understand how to apply the ETW
results in predicting flight test performance
• A simple NLF wing geometry – Pathfinder Wing -
was designed by DLR, CIRA and ONERA
• Pathfinder Wing designed to achieve different
transition behaviour at known flow conditions
Page 6


Wind tunnel model development - Pathfinder Wing
• Pathfinder Wing WT model had temperature
sensitive paint panels on upper and lower
surfaces to measure transition behaviour
• TSP extended around leading edge following
first test
• A large number of pressure tappings around
the leading edge were used to accurately
capture the leading edge flow
• Sensors integrated into the lower surface outer
wing by TU Berlin to detect frequency of
Tollmien-Schlichting disturbances
• Reasonable results although more work is
needed to mature this technology
Page 7


Calibration of transition prediction tools for ETW (2)
CF transition at 30%
• TSP results used to determine transition
locations X/C = 30%
• Results have to be interpreted to account for
turbulent wedges
• ETW spent significant time working out how
to reduce wedge-causing contamination
• For each data point, transition location was
combined with measured pressure data as
input to transition calculation
• Results from the many transition
calculations were collated to form a
calibration database for ETW
• Additional information on the analysis can be found in AIAA Papers 2010-1300
and 2011-0881
Page 8


Transition prediction methods development (1)
• TELFONA supported the continuing development
of more advanced transition prediction methods
that account for surface roughness,
environmental noise etc
• Partners studied influence of isolated
roughnesses on crossflow transition
• Much more work needed on this topic
• TsAGI examined the influence of noise and
turbulence on transition location on 2D and 2.5D
wind tunnel models based on the Pathfinder Wing
aerofoil
• Transition location was found to move towards
leading edge with increasing turbulence
• Noise was found to have a small influence on 2D
2D model results
model but no effect on the 2.5D model
• Additional information in AIAA paper 2011-210
Page 9


Transition prediction methods development (2)
• KTH examined the impact of turbulence levels on
crossflow vortices on a swept flat plate model with a
favourable pressure gradient
• Disturbance amplitudes normalised with freestream
turbulence level initially collapse onto single curve but
later on amplification of disturbances decreases as
turbulence level increases
• This indicates non-linear amplification as initial amplitude
of disturbances increases with turbulence level
• Computations indicate that initial disturbances might not
be pure cross-flow modes (amplification rates don’t
match)
• Possibly equivalent to Klebanoff modes (or optimal
disturbances) in 2D flows CF mode
• It has been found that a detailed knowledge of the initial

turbulent flow field is needed to predict the boundary Optimal disturbance
layer response
Page 10


Design of the Performance Wing
• Performance Wing was designed by Airbus using
RANS and Euler CFD with integrated transition
prediction to demonstrate the drag reduction potential
of an NLF wing
• Laminar flow on both upper and lower surfaces
• Aircraft application probably only likely on upper surface
due to leading edge high lift system
• Original target high aspect ratio planform from
NACRE had to be modified to enable structurally
sound ETW model
• Transition behaviour designed for low drag over
range of CLs at cruise Re and M
• Laminar wing drag = 85% of fully turbulent laminar wing
• Airbus’ transition predictions validated by ONERA
before model manufacture
Page 11


Testing of the Performance Wing
• Performance Wing model more
representative of typical production ETW
models
• Lower number of pressure tappings than
on Pathfinder Wing
• Model build concept accounts for lessons
learned from Pathfinder testing
• TSP extended to 90% chord over all of
upper and lower surfaces to capture
variation of transition fronts over complete
wing
Page 12


Analysis of Performance Wing results
• Pressure and TSP data used to validate
Pathfinder Wing ETW transition calibration
• Good repeatability on TS results
• Differences in crossflow results need to be
understood
• Transition at shock at design point means
drag reduction is maximised
• Drag with fixed leading edge transition also
measured for comparison with CFD results
• Method created to remove drag impact of
wedges as part of performance scaling
• Each data point has to be processed in turn
• Modified data used as part of updated flight
performance scaling process
• Predicted wing drag reduction confirmed
Page 13


Conclusions
• Significant steps forward in design and testing capabilities for
natural laminar flow wings have been achieved
• Pathfinder Wing reduced dataset is being released to universities
for academic studies
• Lessons learned in NLF wing design have to be applied to more
realistic configurations
• Advanced methods development needs to continue to be funded
in parallel with design studies
• The flying NLF wing demonstrator is being designed within
CLEANSKY Smart Fixed Wing Aircraft programme
• Current plans are to commence flight testing in 2014
Page 14

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AIRBUS, its logo, A300, A310, A318, A319, A320, A321, A330, A340, A350, A380, A400M are registered trademarks.
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R&T - Progress in Natural Laminar Flow Wing Design and Wind Tunnel Testing - EGAA - Ref.

PR1103592 - Issue 1 March 2011

Progress in Natural Laminar Flow Wing Design

within CFD methods is an instant switch 0.006

skin friction coefficient Cf

based on the stability analysis result 0.003

• IST and ONERA examined whether 0.002

transition zone models should be 0

integrated into CFD methods

Cp, Intermittency function

Skin friction coefficient

• Results dependent on transition onset 0

• It has been found that a detailed knowledge of the initial

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