Lift Enhancement For Upper Surface Blowing Airplanes

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Lift Enhancement for Upper Surface Blowing Airplanes
Conference Paper · June 2013

DOI: 10.2514/6.2013-2796
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AIAA 2013-2796
Fluid Dynamics and Co-located Conferences
June 24-27, 2013, San Diego, CA
31st AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference
Lift Enhancement for Upper Surface Blowing Airplanes
Yoram Yadlin1 and Arvin Shmilovich2

The Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, CA, 92647
Various flow control techniques are applied to airplane configurations that utilize Upper
Surface Blowing (USB) in order to enhance their takeoff and landing capabilities. These
techniques include geometrical changes to the lifting surfaces and the engine nozzle. In
addition, several flow control methods are applied to further enhance the aircraft
performance. Both passive and active flow control techniques are applied at representative
flight conditions. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the methods in lift
enhancement for USB powered configurations.
Downloaded by Yoram Yadlin on January 24, 2017 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.2013-2796
Nomenclature
Aref = reference Area
AE = engine reference Area
c = chord length
h = slot height
j = jet density
E = engine jet density
Uj = jet velocity
UE = engine jet velocity
Cp = pressure coefficient
CL = lift coefficient
CD = drag coefficient
C = slot momentum coefficient, (h/c) ∙ (j/∞) ∙ (Uj/U∞)2
CT = engine trust coefficient, (AE/Aref) ∙ (j/ ∞) ∙ (UE/U∞)2
C = mass-flow coefficient
dt = time step
 = angle of attack
f = actuator jet frequency, Hz
AR = aspect ratio
Mj = jet Mach number
R = radius of curvature
1. Introduction
Recent military campaigns have underscored the need for improved short takeoff and landing
(STOL) performance to allow aircraft to operate in environments where modern airports and
other landing support facilities may not be available. Therefore, it is desirable to develop aircraft
that are able to operate from relatively short runways. One way to improve STOL performance is
to increase the lift produced by the aircraft wing. By increasing the wing lifting capabilities the
aircraft can fly at lower speeds, thereby enabling operations from shorter runways. Various
aircraft designs have attempted to maximize the lift produced along an airfoil surface through the
exploitation of powered lift concepts; examples of which are shown in Fig. 1. The McDonnell-
Douglas YC-15 [1] and its successor, the C-17, are based on the Externally Blown Flaps (EBF)
1
Senior Engineer/Scientist, Aerodynamic Technology, 5301 Bolsa Av., M/S H017-D335, Senior Member AIAA.
2
Boeing Technical Fellow, Aerodynamic Technology, 5301 Bolsa Av., M/S H017-D335, Senior Member AIAA.
1
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Copyright © 2013 by The Boeing Company. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., with permission.
concept where the exhaust streams from the pod-mounted engines impinge on slotted flaps and
are deflected downward, thereby augmenting lift. An alternate concept is the Upper Surface
Blown (USB) flaps implemented in the Boeing YC-14 [2]. In this approach the engines or the
engine exhaust nozzles are mounted on the upper wing surface and the exhaust plumes are
effectively turned downward over the non-slotted trailing edge flaps by the mechanism
commonly known as the Coanda effect. The blowing jet prevents premature separation and
enhances lift production. Recently, the Air Force Speed Agile Concept Demonstration program
[3] tested an implementation of a hybrid powered lift system combining the USB concept with
an internally blown flap (IBF) system. The IBF system is based on injecting air, usually drawn
from the engine, through slots on the surface of the lifting device. The injected air energizes the
flow, delays separation and improve the aerodynamic performance of the configuration.
Figure 1: Examples of powered lift implementation.
Investigation into USB flow characteristics reveals an important limitation in performance of

such systems. The pre-mature peeling-off of the exhaust jet from the wing/flap surface degrades
the lifting capability of the aircraft. The ability of the jet to turn along the flap upper surface is
influenced by the ratio of the jet thickness to the surface radius of curvature. A thin jet tends to
turn more efficiently than a thick jet, while a higher curved surface (small radius of curvature)
will lead to an earlier jet separation. Further insight into the flow characteristics of USB flow
shows that due to the limited spanwise extent of nozzle exhaust, significant jet edge effects
develop due to the three-dimensionality of the flow. The pressure differential between the jet
exhaust and the surrounding flow causes the formation of edge vortices which tend to roll up in
2
the general downstream direction. The local elevation of jet exhaust off the flap surface in the
vicinity of the edges diminishes the effectiveness of USB.
The objective of this study is to explore, through the use of computational fluid dynamics
(CFD) methods, several approaches for improved performance of USB systems. First,
geometrical modifications that include changes to the curvature of the upper surfaces of the wing
and the flap element will be introduced. This will be followed by a study of the cross sectional
shapes of the engine exhaust nozzle. The geometrically modified configuration is then subjected
to further improvements through the application of a set of flow control techniques.
The use of Active Flow Control (AFC) techniques for improved aerodynamic performance
has been a major area of research in recent years. The main mechanism by which lift
enhancement is achieved is through delay of separation at higher angles of attack. The current
actuation techniques require a fluidic source which could be conveniently provided by the
engine. The active flow control techniques can be generally grouped into two actuation modes.
One group employs constant blowing of air from an array of fixed orifices [4]. The second group
includes pulsed and sprinkler actuations, which are based on a stream of air where the jet
strength or its orientation may vary. More specifically, the pulsed actuation is obtained by a
periodic variation of the velocity magnitude of the blowing jet [5]. A different approach that
seeks to exploit wider area coverage is obtained by continuous swiveling of the blowing jet. This
sprinkler jet actuation is simulated by time-dependent variation in the jet vector. This study will
explore various modes of the pulse and sprinkler actuations.
This paper includes a description of the numerical tool used in the development of the lift
enhancement methods. The suitability and accuracy of the analysis method is then validated
against experimental data. The baseline configuration used for the lift enhancement techniques
will be described, highlighting flow features unique to the USB systems. A set of lift
augmentation methods will be presented and their relative merits will be established.
2. Numerical method
The numerical tool used for the simulation of active flow control is a modified version of the
OVERFLOW code originally developed by NASA [6, 7]. OVERFLOW uses the unsteady
Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) formulation for overset grid systems [8]. The
numerical procedure has been modified in order to facilitate the development of a family of flow
control techniques for vortex alleviation and reduced flow separation. Special modules have been
developed for the modeling of time-varying boundary conditions to simulate flow excitation due
to control devices. Jet actuation is described by the mass flow rate, cross sectional area and the
stagnation pressure and temperature in order to define the velocity at the ejection nozzle. A
detailed description of the numerical boundary conditions for the flow control devices is found in
Ref. [9]. The numerical algorithm uses the characteristics approach for consistent application of
the boundary conditions. The code and the specialized boundary conditions have been
extensively validated for AFC applications for high-lift systems [4, 5].
The current calculations were obtained using a second order upwind differencing scheme.
Depending on the application, either the SA or the SST turbulence models have been used. The
flow control computations use a second order time-accurate scheme. Time dependent simulations
are initiated from a steady-state solution obtained for the flow in the absence of any actuation. A
minimum of 800 time steps per actuation cycle is used, depending on the application and
frequency of actuation.
3
3. Validation
The computational method for USB applications was validated using test data obtained at the
Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in 2007. The experimental model consists of an upper
surface mounted engine nozzle, capped engine inlet and a simple hinged flap. Experimental data
was obtained for nozzles with various aspect ratios and a range of flap deflections, power
settings and angles of attack. The model configuration used for the validation of the CFD method
consists of a drooped leading edge and a straight trailing edge. The tip of the model was covered
with a large tip fence. The single element hinged flap is deflected at 30 degrees. The engine
nozzle has an aspect ratio of 6. A picture of the model in the wind tunnel and the corresponding
computational grid are shown in Fig. 2.
.
Figure 2: Wind tunnel model and computational grid used for code validation
The overset grid consists of 10.4 million points and 34 blocks. The tunnel walls were not
included in the numerical model and the wing was mounted on a wall that was treated as an
inviscid surface. The farfield surfaces were treated as outflow conditions based on Riemann
invariants with freestream conditions imposed on the incoming characteristics. The computations
were performed for two angles of attack at a freestream Mach number of 0.132, corresponding to
a velocity of 45 m/s. The engine power settings were simulated using the special jet boundary
conditions developed for the AFC computations. The power-off case was simulated by imposing
no-flux conditions at the nozzle face. All powered calculations were performed with engine
thrust coefficient, C, of 0.8. This represents takeoff power where engine exhaust is nearly sonic
at the nozzle exit station. Surface pressure coefficients at a section cut through the engine
4
centerline are shown in Fig. 3. The power-off cases clearly show the separated flow over the flap
and downstream of the engine nozzle. In the power on cases the high velocity engine exhaust
eliminates flow separation and produces high suction levels on the flap. The agreement between
the experimental data and the numerical solutions is acceptable for both angles of attack and
power conditions, although notable differences exist in the flap region.
Figure 3: Comparison of CFD results with wind tunnel experiment
4. Baseline Configuration
The baseline configuration used for the lift enhancement study is derived from the test model
described in Sec. 3. A few simplifications have been incorporated in order to simplify the
analysis. The computational model is placed between to vertical walls. The wing has constant
chord with a full span flap. The exit section of the engine nozzle is defined by a super-ellipse
with an aspect ratio of 6. In anticipation of the AFC modifications, the model includes 5 equally
spaced slots embedded into the upper surface over the entire flap span. The actuation is
accomplished through the application of the jet boundary conditions within discrete spanwise
segments to represent individual actuators. The height of each slot is 0.2% of the wing chord.
The computational overset grid of the baseline configuration consists of 19 zones and 8.5 million
grid points and is shown in Fig. 4.
The effects of upper surface blowing on the baseline model are examined using a
representative takeoff condition of freestream Mach number of 0.2 and angles of attack of 10 and
16 degrees. The nominal engine power conditions were set such that the Mach number (Mj) at
the engine exit station was 0.84.
5
Figure 4: Baseline computation model.
The USB effectiveness and improvements due to geometrical modifications and flow control
techniques are primarily gauged by the overall lift gains. Several flow features are used gain
insight into the underlying lift generation mechanisms of USB in conjunction with flow control.
The extent of flow separation at each flow condition can be ascertained from the size of the
separation bubble, defined here as an iso-surface of the zero streamwise component of the
velocity. Another important feature in USB flows and a major factor in the Coanda effect is the
shape of the engine exhaust plume. In the analysis of the baseline case and future runs, the plume
will be define by an iso-surface of M = 0.7. Note that since the engine is installed off the model
centerline, the separation bubble on the left side is larger than the one of the right.
The results of the simulations for the baseline configuration are shown in Fig. 5. The effects
of the upper surface blowing on the flap can be observed from the lift curve which shows a lift
increment of about 16% over the range of angles of attack. Examining the flow structure, it is
clear that when the power is off, the flow over the flap is entirely separated with a significantly
larger separation bubble at the edges of the cowl. Turning the power on, as is seen by the extent
of the engine plume, reattaches the flow on the flap behind the engine, resulting the increased CL.
It is also evident that large separated areas still exist on the flap away from the jet plume. The
cross sectional vorticity cuts at a few locations downstream of the nozzle indicate the formation
of plume edge vortices originating just downstream of the engine cowl. Vortex rollup occurs at
further distance, reducing plume turning along the flap and thereby diminishing the Coanda
effect. While the lift augmentation ability of the USB is evident from this model problem, it is
desirable to develop methods of mitigating the adverse edge effect.
6
Figure 5: Baseline USB configuration; (α = 10º).
5. USB Enhancement Techniques

In this section, a few modifications to the baseline USB system will be described and their
effect on lift augmentation will be analyzed. First, geometrical modifications to the flap
curvature and the nozzle cross section will be introduced to minimize the jet thickness to flap
radius of curvature ratio, followed with implementation of flow control methods to alleviate
plume edge effects.
A. Geometrical Modifications
The first modification is the doubling of the radius of curvature of the flap upper surface while
keeping the lower surface fixed which results in a 4.7% increase in wing chord. A cut through
the wing geometry at the mid-engine station is presented in Fig. 6a. The lift curves are presented
in Fig. 6b. The lift gain due to the increase in radius of curvature is about 12% throughout the
range of angles of attack. By and large the benefit is due to the augmented Coanda effect which
acts on less than 28% of the wing span (i.e., the ratio of nacelle width to the wing span).
Figure 6: Effects of low curvature flap on USB performance.
7
The second modification is aimed at changing the nozzle shape in order to affect the cross
section of the engine exhaust. A new engine cowl was developed by doubling the nozzle width
while keeping its exit area fixed. The resulting nozzle has an aspect ratio of about 20 compared
to the AR ≈ 6 for the baseline configuration. A front view of the two models is shown in Fig. 7a.
The flow conditions for these configurations were kept the same, assuring identical thrust levels
for the two different aspect ratio nozzles. The effect of widening of the nozzle on the lift is
presented in Fig. 7b. No significant change in lift is noted for the power-off cases. An increase
in lift is clearly realized with the elongated nozzle for the power-on cases; 27% at  = 10º and
20% at  = 16º. The reasons for this increase can be inferred from the spanwise sectional lift
distributions in Fig. 7c-d. First, it is evident that the thinner jet plume of the high aspect ratio
nozzle creates a locally stronger Coanda effect; the CL is higher even at the nozzle’s center span
station. This is a manifestation of the minimized jet height to radius of curvature ratio. In
addition, the wider nozzle affects a larger portion of the wing span. The more uniform spanload
can also minimize the adverse effects of USB flows on induced drag.
Figure 7: Effects of nozzle aspect ratio on USB performance.

B. Passive flow control
In order to limit the three-dimensionality of the flow and the associated reduction in the
effectiveness of the Coanda effect, consider a set of vertical fences mounted on the upper surface
of the USB flaps. The fences can be positioned at different angles relative to the wing surface
and be of varying heights. These fences can be fixed or automatically deployed at specific flight
conditions. The function of the fence is to reduce the three-dimensionality of the flow and
prevent the vortex roll-up at the edges of the nozzle. Possible implementations of the fences
8
devices are presented in Fig. 8. Consider a schematic representation of an airplane wing with a
nozzle on the wing’s upper surface. The fences can be positioned at the edges of the nozzle to
enhance the two-dimensionality of the flow; high aspect ratio nozzles might require an
intermediate set of fences to be inserted along the nozzle opening. The height of the fence can be
a function of the nozzle height.
Figure 8: Fence systems for enhanced STOL.
The effects of adding fences at the edges of the nozzle will be studied using a model with an
elongated nozzle and two fences. The fences are positioned at the edges of the nozzle, aligned
with the flow; the height of the fence is the same as the centerline height of the nozzle and its
thickness is comparable to the nozzle trailing edge thickness. The surface grid for the flap fence
CFD model is shown in Fig. 9.
Figure 9: Flap fence surface grid system
9
The flow fields for the flap fences simulations are shown in Fig. 10 where the flow conditions
are M∞ = 0.20 and  = 16°; engine power settings are the same as for the model problem, as are
the separation bubble and the jet plume definitions. In addition, the pressure field on the model
surface is presented by a carpet-plot of pressure coefficient. When the engine power is turned off
the fences do not have any discernible effect on the flow field and the flap if completely
separated. Turning the engine on, the effect of the flap fences on engine plume becomes
apparent; the jet plume is wider, the edge vortices are weaker and the flow behind the nozzle is
fully attached. These effects are evident also in the pressure coefficients plot where the leading
edge pressure suction is stronger because of higher circulation due to flow attachment.
Figure 10: Effect of flap fences on USB flow field;  = 16°.
Examining the spanload over the wing, as shown in Fig. 11a, it is clear that the mechanism by
which the fences operate is the reduction of the three-dimensionality of the flow. The fences
straighten the flow at the edges of the nozzle, reduce the vorticity levels and delay the roll-up of
the plume. As a result, the flow becomes more two dimensional and a higher load distribution is
achieved across the entire span. A lift coefficient curve for the flap fences model is presented in
Fig. 11b. It is evident that the fences, a passive flow control device, can improve on the lift
augmentation capabilities of the USB system by increase of 12% in lift over the entire angle of
attack range.
10
Figure 11: Effect of edge fences on USB performance.
C. Active flow control

While the geometrical modification described earlier show a promising potential for lift
enhancement for USB system the actual implementation might be constrained by other factors.
The edge fences might increase drag at cruise conditions, integrating higher aspect ratio nozzle
might interfere with other systems on the wing, etc. Since the effectiveness of AFC in lift
enhancement of conventional high lift system is well established implementing it in the context
of USB would be a natural extension. The objective of the implementation will be the
enhancement of the Coanda effect and minimizing the three-dimensional edge effects.
A schematic setup of AFC in a USB system is presented in Figure 12. This configuration is
composed of a wing section, a high aspect-ratio upper surface nozzle and a single element flap.
Three sets of ejection slots are positioned on the upper surface of the deflected flap downstream
of the flap hinge line. Bleed air is extracted from the engine, or any other compressed air source,
and routed through a distribution valve to the appropriate slots. The slots can be positioned at
various chordwise locations on the flap having different width in the span direction.
11
Figure 12: Constant blowing jet system [10].
1. Constant blowing
The first AFC method for USB system to be analyzed is constant blowing. In this method air
is blown out of the slots at a constant mass flow and fixed orientation at pre-defined locations
over the wing and the flap. The analysis uses the computational model similar to that in Fig. 12.
The freestream flow conditions and the engine power setting were kept the same as for the edge-
fences model described in section 5B. The actuation setup for the simulation was as follows: the
second ejection slot was deactivated, while the active portion within each slot included a
spanwise section downstream of the engine nozzle edges, each with a width of 10% of the flap
span. The first pair in slot 1 was pointing directly downstream while the pair in slot 3 was
pointing 30° away from the nozzle plume. The slot momentum coefficient (C) for each jet was
0.029, resulted in Mj = 0.75.
A summary of the results for the constant blowing actuation is presented in Fig. 13. The
arrows in the top view plots represent the velocity vectors of the AFC jets and indicate the
orientation of each jet. The effectiveness of the blowing is demonstrated by the reduction of the
separation bubble, the “flattening” of the nozzle plume and reduction in strength of plume edge
vortices. Observing the vertical cuts through the ports, it is apparent that the mechanism by
which the jets affect the flow field is the increase in the turning angle of the engine nozzle jet.
As a result the Coanda effect is more pronounced, the circulation increases and an increase of
18% in CL is realized. Note that when the flow control is turned on the shape of the exhaust
plume is very similar to that of the exhaust plume in the edge fences model as presented in Fig.
9, suggesting that the AFC jets affect the flow in a similar way to that of the nozzle edge fences.
12
Figure 13: Actuation results for constant blowing; M∞ = 0.2,  = 16º.
Examples of alternative actuation patterns and their effect on flow separation are presented in
Fig. 14, where the jet patterns are represented by the arrows and the extent of flow.
Figure 14: Alternative actuation patterns; M∞ = 0.2,  = 16º.
2. Pulsed actuation
AFC based on continuous blowing might require substantial amount of bleed air for effective
lift enhancement. This requirement dictates the size of the engine; the larger the bleed air
requirement, the heavier the engine, leading to increase in airplane gross weight and loss of
engine efficiency. An alternative to a constant jet blowing is the use of pulsed actuation where
the flow control jets are operated in an intermittent mode and consequently reduce the amount of
bleed air needed relative to constant jet. The use of pulsed actuation has been shown to be
13
effective in enhancing the flow for high-lift system [5, 11-12] suggesting it would be a natural
candidate for use with USB system as well. A possible installation of the pulsed actuation system
as a lift augmentation device on an airplane is presented in Figure 15a. The system is similar to
the constant blowing system, and is an integral part of the wing flap system located downstream
of the engine nozzle. A set of fluidic valves and ducts, embedded in the flaps, are linked to an
array of ejection orifices which are flushed with the upper surface of the flap. Pairs of orifices are
installed at specific streamwise stations located at the edges of the exhaust footprint on the flap.
The pulsating jets can have different modes of actuations with different frequencies and phases.
Three different ejection port layouts, each with two modes of actuation, are shown in Fig. 15b.
Each pair of actuation devices can operate in unison, as shown in the top row, or in an
intermittent mode, as shown in the bottom row. In this case, when the ports on the right hand
side of the engine are blowing, their counterparts on the left are shut off, and vice versa. This
phase differential is denoted by the + and – signs, respectively.
Figure 15: AFC pulsed actuation method [13]
The model used in assessing the performance of the pulsed actuation mode is the baseline
nozzle (AR ≈ 6) with three pairs of actuation ports as shown in Fig. 15a. The actuation frequency
was 5 Hz where the jets were activated intermittently from side to side. The flow conditions are
typical of takeoff, (M∞ = 0.10,  = 10°, C ≈ 0.8). The effect of the pulse actuation on the flow
field is shown in Fig. 16, by examining the shape and extent of the engine plume and the
separation bubble Note that the velocity vectors of the AFC jet are represented by the black
arrows. At this snapshot in time the jets on the right are active (+) while the jets on the left are
off (-). It is clear that without actuation the Coanda effect is inhibited due to the quick roll-up of
the edge vortices of the engine exhaust plume, resulting in premature peeling of the vortices off
the flap surface. Consequently, the flow separates off most of the flap resulting in significant lift
degradation. The intermittent actuation profoundly affects the flow by preventing flow separation
over a sizeable portion of the wing span. The exhaust plume is mostly attached to the flap and its
shape is altered into a more elongated form. The flow around the flap is further streamlined,
resulting in higher circulation and increased lift.
14
Figure 16: Effects of pulsed actuation on flow separation.
Since the amount of bleed air needed for effective flow control determines the size of the
engine (or any other bleed air source) it is important to analyze the performance of the pulsed
actuation accordingly. A useful measure of the actuation performance is the lift increment
relative to actuation mass flow. The lift increments obtained with various port configurations as a
function of time-average mass flow rate used for actuation are shown in Fig. 17. The actuation
engine bleed is expressed in terms of the ratio of actuation mass flow rate (ṁbl) to engine nozzle
mass flow rate (ṁeng). It is clear that the pulsed actuation is very effective in producing higher lift
with smaller mass flow rates relative to the constant blowing. Moreover, at high increment
levels, pulsed actuation produces nearly linear lift augmentation with increased engine bleed,
whereas constant blowing exhibits diminishing lift gains.
To further illustrate the advantages of intermittent actuation, specific observations can be
made. The highest lift level of CL=1.1 is achieved with intermittent actuation using 5.6%
relative engine bleed. In contrast, constant actuation using the same amount of bleed produces
0.47 lift gain, which translates to just 42% of that generated by the intermittent actuation.
Likewise, a lift increment of 0.75 is obtained with constant blowing using three pairs of ports and
11.2% relative engine bleed. Alternatively, intermittent blowing results in the same lift level, but
utilizing only two pairs of ports, with just 3.7% of relative engine bleed. This represents a 70%
reduction in bleed level requirement with the associated saving in engine size, airframe weight
and improved aerodynamic performance.
15
Figure 17: Lift augmentation vs. engine bleed.
The performance of pulsed jet actuation over full range of flow incidences is shown in Fig.
18. In the linear range, the same level of lift is achieved with pulsed actuation using only 3.7%
bleed compared to 11.2% for constant blowing. Similarly, when using the same amount of
engine bleed (3.7%), pulsed actuation provides 2.4 times the lift increment achieved with
constant blowing. Examining the efficiency of the method, as measured by unit lift increment per
unit engine bleed, shows that time-varying actuation is approximately 3 times more efficient at
the relevant range of flow incidents.
Figure 18: Effectiveness of lift augmentation methods for USB systems.
16
3. Sprinkler actuation
The results presented in the preceding sections confirm that properly placed AFC ports can be
very effective in lift enhancement for USB configurations. However, based on engine power
level and flight conditions, the location of the exhaust jet edges may vary and an a priori
placement of the ports may not be practical. A new type of actuation is proposed to mitigate this
problem. This is a sprinkler type actuation which produces a continuous jet through a movable
nozzle that swivels periodically from side to side. This motion creates a wide coverage area of
the ejection jet and thereby alleviates the port placement issue associated with the uncertainty in
the location of the exhaust jet edges. Actuators which can provide effective flow control in a way
that is not very sensitive to precise port placement are very attractive. Similar devices have been
shown to be very effective in the alleviation of engine ground vortices [9, 11] and minimizing
the effects of wing tip vortex [11], indicating that the sprinkler actuation might offer a practical
solution in the context of USB.
The effectiveness of the sprinkler actuation system has been examined on the wide nozzle
configuration with a pair of jet ports on each side of the nozzle. The jets effectively oscillate at
±30 degrees from side to side at a frequency of 10Hz. The flow field resulting from this mode of
actuation is presented in Fig. 19 by a set of instantaneous snap shots of the flow field. Note that
the separation bubble decreases in size relative to the baseline (non-actuated) configuration but
since the actuation is time and space dependent, there is a lag between the location of the jet,
shown by velocity vectors, and the destruction of the bubble. The sprinkler actuation results in a
lift increment of about 0.55 in the linear lift range
Figure 19: Separation patterns for USB system with swiveling jets actuations [14].
17
6. Conclusions
Various techniques of lift augmentation for aircraft that utilize upper surface blowing for
improved takeoff and landing have been described. Geometrical changes to the flap curvature
and increased aspect ratio of the nozzle exit plane demonstrate improved lift for the model
configuration. Several passive and active flow control methods can potentially further enhance
the effectiveness of USB airplanes. Generally the flow control techniques alter the flow on the
flap by preventing the jet plume from rolling up prematurely and reducing flow separation over
the flap. This flow mechanism results in an increase in circulation and lift. The passive flow
control method is based on flap mounted fences which reduce the spanwise component of the
flow over the flap. The active flow control methods use engine bleed which is routed to a set of
ejection ports on the flap. The individual port can provide flow control in the form of constant
blowing, pulsed blowing or sprinkler-type motion. Computational analyses indicate that
intermittent flow control is more effective than constant blowing since it requires substantially
less engine bleed, with implications to engine sizing, engine efficiency and airplane weight. The
sprinkler system with its wide domain of influence offers considerable robustness over a range of
operational conditions and variable exhaust plume shapes. An optimal configuration with respect
to actuation mode and port placement on the flap has to be considered within a system level
integration study to establish realistic benefits of AFC for future USB airplanes.
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18
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Lift Enhancement For Upper Surface Blowing Airplanes

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Lift Enhancement for Upper Surface Blowing Airplanes

Conference Paper · June 2013

Yoram Yadlin Arvin Shmilovich

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Lift Enhancement for Upper Surface Blowing Airplanes

Yoram Yadlin1 and Arvin Shmilovich2

Figure 1: Examples of powered lift implementation.

Investigation into USB flow characteristics reveals an important limitation in performance of

Figure 3: Comparison of CFD results with wind tunnel experiment

Figure 4: Baseline computation model.

5. USB Enhancement Techniques

Figure 6: Effects of low curvature flap on USB performance.

Figure 7: Effects of nozzle aspect ratio on USB performance.

Figure 8: Fence systems for enhanced STOL.

Figure 9: Flap fence surface grid system

Figure 10: Effect of flap fences on USB flow field;  = 16°.

Figure 11: Effect of edge fences on USB performance.

C. Active flow control

Figure 12: Constant blowing jet system [10].

Figure 13: Actuation results for constant blowing; M∞ = 0.2,  = 16º.

Figure 14: Alternative actuation patterns; M∞ = 0.2,  = 16º.

Figure 15: AFC pulsed actuation method [13]

Figure 16: Effects of pulsed actuation on flow separation.

Figure 17: Lift augmentation vs. engine bleed.

Figure 18: Effectiveness of lift augmentation methods for USB systems.

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