Flow surface for a three-dimensional boundary-layer flow, especially on a swept wing, a swept tail plane or a rotor

US7735782B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• UNIVERSITAT STUTTGART · DE

Inventors

• Markus Kloker · Neckartenzlingen, DE
• Ralf Messing · Aurich, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 1, 2006
• Grant date: Jun 15, 2010
• Expiry date: Jan 7, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02T50/10
• WIPO field: Transport
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A flow surface (16), e.g. on a swept aircraft wing, has a three-dimensional boundary-layer flow. The surface is defined by a spanwise direction (z) and a chordwise direction (x). In or on the flow surface excitation locations (22) are arranged, exciting primary disturbances. The disclosure is characterized in that the excitation locations (22) are arranged such that benign steady primary disturbances are excited and maintained on a sufficiently-high amplitude level as longitudinal vortices respectively crossflow vortices, suppressing naturally growing nocent primary disturbances by a non-linear physical mechanism. The benign primary disturbances preserve a laminar flow, such that unsteady secondary disturbances, which may initiate turbulence and which, otherwise, are excited in streamwise direction by nocent primary vortices, are suppressed or at least stabilized.