Alexander Kuzmin
International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sicences, vol. 14, no. 3, pp.210-214, 2013

Abstract : The sensitivity of transonic flow past a Whitcomb airfoil to deflections of an aileron is studied at free-stream Mach numbers from 0.81 to 0.86 and vanishing or negative angles of attack. Solutions of the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are obtained with a finite-volume solver using the k-ω SST turbulence model. The numerical study demonstrates the existence of narrow bands of the Mach number and aileron deflection angles that admit abrupt changes of the lift coefficient at small perturbations. In addition, computations reveal free-stream conditions in which the lift coefficient is independent of aileron deflections of up to 5 degrees. The anomalous behavior of the lift is explained by interplay of local supersonic regions on the airfoil. Both stationary and impulse changes of the aileron position are considered

Keyword : Local supersonic regions, Aileron deflection, Instability, Lift coefficient