Studies of Interactive Procedures for Three-Dimensional Flows. I. Separation and Reattachment Near the Leading Edge of a Thin Wing

Book excerpt: This report is concerned with the calculation of the leading-edge separation which occurs on thin wings with increasing angle of attack. To develop a general method and provide a basis for its evaluation, the simplified problem of a triaxial ellipsoid at incidence is considered. The boundary-layer equations are solved with quasi-three-dimensional approximation, in finite-difference form, with the Mechul method to allow the determination of the external velocity distribution and a Hilbert integral to allow the modification of the external velocity distribution by the displacement thickness. The results show that, as in two-dimensional flows, the extent of laminar flows with separation is very limited. Keywords: Flow separation bubbles; Boundary-layer separation; Interactive boundary layers; Three-dimensional flows.