What is it about?

Maintaining laminar flow is critical to the performance of laminar flow wings. When insects strike and leave debris or roughness, they can disrupt the flow and trigger a turbulent boundary layer, spoiling the benefits of this type of wing and penalizing fuel efficiency. This study investigated how flat shielding strips could be placed near typical roughness accumulation zones to protect and mitigate boundary layer transition. The experiment used infrared thermography to determine the laminar or turbulent state of the boundary layer. Optimal positioning and geometry of these strips were determined, and the results confirm that shielding can effectively counteract the disturbances caused by insect strikes.

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Why is it important?

If the global transport fleet would incorporate laminar-flow surfaces (up to 50% of the upper wing and tail surfaces and up to 40% of the nacelle surfaces), total fuel consumption would be reduced by 18.2% compared to conventional turbulent-flow-aircraft. This could save between 53B and 87B gallons of fuel per year, based on 2006 predictions for 2030 traffic.

Perspectives

We explore how aerodynamic shielding can protect laminar flow from environmentally accumulated roughness elements. We discovered that shielding is capable of providing protection aginst insect strikes. The design space of geometries and positioning of strips was explored, and optimal configurations were found. The concept of shielding effectiveness is introduced.

Dr. Ezequiel Justiniano
Texas A&M University College Station

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This page is a summary of: Mitigation of Airfoil Boundary-Layer Transition due to Leading-Edge Roughness Using Shielding Strips, June 2023, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
DOI: 10.2514/6.2023-3998.
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