Title: Numerical simulation of the unsteady aerodynamic loads on the tail fin in the vortex breakdown flow

Authors: Andrey Epikhin

Addresses: Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the RAS, Moscow, 109004, Russia; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow, 105005, Russia

Abstract: This work presents numerical simulation results of the flow around an airbrake-tail fin system of an aircraft. In this research, airbrake location and deflection angles effects on the unsteady aerodynamic loads acting on the tail fin that leads to the buffeting have been studied. The main flow field structures and their transformation features are investigated. The area of the maximal pressure applied to the tail fin has been determined. Analysing the obtained data during a series of numerical simulations allows to conclude that aerodynamic loads on the tail fin increase by five times. This conclusion has been made for the considered configuration of the airbrake-tail fin system when the airbrake deflection angle grows bigger. Change in the distance between the airbrake and the tail fin does not significantly affect the force loads. The efficiency of using the airbrake under different operating conditions has been estimated.

Keywords: vortex flow aerodynamics; airbrake; tail fin; buffeting; unsteady loads; OpenFOAM.

DOI: 10.1504/PCFD.2021.117468

Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics, An International Journal, 2021 Vol.21 No.5, pp.274 - 282

Received: 18 Dec 2019
Accepted: 23 Dec 2020
Published online: 07 Sep 2021 *

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