Transitional separated flow over low-aspect-ratio NACA0012 wings

Date

2026-01-01

Author

Anılır, Berkan
Kouser, Taiba
Kurtuluş, Dilek Funda
Goli, Srikanth
Sabih, Muhammad
Imran, Imil Hamda
Memon, Azhar
Alhems, Luai M.

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Three-dimensional transitional separated flow over low-aspect-ratio NACA0012 wings (semi-aspect ratios of sAR = 1 and 2) is numerically investigated at Reynolds numbers of 1 × 104 and 4 × 104, across a range of angles of attack from 10° to 20°. The numerical simulations are performed by solving the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations, employing the transitional turbulence model of shear stress transport (SST) γ − Reθ to simulate the turbulent flow and predict the laminar-to-turbulent transition. It is observed that the lower aspect ratio wing (sAR = 1) produces lower lift and drag coefficients than the higher aspect ratio wing (sAR = 2), independent of the Reynolds number. For sAR = 1, the lift coefficient increases monotonically with angle of attack, whereas sAR = 2 exhibits the opposite trend at Re = 1 × 104. At lower aspect ratios, the downwash induced by the wingtip vortices affects a broader spanwise region. The spike in the sectional lift coefficient is found closer to the root for sAR = 1. Moreover, the separation and transition points are observed earlier for the higher aspect ratio wing. For sAR = 1, the wake remains steady under all tested conditions due to the strong downwash effect. This steady wake behaviour may be influenced by the turbulence modeling, which can suppress low-frequency vortex shedding compared to LES or DNS simulations. Whereas the unsteady flow and Karman vortex shedding appear across the midspan when the downwash weakens for sAR = 2.

Subject Keywords

laminar-to-turbulent transition, low aspect ratio wing, NACA0012, separated flow

URI

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=105029090431&origin=inward
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/118554

Collections

Department of Aerospace Engineering, Article