Lift enhancement strategy and mechanism for a plunging airfoil based on vortex control

A new flow control strategy based on leading-edge vortex (LEV) manipulation is proposed to improve the aerodynamic performance of a plunging airfoil. It has been found that the low pressure region produced by the LEV contributes to the high lift during dynamic stall, while the growth of the secondary vortex would weaken the LEV and result in a decrease in lift. Accordingly, the vortex control hypothesis is that we change the evolution of the secondary vortex and LEV, thus achieving a higher lift coefficient with a longer duration. The suction actuator is placed at different positions on the upper surface of the airfoil to test the control hypothesis. When the suction actuator is near the leading edge, the LEV detaches from the shear layer earlier and it can only enhance the lift slightly while not delay stall time. When the suction actuator is near the middle region, it could inhibit the growth of the secondary vortex and, thus, reduce its strength greatly. Therefore, the LEV circulation could continue to increase. As a result, the suction control could increase the lift coefficient and also prolong the high-lift duration. When the suction actuator is near the trailing edge, an increase in lift could also be achieved by an increase in the negative pressure over the upper surface as well as the LEV circulation. Thus, we present and validate the lift enhancement strategy for an unsteady airfoil based on vortex control.