Aerodynamic Characteristic Analysis on Coanda Effects of Multi-Element Airfoils Under Circulation Control Based on RANS

DU Yiming; LI Zhihao; WANG Hao; HUANG Longtai; GAO Pan

doi:10.21656/1000-0887.460006

Volume 47 Issue 5

May 2026

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Article Navigation > Applied Mathematics and Mechanics > 2026 > 47(5): 621-638

DU Yiming, LI Zhihao, WANG Hao, HUANG Longtai, GAO Pan. Aerodynamic Characteristic Analysis on Coanda Effects of Multi-Element Airfoils Under Circulation Control Based on RANS[J]. Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, 2026, 47(5): 621-638. doi: 10.21656/1000-0887.460006

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Aerodynamic Characteristic Analysis on Coanda Effects of Multi-Element Airfoils Under Circulation Control Based on RANS

doi: 10.21656/1000-0887.460006

1. College of Aerospace Engineering, Shenyang Aerospace University, Shenyang 110136, P.R. China;
2. Chinese Aeronautical Establishment, Beijing 100029, P.R. China;
3. China Special Vehicle Research Institute, Jingmen, Hubei 431800, P.R. China

Funds:

The National Science Foundation of China(12202284)

Received Date: 2025-01-13
Rev Recd Date: 2025-11-11

Available Online: 2026-06-04

Publish Date: 2026-05-01

Abstract

Abstract

Combining traditional high lift devices with circulation control is expected to improve the takeoff and landing performance of aircraft. Based on the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) method, the 2D NLR-7301 2-segment airfoil was taken as the research object. The circulation control was applied to the main element and the flap respectively, and the effects of jet positions, heights, and momentum coefficients on the aerodynamic characteristics of the multi-segment airfoil were systematically investigated. The results show that, the position of the jet determines the basic aerodynamic force. For a too far backward jet position, the Coanda surface will be too small to yield the wall attachment effect. Conversely, for a too far forward jet position, significant separation will easily happen on the lower surface, to reduce the lift-enhancement effect. The lift coefficient generally increases with the decrease of the jet height and the increase of the momentum coefficient, but there is a nonlinear effect by multiple parameters. A smaller jet height can bring a better lift increasement. For high jet heights, the jet velocity is low, to weaken the entrainment effect and potentially cause circulation control failure of the main element. For the circulation control of either the main element or the flap of NLR-7301, 0.03 is an appropriate momentum coefficient, and further increase will cause significant separation of the lower surface, and reduce the efficiency of lift-enhancement. From the perspective of pressure distribution, the circulation control can elevate the suction peak at the leading edge of the main element, and improve the upper surface suction and lower surface pressure. At the same time, the entrainment effect of the main element jet flow helps to eliminate the boundary layer separation at the trailing edge of the flap. Furthermore, the circulation control can still effectively enhance the aerodynamic performance of the wing under 3D conditions. However, its control effect is affected by the spanwise flow and gradually diminishes from the wing root to the tip. The above conclusions provide a reference for the design of the circulation control of multi-element airfoils. In practical applications, numerical optimization is required to find the optimal combination of control parameters, in view of both lift and drag characteristics.
- circulation control,
- wall attachment effect,
- multi-element airfoil,
- RANS,
- momentum coefficient,
- aerodynamic characteristics

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References(44)

References

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