Aerodynamics of vortex generators

An experimental and theoretical study was undertaken of the separation delay and dramatic boundary-layer thinning that can occur in vortex-generator installations. Wind tunnel measurements of the dynamic-pressure profile downstream of a vortex generator were found to compare under certain conditions with that downstream of a suction slit, while water-tunnel visualization studies of vortex-generator height and geometry suggested optimum configurations, and only a minor effect of base porosity. A series of progressively more complex inviscid flow models was developed to be applied to a 3-D integral boundary-layer code. This code predicted layer thinning downstream of the suction site of the vortex models, and other observed features. Thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations are now being used with the ultimate goal of clarifying the physical processes involved in vortex generator performance and developing calculational procedures capable of predicting it.