Exploratory investigation of a spanwise blowing concept for tip-stall control on cranked-arrow wings

A novel blowing concept aimed at controlling the tip-panel stall of 'cranked-arrow' type wings was experimentally investigated. A spanwise-directed jet sheet tangential to the upper surface, blown from a chordwise slot located at the crank, interacts obliquely with the external flow to generate a powerful and highly controllable vortex, substantially covering the tip panel. The incremental suction due to this jet vortex, coupled with its flow stabilization effect improves the tip-panel maximum lift and stall characteristics, leading to pitch-up alleviation and lateral control augmentation. Low-speed wind tunnel flow visualizations, pressure measurements and force/moment results are presented validating the flow-control concept and illustrating its potential on a generic crank-arrow wing model.