Analysis of three dimensional flow around NACA0012 airfoil at low Reynolds numbers

Abstract

Three-dimensional numerical simulations have been made to clarify the aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil (NACA0012) at low Reynolds numbers below 10(exp 5) and to reveal differences between the two-dimensional numerical simulation and the three-dimensional one. Two- and three-dimensional time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations are solved by finite-difference approximation without using any turbulence models. And the multi-directional finite-difference scheme was also utilized to stabilize computations and to compute precisely. In three-dimensional numerical simulations, spanwise transformations of flow fields are observed, especially at the range of high angle of attack. And, longitudinal vortex structure might play an important role in three-dimensionalization of the boundary layer on the airfoil. These transformations can never be simulated by two-dimensional computation.