Numerical investigations into the asymmetric effects on the aerodynamic response of a pitching airfoil

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jfluidstructs.2013.02.001
• Publication Date: 2013-03-16T12:16:35Z
• Authors: K. Lu; Y.H. Xie; D. Zhang; J.B. Lan
• Keywords: Aerodynamic center; Reduced frequency; Aerodynamic force; Lift (data mining); Hysteresis; Oscillation (cell signaling)

Abstract The effects of asymmetric sinusoidal motion on pitching airfoil aerodynamics were studied by numerical simulations for 2-D flow around a NACA0012 airfoil at Re=1.35×105. Various unsteady parameters (amplitude of oscillation, d; reduced frequency, k) were applied to investigate the effect of asymmetry parameter S on the instantaneous force coefficients and flow patterns. The results reveal that S has a noticeable effect on the aerodynamic performance, as it affects the instantaneous force coefficient, maximum lift and drag coefficient, hysteresis loops and the flow structures.