AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF A LARGE-SCALE MODEL WITH A LIFT FAN MOUNTED IN A 5-PERCENT-THICK TRIANGULAR WING, INCLUDING THE EFFECTS OF BLC ON THE LIFT-FAN INLET

摘要

The low-speed aerodynamics of a large-scale triangular wing model, with a reduced thickness, tip-turbine driven lift fan in each wing were investigated in the Ames 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel. The model had a 5-percent-thick wing typical of wings designed for supersonic performance. Conventional lift-fan depth has, in the past, limited wing thickness to about 10 percent. A thinner lift fan for the present investigation was obtained by modification of a conventional fan. The modification included removing the discharge stator and reducing the fan inlet length and radius. To control airflow separation resulting from small inlet radii, blowing boundary-layer control was applied through a nozzle in the inlet.nPerformance of the modified fan along with aerodynamic characteristics of the total configuration is presented. The static thrust performance of the conventional fan (requiring a 10-percent wing) was equalled by the reduced thickness fans of this investigation.