Prediction of Wing Side-Edge Suction Forces and Maximum Inviscid Lift

摘要

The possibility of predicting the characteristics of low aspect-ratio wings theoretically is investigated. A literature survey on theoretical techniques for edge separated flows, vortex breakdown and maximum theoretical wing lift is presented. It is shown that prediction of the maximum theoretical lift by means of the suction analogy leads to results which differ from those obtained by means of previous techniques. Comparisons with experiment shows that low aspect ratio rectangular wings do achieve lift coefficients close to the theoretical maximum value. A new method, based on Lan's quasi-vortex-lattice method and the suction analogy, is developed for the prediction of the aerodynamics of unconventional planforms.