Experimental measurements of surface pressure distributions and wake profiles were obtained for an NACA 4412 airfoil to determine the lift, drag, and pitching-moment coefficients for various configurations. The addition of a Gurney flap increased the maximum lift coefficient from 1.49 up to 1.96, and decreased the drag near the maximum lift condition. There was, however, a drag increment at low-to-moderate lift coefficients. Additional nose-down pitching moment was also generated by increasing the Gurney flap height. Good correlation was observed between the experiment and Navier-Stokes computations of the airfoil with a Gurney flap. Two deploy able configurations were also tested with the hinge line forward of the trailing edge by one and 1.5 flap heights, respectively. These configurations provided performance comparable to that of the Gurney flap. The application of vortex generators to the baseline airfoil delayed boundary-layer separation and yielded an increase in the maximum lift coefficient of 0.34. In addition, there was a significant drag penalty associated with the vortex generators, which suggests that they should be placed where they will be concealed during cruise. The two devices were also shown to work well in concert.

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Lift enhancement of an airfoil using a Gurney flap and vortex generators

The trailing-edge region of a single-element wing fitted with Gurney flaps has been studied. Measurements include surface pressure, force, and velocity by laser Doppler anemometry (LDA). The mean-velocity vectors and streamlines suggest a twin vortex structure downstream of the Gurney flap. Spectral analysis of the LDA data indicates that the wake consists of a von Karman vortex street of alternately shed vortices, and this flow structure is confirmed by smoke visualization of the flow downstreamof the Gurney flap. The vortex shedding increases the trailing-edge suction of the aerofoil, whereas the upstream face of the device decelerates the flow at the trailing edge of the pressure surface. These two changes result in a pressure difference acting across the trailing edge, and it is this that generates the increase in circulation.

Aerodynamics of Gurney Flaps on a Single-Element High-Lift Wing

Gurney flap—Lift enhancement, mechanisms and applications

The effect of Gurney e aps on two-dimensional airfoils, three-dimensional wings, and a ree ection plane model were investigated. There have been a number of studies on Gurney e aps in recent years, but these studies have been limited to two-dimensional airfoil sections. A comprehensive investigation on the effect of Gurney e aps for a wide range of cone gurations and test conditions was conducted at Wichita State University. A symmetric NACA 0011 and a cambered GA (W)-2 airfoil were used during the single-element airfoil part of this investigation. The GA (W)-2 airfoil was also used during the two-element airfoil study with a 25% chord slotted e ap dee ected at 10, 20, and 30 deg. Straight and tapered ree ection plane wings with natural laminar e ow (NLF) airfoil sections were tested for the three-dimensional wing part of this investigation. A fuselage and engine were attached to the tapered NLF wing for the ree ection plane model investigation. In all cases the Gurney e ap improved the maximum lift coefe cient compared to the baseline clean cone guration. However, there was a drag penalty associated with this lift increase.

Gurney Flap Experiments on Airfoils, Wings, and Reflection Plane Model

Effects of vortex generators on a blunt trailing-edge airfoil for wind turbines

https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=aero_fac

Numerical Investigation of an Airfoil with a Gurney Flap

A 2D numerical investigation was performed to determine the effect of a Gurney flap on a NACA 4412 airfoil. A Gurney flap is a flat plate on the order of 1 to 3 percent of the airfoil chord length, oriented perpendicular to the airfoil chord line and located at the trailing edge of the airfoil. An incompressible Navier Stokes code, INS2D, was used to calculate the flow field about the airfoil. The fully turbulent results were obtained using the Baldwin-Barth one-equation turbulence model. Gurney flap sizes of 0.5 , 1, 1.25, 1.5, 2, and 3 percent of the airfoil chord were studied. Computational results were compared with experimental results where possible. The numerical solutions show that the Gurney flap increases airfoil lift coefficient with only a slight increase in drag coefficient. Use of a 1.5 percent chord Gurney flap increases the maximum lift coefficient by approximately 0.3 and decreases the angle of attack for a given lift coefficient by more than 3 deg. The numerical solutions exhibit detailed flow structures at the trialing edge and provide a possible explanation for the increased aerodynamic performance.

Computational evaluation of an airfoil with a Gurney flap

The results of a low-speed wind tunnel test are presented for a single-element airfoil incorporating two lift-enhancing devices, namely a Gurney flap and vortex generators. The former consists of a small plate, on the order of one to two percent of the airfoil chord in height, located at the trailing edge perpendicular to the pressure side of the airfoil. The later consist of commercially-available, wishbone-shaped vortex generators. The test was conducted in the NASA Ames 7- by 10-foot Wind Tunnel with a full-span NACA 4412 airfoil. Measurements of surface pressure distributions and wake profiles were made to determine the lift, drag, and pitching-moment coefficients for the various airfoil configurations. The results indicate that the addition of a Gurney flap increased the maximum lift coefficient from 1.49 up to 1.96.

Cory S. Jang

Papers

Lift enhancement of an airfoil using a Gurney flap and vortex generators

Numerical Investigation of an Airfoil with a Gurney Flap

Computational evaluation of an airfoil with a Gurney flap

Lift enhancement of an airfoil using a Gurney flap and vortex generators