Interferometric Investigations of Compressible Dynamic Stall Over a Transiently Pitching Airfoil

Abstract

The compressible dynamic stall flowfield over a NACA 0012 airfoil transiently pitching from 0 to 60 deg at a constant rate under compressible flow conditions has been studied using real-time interferometry. A quantitative description of the overall flowfield, including the finer details of dynamic stall vortex formation, growth, and the concomitant changes in the airfoil pressure distribution, has been provided by analyzing the interferograms. For Mach numbers above 0.4, small multiple shocks appear near the leading edge and are present through the initial stages of dynamic stall. Dynamic stall was found to occur coincidentally with the bursting of the separation bubble over the airfoil. Compressibility was found to confine the dynamic stall vortical structure closer to the airfoil surface. The measurements show that the peak suction pressure coefficient drops with increasing freestream Mach number, and also it lags the steady flow values at any given angle of attack. As the dynamic stall vortex is shed, an anti-clockwise vortex is induced near the trailing edge, which actively interacts with the post-stall flow.