Experimental study of transonic buffet phenomenon on a 3D swept wing

The objective of this paper is to analyze the 3D buffet phenomenon which appears on a swept wing at a high Mach number and/or high angle of attack. This aerodynamic instability induces strong wall pressure fluctuations and as such limits aircraft envelope. Consequently, it is interesting to understand this phenomenon in order to not only improve aircraft performance but also to provide more flexibility during the design phase. Results from two wind tunnel tests on a 3D half wing-body configuration are presented for several freestream Mach numbers (0.78–0.86) and Reynolds numbers (2.83 × 106–8.49 × 106, based on the aerodynamic mean chord). The buffet phenomenon is characterized using steady and unsteady wall pressure measurements. By opposition to the 2D buffet which exhibits rather a well marked peak in the pressure spectra, the 3D buffet is characterized by a broadband bump at a much higher Strouhal number (between 4 and 7 times higher). It is also observed that two different instabilities coexist on the suction side of the wing: the 3D buffet phenomenon (with Strouhal numbers ranging between 0.2 and 0.6) and the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (with Strouhal numbers ranging between 1 and 4). Each phenomenon has a different Strouhal number but also different convection velocities and propagation directions.