Navier-Stokes computations of vortical flows over low-aspect-ratio wings

An upwind-biased finite-volume algorithm is applied to the low-speed flow over a low aspect ratio delta wing from zero to forty degrees angle of attack. The differencing is second-order accurate spatially, and a multigrid algorithm is used to promote convergence to the steady state. The results compare well with the detailed experiments of Hummel (1983) and others for a Re(L) of 0.95 x 10 to the 6th. The predicted maximum lift coefficient of 1.10 at thirty-five degrees angle of attack agrees closely with the measured maximum lift of 1.06 at thirty-three degrees. At forty degrees angle of attack, a bubble type of vortex breakdown is evident in the computations, extending from 0.6 of the root chord to just downstream of the trailing edge.