Numerical and Experimental Flow Analysis of Moving Airfoils with Laminar Separation Bubbles

Experimental measurements and unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulations of the low-Reynolds-number flow past an SD7003 airfoil with and without plunge motion at Re = 60 k are presented, where transition takes place across laminar separation bubbles. The experimental data consist of high-resolution, phase-locked particle image velocimetry measurements in a wind tunnel and a water tunnel. The numerical simulation approach includes transition prediction which is based on linear stability analysis applied to unsteady mean-flow data. The numerical results obtained for steady onflow are validated against particle image velocimetry data and published force measurements. Good agreement is obtained for specific turbulence models. Flows with plunge motion reveal strong effects of flow unsteadiness on transition and the resulting laminar separation bubbles which are well captured in the simulations.