Abstract
This article reviews research into the potential of vortex generators to mitigate shock-induced separation. Studies ranging from those conducted in the early post-war era to those performed recently are discussed. On the basis of the investigations described in this report, it is clear that vortex generators can alleviate shock-induced boundary layer separation. Yet, it will be shown that their potential and efficiency varies considerably in practical applications. Much more success is reported in transonic test cases compared to separation induced in purely supersonic interactions. Under a variety of flow conditions, the best performance is achieved with vortex generators with a height of roughly half the boundary layer thickness and a shape similar to a swept vane. Notwithstanding this, vortex generator performance is not as consistent as it is in low-speed applications. Further work is required before vortex generators can be implemented into the design process for eliminating shock-induced separation on transonic wings and in supersonic inlets.
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Notes
Laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) and particle image velocimetry (PIV) were not available at this time and other measurements such as Pitot probes and hot-wires are very difficult to employ in transonic flows.
Note that this is the first occasion where the boundary layer thickness at the vortex generators was evaluated; an accolade to the high quality of the measurements in this study.
Note that it would be preferable to use the incompressible shape factor to represent the boundary layer state—see Winter and Gaudet [30] for full details.
Estimate.
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Communicated by A. Hadjadj.
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Titchener, N., Babinsky, H. A review of the use of vortex generators for mitigating shock-induced separation. Shock Waves 25, 473–494 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00193-015-0551-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00193-015-0551-x