Non-conical flow past slender wings with leading-edge vortex sheets

Abstract

The vortex-sheet model of leading-edge separation which has been successfully applied to slender delta wings of conical shape is extended to non-conical wings which have thin, uncambered cross-sections. Calculations of the shape and strength of the vortex sheet are presented for examples (a) of a plane wing with a curved leading edge and (b) of a delta wing with lengthwise camber. In each case it is found that the sign of the circulation shed from the leading edge changes as the calculation proceeds downstream, but the consequences are very different in the two cases. An experimental investigation to clarify the behaviour of the cambered wing is described.