Aerodynamic Performance of Thick Blunt Trailing Edge Airfoils

Abstract

An experimental and computational examination of the aerodynamic performance of a blunt trailing edge airfoil is presented. The UCD-38-095 airfoil is one of a family of thick airfoils designed using genetic and gradient-based optimization. Its maximum thickness is 38% of the airfoil chord, with a trailing edge thickness of 9.5%. In the present study, the UCD-38-095 was tested in the University of California, Davis aeronautical wind tunnel at Reynolds numbers of 333,000 and 666,000. Both free and fixed transition conditions were studied. The wind tunnel results are compared with computational predictions obtained in OVERFLOW, a Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes solver using structured overset grids.