Modal Analysis of Buffet Effects Induced by Ultrahigh Bypass Ratio Nacelle Installation

TL;DR

This study investigates the buffet effects caused by ultrahigh bypass ratio nacelle installation on aircraft wings, revealing dominant shock oscillation modes and their flow dynamics through advanced simulations and measurements.

Contribution

It introduces a modal analysis approach to understand buffet dynamics induced by ultrahigh bypass nacelles using scale-resolving simulations and spectral POD techniques.

Findings

Shock oscillation modes occur at Strouhal numbers 0.1-0.3.

Shock motions originate near pylon-wing intersection and propagate inboard.

Flow separation and shear layer instabilities are linked to shock oscillations.

Abstract

Unsteady shock-boundary-layer interaction on the lower surface of a transport-aircraft wing can be caused or amplified by ultrahigh-bypass-ratio underwing nacelle installation. This work analyzes the resulting buffet dynamics on the Airbus XRF-1 configuration at a Mach number of $0.84$, a Reynolds number of $3.3\times 10^6$, and $-4^\circ$ angle of attack using scale-resolving delayed detached eddy simulations and unsteady pressure-sensitive paint measurements. Coherent structures are extracted employing a data-efficient multi-taper spectral POD. Dominant modes occur in the Strouhal number range $St \in [0.1,0.3]$. Surface modes reveal wave-like shock motions that originate near the pylon-wing intersection and propagate inboard towards the fuselage. These shock oscillations are linked to unsteady flow separation downstream of the shock. Additional dominant modes show spanwise oscillations of the separated flow region and shock oscillations phase-linked to shear layer instabilities. The modal analysis of volume data reveals pressure waves connected to these modes traveling upstream above and below the wing.