Aerodynamic Effects of Propeller Slipstream on a Wing with Circulation Control

The German Bürgernahes Flugzeug (Citizen-Oriented Airplane) research program advances technologies for high-lift systems using circulation control Coandă-type flaps. The interaction of these high-lift systems with a propeller engine is the subject of the present work. A large and complex wind-tunnel model equipped with an active high-lift system and a powered propeller was designed, manufactured and instrumented. The wind-tunnel data show the potentials of the active high-lift system in three-dimensional wing applications. The results characterize and quantify the interactions between a propeller and a high-lift wing by using systematic variations of blowing momentum and propeller thrust. The results represent a unique database for future efforts to improve the efficiency of active lift and for validation of numerical simulation methods.