Forced oscillations of airfoil flows

The effect of background flow oscillations on a transonic airfoil (NACA 0012) flow was investigated experimentally. The oscillations were generated by means of a rotating plate placed downstream of the airfoil. Owing to the expansion and compression waves generated at the plate, the flow over the airfoil flow was drastically disturbed. This resulted in the presence of high intensity oscillations of a shock wave and a separation bubble on the suction surface of the airfoil. For relatively large values of the airfoil angle of attack, weak shock waves (transonic sound waves) were periodically shed upstream of the airfoil. (Author)