Boundary Layer Flows Past Multiple Aerofoils and/or Ground Effects

This project will examine high Reynolds number flow past multiple aerofoils, focusing on three-dimensional arrangements and/or ground effects. High-speed flow past a single aerofoil is much studied mathematically and is well understood. A thin boundary-layer exists near the blade within which all the viscous effects are contained, and this matches to an outer inviscid flow. The viscous boundary layer flow can be solved first and this drives the inviscid region. This changes if another blade is added behind the first (or the aerofoils are located near the ground or a water surface – so called wing-in-ground effect) as the outer inviscid problem is then coupled to the inner viscous problem. This viscous-inviscid interaction means that both regions must be solved hand-in-hand.

Previous work has looked at two-dimensional arrays of blades [ii], as a model for a rotor blade, as well as single and sequences of aerofoils near to a solid surface [iii]. The current project would look to extend these models. Depending on interest it could focus on three-dimensional problems, specifically planar flow past aligned sequences of blades, or for the flow generated by an alignment more akin to a rotor blade. The inner problem can be solved [iv] if the blades are symmetric and it would be interesting to examine the viscous-inviscid coupled problem that arises with non-symmetry. An alternative focus would be to extend previous work on ground effects (for one or several aerofoils) to include high speed flow past aerofoils near to a water interface, such as for wing-in-ground effect vehicles operating over water.

This project is open to applicants (home, EU or Overseas) who have their own funding.

The minimum entry requirement is a 2:1 in mathematics, or other subject with significant mathematical content