Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 July 2016
This paper describes an experimental investigation into the effect of miniature vortex generators (VGs) on the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of a highly-swept wing with drooped leading edges. The experiments were performed in a low-speed windtunnel on a wing of the same delta planform as that used in a previous study. The latter wing was of fixed camber, while the subject of the present study was a wing with three different leading edge droop angles. The maximum reduction in drag due to the VGs was found to be about half that for the fixed-camber wing. This is reconciled with the different behaviour of the flow on the upper surface for the two types of wing. Without control, the drag of the variable-droop wings is much lower than that of the fixed-camber wing. As a result, with control, the variable droop wings have lower drag than that of the fixed-camber wing. Compared to that of the variable-droop wings without control, the fixed-camber wing, with control, has lower lift-dependent drag for lift coefficients between 0·4 and 0·7. However, at higher lift coefficients, the reverse applies.