Experimental Study of Airfoil Aerodynamic Behavior under Oscillating Motion in Ground Effect

When a flying vehicle approaches a water or land surface, it induces changes in the fluid flow field pattern known as the ground effect. This research analyzes the ground effect phenomenon, exploring its impact on aerodynamic coefficients and flow patterns around the NACA0012 airfoil in an incompressible subsonic regime under static and dynamic conditions with pitch movements. Numerical simulations and experimental testing in an incompressible subsonic wind tunnel were deployed. The flow field solution is derived from the Navier-Stokes equations, incorporating the Transition SST turbulence model. Initially, the impact of the ground effect phenomenon was investigated at varying distances from the surface in the static state. Subsequently, the airfoil underwent a sinusoidal pitching oscillation at each distance with a specified frequency and amplitude. This allowed for examining its aerodynamic characteristics over time. The static analysis results reveal alterations in the curve’s behavior and pressure distribution on the airfoil surface at close distances to the surface. This is attributed to the ground effect phenomenon, which reduces lift force to a certain height and then increases. Dynamic analysis further demonstrates changes in lift coefficient oscillation amplitude. It also exhibits a minimum and maximum lift point phase difference as the airfoil approaches the surface.