Materials science

Engineering

NACA airfoil

Flow separation

Physics

Reynolds number

Aerospace engineering

Mechanics

Laminar flow

Airfoil

Bubble

Swept wing

Stall (fluid mechanics)

Aerodynamics

Turbulence

Angle of attack

Physical Review Fluids

Airfoils operating at low Reynolds number have a proclivity to induce a laminar separation bubble (LSB) on their upper surface. We investigate the effects of angle of attack on the characteristics of the LSB and the flow field around a NACA0012 airfoil. Large-eddy simulations show that there are three distinct angle-of-attack regimes: a pre-stall attached flow, a near stall separating-attaching flow, and a full stall separated flow without reattachment.

Simulation and characterization of the laminar separation bubble over a NACA-0012 airfoil as a function of angle of attack