Effect of Midwing Vortex Generators on V-22 Aircraft Forward-Flight Aerodynamics

The effect of midwing vortex generators on the V-22 aircraft forward-flight (airplane mode) aerodynamics using computational fluid dynamics is investigated. The multizone Navier-Stokes method is applied to calculate the flow over a V-22 wing- fuselage-nacelle configuration in forward flight with and without vortex generators. The calculations show that the vortex generators reduce separation and produce a favorable effect on both lift and drag if they are properly designed and placed in the right position. The chordwise location and the incidence angle of the vortex generators are two important design variablesin achieving the desired separation alleviation.