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University of Cambridge

Lift fluctuations on aerofoils in transverse and steamwise gusts.

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

A program of research is described which investigated the aerodynamic reponse of an isolated aerofoil to an unsteady field of flow, The effects df both 'transverse gusts' as considered by Karman and Sears (13) and 1 streamwise gusts' as considered by Horlock (4 0), have been studied. To enable actual lift and pressure fluctuations to be measured a gust tunnel capable of producting both types of gust has been designed and built. The lift response to a transverse gust was found to compare well with Kemps (49) theory although the pressure distribution was not as expected. This result and those obtained with the streamwise gust suggest that the behaviour of the wake and the exist~nce of a separation region seriously affects the validity of the classical vortex based solutions. The compatibility between Hor lock 1 s analysis and the analysis of Sears (47) h~s been demonstrated. The author has also supplemented the existing theories to provi~e -a basic set of thin aerofoil response functions. These functions are -presented and tabulated. - Design criteria for the . minimisation of the fluctuating lift are suggested for both the compressor and the turbine flow. In a further theoretical investigation the importance of the correct r epresentation of the wake is demonstrated. The effect of a failure to allow for it at all and the effect of misrepresenting its speed of propagation are both analysed. A survey of the literature covers the American, German and Russian schools with their distinctly different approaches. In particular an attempt � has been made to identify those theories which have a greater range of validity than the basic theory.

Degree

thesis:*
Name dc:type.qualificationname
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Level dc:type.qualificationlevel
Doctoral
Grantor dc:publisher.institution
University of Cambridge
Year dc:date.issued
1973

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Holmes, David William

Rights

dc:rights
Language dc:language
eng

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
DOI dc:identifier.doi
https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.11779
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/265601

Chain of custody

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Cambridge University
Base URL
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Last updated
2026-07-24
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citation

Holmes, David William. Lift fluctuations on aerofoils in transverse and steamwise gusts.. Doctoral thesis, University of Cambridge, 1973. https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.11779