Numeric Study of Dynamic Stall on an Airfoil Undergoing Constant Pitch Rate Motion

Dynamic stall is a flow separation phenomenon that occurs for airfoils experiencing dynamic changes in the Angle of Attack (AoA) past the static stall angle. The current study utilizes a spectral element simulation code, Nek5000, to study dynamic stall on a NACA0012 airfoil with a constant pitch rate then hold motion profile. The airfoil is pitched from 0° to 50° with a nondimensional pitch rate of Ω*=0.1. When the motion is completed the airfoil is held fixed at 50° and the simulation is allowed to continue. The computational mesh has been developed to allow for study of both the initial formation of the dynamic stall vortex near the leading edge and the interaction/evolution of this vortex as the simulation proceeds. The goal of this study is to investigate passive control strategies on the leading edge of the airfoil to mitigate the effects of dynamic stall.