New paper published

The dynamic stall development on a pitching airfoil at Re = 10⁶ was investigated by time-resolved surface pressure and velocity field measurements. Two stages were identified in the dynamic stall development based on the shear layer evolution. In the first stage, the flow detaches from the trailing edge and the separation point moves gradually upstream. The second stage is characterized by the roll up of the shear layer into a large scale dynamic stall vortex. The two-stage dynamic stall development was independently confirmed by global velocity field and local surface pressure measurements around the leading edge. The leading edge pressure signals were combined into a single leading edge suction parameter. We developed an improved model of the leading edge suction parameter based on thin airfoil theory that links the evolution of the leading edge suction and the shear layer growth during stall development. The shear layer development leads to a change in the effective camber and the effective angle of attack. By taking into account this twofold influence, the model accurately predicts the value and timing of the maximum leading edge suction on a pitching airfoil. The evolution of the experimentally obtained leading edge suction was further analyzed for various sinusoidal motions revealing an increase in the critical value of the leading edge suction parameter with increasing pitch unsteadiness. The characteristic dynamic stall delay decreases with increasing unsteadiness, and the dynamic stall onset is best assessed by critical values of the circulation and the shear layer height which are motion independent.