Unsteady Aerodynamic Characteristics of Oscillating Cascade With Separation Bubble in High Subsonic Flow

Unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of an oscillating cascade composed of DCA (Double Circular Arc airfoil) blades were studied both experimentally and numerically. The test cascade was operated in high subsonic flow fields with incidence angles up to 5 degrees. Above 3 degrees of the incidence, a separation bubble was produced at the leading edge. The principal concern of the present study was placed on the influence of the separated region on the vibration instability of the cascade blades. The experiment was conducted in a linear cascade wind tunnel in which seven DCA blades were equipped. The central one could be oscillated in a pitching mode. The influence coefficient method was adopted for the measurement, where the unsteady aerodynamic moments were measured on the central blade and neighboring ones. For the numerical analysis, a quasi 3-D N-S code with k–ε turbulence model was developed. The experimental and numerical results complemented each other to obtain detailed understanding of the unsteady aerodynamic behavior of the cascade. It was found that the separation bubble at the leading edge governed the vibration characteristics of blades through the oscillation of the separation bubble itself on the blade surfaces. From the results of parametric studies, the phase shift of the oscillation of the separation bubble was found to be a key factor for determining the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of the oscillating blades.