Laminar flow control flight tests for swept wings: Strategies for LFC Conference Paper

A brief review of Laminar Flow Control (LFC) techniques are given and a strategy for achieving laminarization for transonic transports is discussed. A review of some flight test results on swept-wing transition are presented. It is shown that polished leading edges can create large regions of laminar flow because the flight environment is relatively turbulence free and the surface finish reduces the initial amplitude of the stationary crossflow vortex. Copyright 2008 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.

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