Observations and hypothesis of double stall

The double-stall phenomenon of aerofoil flows is characterized by at least two distinct stall levels for identical inflow conditions. In the present work a likely explanation of double stall is presented. Observations on full-scale rotors, in wind tunnel experiments and in CFD calculations could show at least two different distinct lift levels for identical inflow conditions, with sudden shifts between them.

CFD calculations revealed the generation of a small, laminar separation bubble at the leading edge of the aerofoil for incidences near maximum lift. The bursting of this bubble could explain the sudden shift in lift levels. This investigation indicated that bursting will occur if the position of the free transition is only a small distance upstream from the position where forced transition would first cause leading-edge stall.

Thus the investigation indicated that double stall is closely related to the actual geometry of the leading edge of the aerofoil and that it probably can be avoided in the design of new aerofoils. The investigation indicated further that double stall can be predicted from CFD calculations. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.