Experimental analysis of the shock dynamics on a transonic laminar airfoil

This paper describes an experimental analysis of the buffet phenomenon on a two-dimensional (2D), transonic, and laminar airfoil at a Reynolds number around 3 · 106 . Investigations are carried out in ONERA's S3Ch transonic wind tunnel. The experimental setup allows to vary the Mach number, the angle of attack, and the state of the boundary layer upstream of the shock which can be turbulent or laminar depending on the presence of artificial tripping. Buffet occurs when either the angle of attack or the Mach number is set above a given threshold, which depends upon the particular airfoil, and, as shown here, on the state of the boundary layer. Above the threshold, the boundary layer / shock interaction destabilizes, causing the oscillation of the entire flow field. In the turbulent case, the shock wave moves back and forth over a significant portion of the chord at a frequency of about 75 Hz corresponding to a chord based on Strouhal number St ≃ 0.07, in agreement with previous researches on this phenomenon. In the laminar case, a similar unsteady situation occurs but at a frequency much higher, about 1130 Hz, which corresponds to a Strouhal number of about St ≃ 1. Flow oscillations are limited to the shock foot, the shock itself moving only lightly. The turbulent and laminar bu¨et thresholds are provided. An attempt to apply the classical feedback loop scenario to explain the unsteadiness of the flow in the laminar case is carried out but shows a deceptive agreement with the experimental data. Two other mechanisms of unsteadiness are additionally explored, one based on vortex shedding behind the airfoil and the other on the possible breathing of the laminar separation bubble, which give valuable insights into the §ow physics.