Analysis of Flow Timescales on a Periodically Pitching/Surging Airfoil

Time-resolved velocity fields around a pitching and surging NACA 0018 airfoil were analyzed to investigate the influence of three independent timescales associated with the unsteady flowfield. The first of these timescales, the period of the pitch/surge motion, is directly linked to the development of dynamic stall. A simplified model of the flow using only a time constant mode and the first two harmonics of the pitch surge frequency has been shown to accurately model the flow. Full stall and leading-edge flow separation, however, were found to take place before the maximum angle of attack, indicating that a different timescale was associated with leading-edge vortex formation. This second, leading-edge vortex, timescale was found to depend on the airfoil convection time and compare well with the universal vortex formation time. Finally, instantaneous non-phase-averaged measurements were investigated to identify behavior not directly coupled to the airfoil motion. From this analysis, a third timescale associated with quasi-periodic Strouhal vortex shedding was found before flow separation. The interplay between these three timescales is discussed in detail, particularly as they relate to the periodic velocity and angle-of-attack change apparent to the blades of a vertical axis wind turbine