Design of Optimal Wing-Body Configuration to Delay Onset of Vortex Asymmetry

The stability analysis previously developed by the authors is augmented by a numerical conformal mapping technique in order to extend its applicability to problems with complex geometry. The extended method is applied to investigate the stability of symmetric vortices over wing body combinations with various designs of the cross-sectional geometry through morphing of a basic profile formed by a flat-plate delta wing and a circular-cone centerbody. The effect of the thickness of the wing and the body, the bending of the wingtips, and the contouring of the cross-sectional profiles of the wing and the body are summarized. It is discovered that a cross-sectional profile resembling that of a disturbed cobra has the largest stability range, up to very high angles of attack, for the symmetric vortices over a slender conical forebody.