Comparisons of Theoretical and Experimental Pressure Distributions on an Arrow-Wing Configuration at Subsonic, Transonic, and Supersonic Speeds
A wind tunnel test of an arrow wing body configuration consisting of flat and twisted wings, as well as a variety of leading- and trailing-edge control surface deflection, has been conducted at Mach numbers from 0.40 to 2.50 to provide an experimental data base for comparison with theoretical methods. Theory-to-experiment comparisons of detailed pressure distributions have been made using current state-of-the-art attached- and separated-flow methods. The purpose of these comparisons was to delineate conditions under which these theories are valid for aeroelastic calculations and to explore the use of empirical methods to correct the theoretical methods where theory is deficient. It was determined that current state-of-the-art attached flow and empirical methods were inadequate to predict aeroelastic loads for this configuration.