Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 July 2016
High-lift systems have to provide adequate low speedperformance in terms of takeoff and landing lengths,approach speed, climb rate and community noise. Evenif the performance of these systems has beencontinuously improved during the years, there arestill some possibilities for furtherimprovements.
ONERA has been involved for a long time in research onhigh-lift systems for transport aircraft. Thisresearch has provided valuable results in thefollowing areas:
● The knowledge of the dominant flow processesinvolved for 2D and 3D geometries. In particularthe stall mechanism, Reynolds and Mach numbereffects as well as sweep effects have been studiedby performing detailed experiments.
● The development of 2D analysis and designcodes which have been extensively calibrated withexperimental data and are used with confidence forpractical applications.
● The design and testing of various high-liftsystems which provide manufacturers with data fortheir own designs.
The paper summarises these activities and presents sometypical results. Future trends for research onhigh-lift systems at ONERA are also given.