Wing Over Wave Test Sources Sought

DARPA seeks to evaluate a large scale aerodynamic model of a canonical wing planform in ground effect over waves. A generic wing planform, section, and aspect ratio were chosen to generate representative force (lift, drag) and moment measurements to enable comparison to Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) results and tuning of CFD models for Liberty Lifter and future wing-in-ground effect vehicle designs.

The test article is a rectangular wing planform with 12-foot span, 3-foot chord, aspect ratio 4, with a constant NACA 4415 airfoil section and no high-lift devices, propulsion, or moving/adjustable control surfaces. Two vertically-oriented support struts in the upper wing are incorporated into the model to enable mounting and orientation in the test facility.

The test article incorporates a 64-port pressure tap array, a five-port pressure probe to be mounted ahead of the model in the freestream, and a six-degree-of-freedom Kistler force gauge to be attached to the mount assembly to enable aerodynamic force and moment measurements.