A New Aspect of the Ground Effect: The Two-way Interactions between an Airplane Flying in the Vicinity of Sea Water and the Free Surface Waves

Eftekhari, S.; Davari, A. R.; Pazooki, F.

doi:10.47176/jafm.18.9.3351

A New Aspect of the Ground Effect: The Two-way Interactions between an Airplane Flying in the Vicinity of Sea Water and the Free Surface Waves

Document Type : Regular Article

Authors

Department of Aerospace Engineering, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

10.47176/jafm.18.9.3351

Abstract

This study presents intensive numerical simulations of a general aviation airplane flying near a wavy water surface, considering the effects of ground proximity and wave amplitude on aerodynamic forces and moments. The Stokes third-order wave model was employed, and numerical results were validated using limited wind tunnel tests on a 3D-printed model, as well as existing NACA 4412 near-ground experimental data. Simulations for both flat and wavy surfaces reveal that above an elevation of h/c=1.5, aerodynamic coefficients remain similar to those near a flat surface. However, at lower clearances, aerodynamic responses exhibit strong oscillatory behavior, potentially leading to resonance and instability. The oscillations in lift (CL) and drag (CD) closely follow wave shape, while the pitching moment coefficient (Cm) shows a distinct phase lag. Large-amplitude waves significantly impact stability, leading to severe pitch oscillations, which may pose risks for aircraft flying near stormy sea surfaces. Contrary to the typically beneficial ground effect for wing-in-ground (WIG) aircraft, this study highlights the destabilizing influence of large surface waves in near-ground flight.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Computational Fluid Dynamics

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