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Effects of Outboard Thickened and Blunted Leading Edges on the Wave Drag of a 45 Degree Swept-Wing and Body CombinationAn investigation to evaluate the effects of thickened and blunted leading-edge modifications on the wave drag of a swept wing has been made at Mach numbers from 0.65 to 2.20 and at a Reynolds number of 2,580,000 based on the mean aerodynamic chord of the basic wing. Two leading-edge designs were investigated and they are referred to as the thickened and the blunted modifications although both sections had equally large leading-edge radii. The thickened leading edge was formed by increasing the thickness over the forward 40 percent of the basic wing section. The blunted modification was formed by reducing the wing chords about 1 percent and by increasing the section thickness slightly over the forward 6 percent of the basic section in a manner to keep the wing sweep and volume essentially equal to the respective values for the basic wing. The basic wing had an aspect ratio of 3, a leading-edge sweep of 45 deg., a taper ratio of 0.4, and NACA 64AO06 sections perpendicular to a line swept back 39.45 deg., the quarter-chord line of these sections. Test results indicated that the thickened modification resulted in an increase in zero-lift drag coefficient of from 0.0040 to 0.0060 over values for the basic model at Mach numbers at which the wing leading edge was sonic or supersonic. Although drag coefficients of both the basic and thickened models were reduced at all test Mach numbers by body indentations designed for the range of Mach numbers from 1.00 to 2.00, the greater drag of the thickened model relative to that of the basic model was not reduced. The blunted model, however, had less than one quarter of the drag penalty of the thickened model relative to the basic model at supersonic leading-edge conditions (M greater or equal to root-2).
Document ID
19980223578
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Technical Memorandum (TM)
Authors
Holdaway, George H. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Lazzeroni, Frank A. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Hatfield, Elaine W. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
August 1, 1959
Subject Category
Aerodynamics
Report/Patent Number
NASA-TM-X-27
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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