Aerodynamics of a lifting system in extreme ground effect

Publication date 9 October 2000

The ground effect is usually understood as an increase in the lift-to-drag ratio of a lifting surface (a wing), moving close to the ground. The term ``extreme ground effect, widely used throughout this book, is associated with very small relative ground clearance (under \(10 \%)\) of the wing chord. Many vehicles, including projects of Boeing, Grummann, McDonnell-Douglas, were designed to fly close to an underlying surface for efficient utilization of the ground effect. Starting from the 1960s, Russia took the world's lead in creating large ``ecranoplans with takeoff weights of 120 through 550 t and cruise speed in the range from 350 to 500 km/h. This book presents a description of a mathematical model of flow past a lifting system performing steady and unsteady motions in close proximity of the underlying ground. The author uses the method of matched asymptotic expansions to obtain closed-form solutions for aerodynamic characteristics of the wing-in-ground effect. The flow field in an extreme ground effect allows a two-dimensional description. Then the flow model is extended to a flying wing with endplates, and it is found that the dominant nature of the flow is one-dimensional. Such a model was first introduced by Gallington, and is therefore called here \(G\)-theory. The author extends the aerodynamics of a lifting surface to curved and wavy walls, and derives unsteady lift and moment coefficients. An efficient way to facilitate takeoff of wing-in-ground-vehicles consists in blowing air under the main wing of aircraft from special engines. As the full problem of power-augmented takeoff is extremely complicated, only simplified models are considered in the book including Coanda effect. The study of linearized equations of the motion of wing-in-ground-effect vehicles reveals significant difference between dynamics and stability criteria of these vehicles, and dynamics and stability of aircrafts that normally operate out of the ground effect. The author concludes that aperiodic static stability is ensured when the aerodynamic center of height is located upstream of that in the presence of angle of attacks. Finally, the author presents simple mathematical models of elastic and flexible wings in the extreme ground effect, including a simplified theory of ``parawing (sail wing). The sail porosity diminishes the lift but delays the instability. The book ends with an extended bibliography (186 titles) containing not only the fundamental work by the author but also international efforts in the field. It is an outstanding book in this special branch of aerodynamics.

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