An experimental study on laminar separation bubble and transition over an aerofoil at low reynolds number

Laminar separation bubble over NACA2415 aerofoil at Re=50,000 and different angles of attack was investigated in detail by performing force, pressure, hot-wire and flow visualization via smoke wire technique. From the experiments, the flow separation, the reattachment and forming the laminar separation bubble were clearly seen. From the experimental results, it was indicated that the point of separation moved towards the leading edge as the angle of attack increased. Moreover, the flow visualization results showed that as the angle of attack increased further, at the angle of attack of 13o the bubble burst and the separated flow was not able to reattach to the aerofoil surface, which indicated the stall. © 2012 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved