Aeroacoustic Performance of High-lift Airfoil with Slat Cove Fillers

Experimental measurements to assess the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic capabilities of 30P30N airfoil fitted with two different types of slat cove filler were carried out at the newly commissioned anechoic wind tunnel at the University of Bristol. The aerodynamic results are presented for lift and drag measurements and mean surface pressure measurements. The aerodynamic results showed insignificant changes between the Baseline and the slat cove filler configurations. The lift-to-drag performance for the slat cove filler configuration was marginally better than that of the Baseline case. The pressure distribution results showed a slight reduction in the suction peak over the main element and the flap for the slat cove filler configurations. The results from the simultaneous surface pressure
measurement close to the slat cove region and far-field noise measurements above the slat trailing edge are presented to gain a deeper understanding of the noise generation mechanism of the slat. The far-field noise measurement results showed that significant noise reduction can be achieved by the use of slat cove fillers. The directivity pattern and the overall sound pressure level of the radiated noise have also shown that significant noise reduction can be achieved with the applications of the slat cove fillers.