An investigation of the distortion of turbulent structures of a turbulent inflow interacting with an airfoil’s leading edge.*

Turbulence interactions with solid structures play a critical role in an engineering system's aerodynamic and vibroacoustic performance. Therefore, understanding these interactions and the underlying physical mechanisms that govern them is essential. Here, we examine a NACA 0012 airfoil immersed in a turbulent inflow through experiments. The experimental framework measures the flow field using high-speed particle image velocimetry, and the unsteady surface pressure near the airfoil’s leading edge is measured using a remote microphone technique. Additionally, the experiments are complimented by a set of simulations at comparable flow conditions. Results characterising the turbulent inflow conditions will be presented. Furthermore, results on the distortion of the turbulent flow structure are investigated in the near vicinity of the leading edge of the airfoil.