Thermally Induced Flow Structures in Aircraft Wing Compartments

Abstract

The use of composite material in modern commercial aircraft has increased significantly in recent years. The very low conductivity relative to Aluminium of composite materials means that the thermal environment experienced in an aircraft, during flight and on the apron, are significantly altered. The heat transfer mechanism is complex: natural and mixed convection flows established in compartments. This paper presents the thermally induced flow structures under representative conditions for a rectangular cavity representative of wing boxes and horizontal tail planes. The paper highlights the sensitivity to boundary conditions, the effect of structural stiffeners. The results indicate it may be possible to incorporate the effect of stringers and heating from above into existing correlations.

Natural convection cooling of aircraft wingbox structures during turnaround period

“…The present scenario does not incorporate stringers. Newport et al [39] demonstrated experimentally and numerically that stringers result in a conductive layer that extends from the base of the stringer to its tip, effectively reducing the aspect ratio of the compartment.…”