Design of Supersonic Transport Flap Systems for Thrust Recovery at Subsonic Speeds

A study of the subsonic aerodynamics of hinged flap systems for supersonic cruise commercial aircraft has been conducted using linear attached-flow theory that has been modified to include an estimate of attainable leading edge thrust and an approximate representation of vortex forces. Comparisons of theoretical predictions with experimental results show that the theory gives a reasonably good and generally conservative estimate of the performance of an efficient flap system and provides a good estimate of the leading and trailing-edge deflection angles necessary for optimum performance. A substantial reduction in the area of the inboard region of the leading edge flap has only a minor effect on the performance and the optimum deflection angles. Changes in the size of the outboard leading-edge flap show that performance is greatest when this flap has a chord equal to approximately 30 percent of the wing chord. A study was also made of the performance of various combinations of individual leading and trailing-edge flaps, and the results show that aerodynamic efficiencies as high as 85 percent of full suction are predicted.