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FLOW AROUND CONCORDE IN A LANDING CONFIGURATION
Henri Werlé
ONERA

Among the various studies that led to the concept and design of Concorde, the visualizations obtained in the water tunnel on a complete model emphasized the organization of the upper surface vortices which provide the aircraft with the extra lift necessary at low speed.

The models were mounted with all the elements liable to affect the flow organization: drooped nose, undercarriage down, ground represented (as in Image 10), simulated air intake and engine exhaust (as in the image shown here), etc. The observations along various directions (from the top as shown in Image 11, and in cross-sections at the trailing edge as shown in Image 12), permit a verification of the results, particularly those concerning the wing vortices (in red) and the fuselage vortices (in green in Image 10 and Image 11).

Image created by Henri Werlé. Reproduced with permission from his spectacular collection Courants et Couleurs published in 1974 by ONERA, the French Aerospace Lab.

For further information, see On the Flow of Fluids Made Visible, Henri Werlé, Leonardo, Vol. 8, No. 4. (Autumn, 1975), pp. 329-331.

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