An investigation on lift characteristics of contour-generated sealed slat with iced front

Abstract The high-lift leading-edge device of the contour-generated sealed slat enhances the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft. To analyze the lift characteristics of this slat before and after icing, a hydrodynamic calculation method was employed to obtain the flow field for both the multi-element airfoils with contour-generated sealed slat and the conventional slat. The resulting changes in lift coefficient for these two airfoils were examined. The findings revealed that ice formation on the slat leads to airflow separation, causing a decrease in lift for both the main wing and flap. However, due to its design without a slit between the main wing and slat, which inhibits high-pressure airflow from forming a high-speed jet on the upper surface of the main wing through this slit, significant pressure reduction on its lower surface is prevented by sealed slats. Consequently, compared to conventional slats after icing, less loss was observed in the lift coefficient for contour-generated sealed slats.