Leading-edge slot

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A leading-edge slot on a STOL aircraft

A leading-edge slot is a fixed aerodynamic feature of the wing of some aircraft to reduce the stall
speed and promote good low-speed handling qualities. A leading-edge slot is a spanwise gap in
each wing, allowing air to flow from below the wing to its upper surface. In this manner they allow
flight at higher angles of attack and thus reduce the stall speed.[1]

Contents

 1Purpose and development

 2Operation
 3Application of leading-edge slots
 4See also
 5References
 6External links

Purpose and development[edit]

Full-span leading-edge slot in the wing of the PZL-104M Wilga 2000

At an angle of attack above about 15° many airfoils enter the stall. Modification of such an airfoil with
a fixed leading-edge slot can increase the stalling angle to between 22° and 25°.[2]
Slots were first developed by Handley Page in 1919 and the first aircraft to fly with them was the
experimental H.P.17, a modified Airco DH.9A. The first aircraft fitted with controllable slots was
the Handley Page H.P.20. Licensing the design became one of Handley Page’s major sources of
income in the 1920s.[3]
Similar, but retractable, leading-edge devices are called slats.[4] When the slat opens, it creates
a slot between the slat and the remainder of the wing; retracted, the drag is reduced.
A fixed leading-edge slot can increase the maximum lift coefficient of an airfoil section by 40%. In
conjunction with a slat, the increase in maximum lift coefficient can be 50% or even 60%.[2][5]
Unlike trailing edge flaps, leading-edge slots do not increase the lift coefficient at zero angle of attack
since they do not alter the camber.[6]
Operation[edit]

Partial-span leading-edge slot in the wing of a Stinson 108-3

Fieseler Storch with full-span slots

A Zenith STOL CH 701 showing its full-span slot.

A leading-edge slot is a fixed (non-closing) gap behind the wing’s leading edge. Air from below the
wing can accelerate through the slot towards the low pressure region above the wing, and exit from
the slot moving parallel to the upper wing surface. This high-speed flow then mixes with
the boundary layer attached to the upper surface and delays boundary layer separation from the
upper surface.
Slots naturally exact a penalty on the aircraft in which they are used. This is because they contribute
to drag compared to an unslotted wing.[7] The extra drag at low speed is acceptable because of the
beneficial reduction in stall speed and improvement in handling characteristics, but at higher speeds
the extra drag contributed by slots is a significant disadvantage because it reduces cruising speed
and increases fuel consumption per unit distance flown.
One way to reduce the cruise drag of slots is to make them able to be closed. This arrangement is
known as leading-edge slats. Aerodynamically, slats work in the same way as fixed slots but slats
can be retracted at higher speeds when they are not needed. Slats, in turn, are heavier and more
complex than slots.[4][7]
At low angles of attack the airflow through the slot is insignificant, although it contributes to drag. At
progressively higher angles of attack, the flow of air through the slot becomes increasingly
significant, accelerating from the higher pressure region below the wing to the lower pressure region
on top of the wing. At high angles of attack the fastest airspeed relative to the airfoil is very close to
the leading edge, on the upper surface. In this region of high local airspeed, skin friction (viscous
force) is very high and the boundary layer arriving at the slot on the upper wing has lost much of its
total pressure (or total mechanical energy) due to this friction. In contrast, the air passing through the
slot has not experienced this high local airspeed or high skin friction, and its total pressure remains
close to the free-stream value. The mixing of the upper surface boundary layer with air arriving
through the slot re-energises the boundary layer which then remains attached to the upper surface
of the wing to a higher angle of attack than if the slot were not there.[2] The leading-edge slot was
therefore one of the earliest forms of boundary layer control.[2]

Application of leading-edge slots[edit]

Leading-edge slots are generally of two types: those that are full-span and those that are partial-
span.[4]
Full-span slots are generally found on Short Take-off and Landing STOL aircraft like the Fieseler
Storch, Dornier Do 27, PZL-104M Wilga 2000, and Zenair CH 701 STOL. Their primary purpose is to
allow the aircraft to fly at a higher angle of attack before reaching the stalling angle.[8]
In aircraft other than specialist STOL aircraft, full-span slots have serious drawbacks because, to
take advantage of the high angle of attack at the stall, they usually necessitate long undercarriage
legs that either cause high drag or are longer than can be accommodated easily inside the
airframe.[9]
Partial-span slots are usually found only on the outboard portion of the wing where they ensure
airflow over that portion of the wing will remain unstalled at higher angles of attack than the inboard
portions of the wing. This ensures the wing root stalls first and contributes to docile stall behaviour
and maintaining aileron control throughout the stall.[2][4] Using slots in this manner produces a similar
result to employing washout on a wing, but through a different means. Examples of aircraft with
partial-span, fixed slots are the Stinson 108, Bristol Beaufort, Lockheed Hudson, and Dornier Do
28D-2 Skyservant.

See also