scholarly journals A Study on Aerodynamic Behavior of Subsonic UAVs' Wing Sections with Flaps

Author(s):  
Halil Yalcin Akdeniz

In this study, it is aimed to assess the aerodynamic and flight effects of the flap design on an airfoil. For this purpose, NACA 4415 type wing profile, which can also be used in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), is selected. The original design and the +5-degree flapped design which has constant other design features are compared. Assessments are performed under constant Reynolds numbers and an angle of attack between 0-10 degrees with a 1-degree interval. Analyses are made using the open-source software XFLR5. For the flapped design is named NACA 4415-2, some basic aerodynamic performance parameters such as coefficient of drag (CD), coefficient of lift (CL) coefficient of pressure (Cp) maximum lift coefficient (Clmax) and minimum stall velocity (Vstall) have been observed. According to results, when the flap with 5o is added to the airfoil, it has been observed that the CL and Lift force of the original design of the airfoil increase significantly, CD of the airfoil increase partially, and the pressure coefficient tends to decrease significantly. Furthermore, it has been observed that while the minimum stall velocity has decreased, Clmax values increased.

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 2266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoutu Li ◽  
Ye Li ◽  
Congxin Yang ◽  
Xuyao Zhang ◽  
Qing Wang ◽  
...  

The airfoil plays an important role in improving the performance of wind turbines. However, there is less research dedicated to the airfoils for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) compared to the research on Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs). With the objective of maximizing the aerodynamic performance of the airfoil by optimizing its geometrical parameters and by considering the law of motion of VAWTs, a new airfoil, designated the LUT airfoil (Lanzhou University of Technology), was designed for lift-driven VAWTs by employing the sequential quadratic programming optimization method. Afterwards, the pressure on the surface of the airfoil and the flow velocity were measured in steady conditions by employing wind tunnel experiments and particle image velocimetry technology. Then, the distribution of the pressure coefficient and aerodynamic loads were analyzed for the LUT airfoil under free transition. The results show that the LUT airfoil has a moderate thickness (20.77%) and moderate camber (1.11%). Moreover, compared to the airfoils commonly used for VAWTs, the LUT airfoil, with a wide drag bucket and gentle stall performance, achieves a higher maximum lift coefficient and lift–drag ratios at the Reynolds numbers 3 × 105 and 5 × 105.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Jiyang Qi ◽  
Yue Qi ◽  
Qunyan Chen ◽  
Fei Yan

In this study, the drag reduction effect is studied for a cylinder with different V-groove depths on its surface using a k-ω/SST (Shear Stress Transport) turbulence model of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), while a particle image velocimetry (PIV) system is employed to analyze the wake characteristics for a smooth cylinder and a cylinder with different V-groove depths on its surface at different Reynolds numbers. The study focuses on the characteristics of the different V-groove depths on lift coefficient, drag coefficient, the velocity distribution of flow field, pressure coefficient, vortex shedding, and vortex structure. In comparison with a smooth cylinder, the lift coefficient and drag coefficient can be reduced for a cylinder with different V-groove depths on its surface, and the maximum reduction rates of lift coefficient and drag coefficient are about 34.4% and 16%, respectively. Otherwise, the vortex structure presents a complete symmetry for the smooth cylinder, however, the symmetry of the vortex structure becomes insignificant for the V-shaped groove structure with different depths. This is also an important reason for the drag reduction effect of a cylinder with a V-groove surface.


Fluids ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Su ◽  
Kaixuan Zhang ◽  
Juan Zheng ◽  
Yong Zhao ◽  
Ruiqi Han ◽  
...  

In the paper, a novel flapping mode is presented that can generate high lift force by a dragonfly wing in hover. The new mode, named partial advanced mode (PAM), starts pitching earlier than symmetric rotation during the downstroke cycle of the hovering motion. As a result, high lift force can be generated due to rapid pitching coupling with high flapping velocity in the stroke plane. Aerodynamic performance of the new mode is investigated thoroughly using numerical simulation. The results obtained show that the period-averaged lift coefficient, CL, increases up to 16% compared with that of the traditional symmetrical mode when an earlier pitching time is set to 8% of the flapping period. The reason for the high lift force generation mechanism is explained in detail using not only force investigation, but also by analyzing vortices produced around the wing. The proposed PAM is believed to lengthen the dynamic stall mechanism and enhance the LEV generated during the downstroke. The improvement of lift force could be considered as a result of a combination of the dynamic stall mechanism and rapid pitch mechanism. Finally, the energy expenditure of the new mode is also analyzed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saman Beyhaghi ◽  
Ryoichi S. Amano

Feasibility of increasing lift and decreasing drag by drilling narrow span-wide channels near the leading edge of NACA 4412 airfoils is investigated. It is proposed to drill two-segment slots that allow some of the incoming air to flow through them and then exit from the bottom surface of the airfoil. Such slots can result in an increased local pressure and thereby higher lift. Length, width, inlet angle, and exit angle of slots are varied to determine optimum configurations. Aerodynamic performance at different angles of attack (AoAs) and the chord-based Reynolds number of 1.6 × 106 is investigated. It is concluded that longer and narrower slots with exit streams more aligned with the air flowing below the airfoil can result in a higher lift. Also, in order to keep the slotted airfoils beneficial for AoAs greater than zero, it is proposed to (a) slightly lower the slot position with respect to the original design and (b) tilt up the first-leg by a few degrees. For the best design case considered, an average improvement of 8% is observed for lift coefficient over the entire range of AoA (with the maximum increase of 15% for AoA = 0), without any significant drag penalty.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. D. DWIVEDI ◽  
Vasishta BHARGAVA ◽  
P. M. V. RAO ◽  
Donepudi JAGADEESH

Corrugations are folds on a surface as found on wings of dragon fly insects. Although they fly at relatively lower altitudes its wings are adapted for better aerodynamic and aero-elastic characteristics. In the present work, three airfoil geometries were studied using the 2-D panel method to evaluate the aerodynamic performance for low Reynolds number. The experiments were conducted in wind tunnel for incompressible flow regime to demonstrate the coefficients of lift drag and glide ratio at two Reynolds numbers 1.9x104 and 1.5x105 and for angles of attack ranging between 00 and 160. The panel method results have been validated using the current and existing experiment data as well as with the computational work from cited literature. A good agreement between the experimental and the panel methods were found for low angles of attack. The results showed that till 80 angle of attack higher lift coefficient and lower drag coefficient are obtainable for corrugated airfoils as compared to NACA 0010. The validation of surface pressure coefficients for all three airfoils using the panel method at 40 angles of attack was done. The contours of the non-dimensional pressure and velocity are illustrated from -100 to 200 angles of attack. A good correlation between the experiment data and the computational methods revealed that the corrugated airfoils exhibit better aerodynamic performance than NACA 0010.


1998 ◽  
Vol 368 ◽  
pp. 81-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
DOMINIQUE LEGENDRE ◽  
JACQUES MAGNAUDET

The three-dimensional flow around a spherical bubble moving steadily in a viscous linear shear flow is studied numerically by solving the full Navier–Stokes equations. The bubble surface is assumed to be clean so that the outer flow obeys a zero-shear-stress condition and does not induce any rotation of the bubble. The main goal of the present study is to provide a complete description of the lift force experienced by the bubble and of the mechanisms responsible for this force over a wide range of Reynolds number (0.1[les ]Re[les ]500, Re being based on the bubble diameter) and shear rate (0[les ]Sr[les ]1, Sr being the ratio between the velocity difference across the bubble and the relative velocity). For that purpose the structure of the flow field, the influence of the Reynolds number on the streamwise vorticity field and the distribution of the tangential velocities at the surface of the bubble are first studied in detail. It is shown that the latter distribution which plays a central role in the production of the lift force is dramatically dependent on viscous effects. The numerical results concerning the lift coefficient reveal very different behaviours at low and high Reynolds numbers. These two asymptotic regimes shed light on the respective roles played by the vorticity produced at the bubble surface and by that contained in the undisturbed flow. At low Reynolds number it is found that the lift coefficient depends strongly on both the Reynolds number and the shear rate. In contrast, for moderate to high Reynolds numbers these dependences are found to be very weak. The numerical values obtained for the lift coefficient agree very well with available asymptotic results in the low- and high-Reynolds-number limits. The range of validity of these asymptotic solutions is specified by varying the characteristic parameters of the problem and examining the corresponding evolution of the lift coefficient. The numerical results are also used for obtaining empirical correlations useful for practical calculations at finite Reynolds number. The transient behaviour of the lift force is then examined. It is found that, starting from the undisturbed flow, the value of the lift force at short time differs from its steady value, even when the Reynolds number is high, because the vorticity field needs a finite time to reach its steady distribution. This finding is confirmed by an analytical derivation of the initial value of the lift coefficient in an inviscid shear flow. Finally, a specific investigation of the evolution of the lift and drag coefficients with the shear rate at high Reynolds number is carried out. It is found that when the shear rate becomes large, i.e. Sr=O(1), a small but consistent decrease of the lift coefficient occurs while a very significant increase of the drag coefficient, essentially produced by the modifications of the pressure distribution, is observed. Some of the foregoing results are used to show that the well-known equality between the added mass coefficient and the lift coefficient holds only in the limit of weak shears and nearly steady flows.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 175682932199213
Author(s):  
Todd C Henry ◽  
John T Hrynuk ◽  
Francis R Phillips

An assessment of 3D-printed span-change structures is presented for determining suitability of the technology to small unmanned aerial vehicles. Materials and manufacturing technologies were used with an emphasis on near term applicability with design trades between the aerodynamic performance and structural response. Aerodynamic performance was assessed on three wind tunnel models varying span (432, 600, and 762 mm), wind speed (Reynolds numbers 18,000, 36,000, and 71,000), additive manufacturing print build plane and camber, quantifying structural response as the resulting shape during aerodynamic loading. Each model displayed increasing compliance as span increased with wing-tip displacement on the order of 50, 100, and 200 mm with various degrees of sweep and twist. Models generated excess lift at Re = 71,000 indicating potential flight demonstration of the technology with a lift to drag improvement of up to 97% at maximum wing extension.


2010 ◽  
Vol 664 ◽  
pp. 150-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHAO SUN ◽  
TOM MULLIN ◽  
LEEN VAN WIJNGAARDEN ◽  
DETLEF LOHSE

Results are reported of an experimental investigation into the motion of a heavy cylinder free to move inside a water-filled drum rotating around its horizontal axis. The cylinder is observed to either co-rotate or, counter-intuitively, counter-rotate with respect to the rotating drum. The flow was measured with particle image velocimetry, and it was found that the inner cylinder significantly altered the bulk flow field from the solid-body rotation found for a fluid-filled drum. In the counter-rotation case, the generated lift force allowed the cylinder to freely rotate without contact with the drum wall. Drag and lift coefficients of the freely counter-rotating cylinder were measured over a wide range of Reynolds numbers, 2500 < Re < 25000, dimensionless rotation rates, 0.0 < α < 1.2, and gap to cylinder diameter ratios 0.003 < G/2a < 0.5. Drag coefficients were consistent with previous measurements on a cylinder in a uniform flow. However, for the lift coefficient, considerably larger values were observed in the present measurements. We found the enhancement of the lift force to be mainly caused by the vicinity of the wall.


2012 ◽  
Vol 246-247 ◽  
pp. 543-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Li ◽  
Qing Jia ◽  
Zhi Gang Yang

Full scaled simplified model and production vehicle were applied to make a research on the local and global flow characteristics. Two different conditions including stationary and rotation were employed in computational simulation by steady RNS Navier-Stokes calculation. Further, detailed analysis on flow, surface pressure coefficient, drag coefficient and lift coefficient affected by rotating wheel figure out that rotating wheel has a significant influence on the flow around wheel and vehicle. Pressure difference, drag coefficient and lift coefficient are decreased by rotation, which improve aerodynamic performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1206 (1) ◽  
pp. 012013
Author(s):  
D Makhija ◽  
S V Jain ◽  
A M Achari ◽  
K Ghosh

Abstract This paper presents a design of force balance setup that can measure lift force acting on the aircraft model. The setup was developed indigenously and installed in an open circuit low-speed wind tunnel. It mainly consists of two components viz. a traverse mechanism that can hold the model in the test section at different angles of attack and air speeds and a supporting frame to hold the traverse mechanism over it. The spring balances are used to obtain lift force readings at different angles and air speeds. The experimental and numerical investigations were done in the wide range of Reynolds number (range: 0.55 to 1.12 lakh) and angle of attack (range: -6° to 20°). The results are presented in terms of pressure contours, velocity contours, pressure coefficient and lift coefficient. From the experiments it was found that value of lift coefficient increases with angle of attack and stalling occurs at 18° for all the air speeds. However, in the numerical results the stalling was observed little earlier than 18° angle of attack. The experimental results were compared with CFD results and an average relative error of 18% was observed which may be due to assumption of 2-D airfoil in CFD analysis.


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