CFD study of the effect of leading-edge tubercles on the aerodynamic characteristics of a small UAV based on eppler 186 airfoils

A numerical analysis is carried out to evaluate the aerodynamic characteristics of a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) whose wings are modified to incorporate sinusoidal leading edges (tubercles). This UAV has a rectangular wing composed of Eppler 186 airfoils. The aerodynamic characteristics of f...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Rafael, Bardera Mora, Rodríguez Sevillano, A., Barroso, Estela, Matías García, J. C.
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2024
Country:España
Institution:Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)
Repository:DIGITAL.INTA Repositorio Digital del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.inta.es:20.500.12666/1064
Online Access:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123024008946
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12666/1064
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Tubercles
Biomimetic
CFD
Description
Summary:A numerical analysis is carried out to evaluate the aerodynamic characteristics of a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) whose wings are modified to incorporate sinusoidal leading edges (tubercles). This UAV has a rectangular wing composed of Eppler 186 airfoils. The aerodynamic characteristics of four UAV configurations varying the wavelength and amplitude along the wingspan are evaluated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Results are compared with the baseline case, that is, without leading-edge tubercles. The wing configu rations with tubercles exhibited increased lift at high angles of attack and delayed stall. The configuration with maximum amplitude (a = 0.05c) and minium wavelength (λ = 0.25c) achieved an increase up to 17 % in the maximum lift coefficient and delayed the stall up to the angle of attack of 20◦ compared to the baseline case.