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

Abstract

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 configurations 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.

Keywords

• Tubercles
• Biomimetic
• CFD