Comparison of the winglet aerodynamic performance in unmanned aerial vehicle at low Reynolds number

Abstract

The Aerodynamic performance of an object is very dependent on the flow of fluid through it and the geometric shape of the object. The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) demands high aerodynamic performance because it strongly supports the cruising range and fuel or battery used. By reducing drag and increasing the lift optimally, the resulting lift to drag ratio will get maximum results. This study compares the use of winglets in UAVs at low Reynolds numbers. This is very important because generally UAVs are used at low Reynolds numbers. The freestream used is Re = 2.34 x 104 on several low to high angle of attack. The type of airfoil used is Eppler 562 which is equipped with a winglet. Winglets used are simple winglets, blended winglets, and wingtip fence. The geometry was analyzed using numerical simulations namely computational fluid dynamic (CFD). The turbulent model used in this study is K-ω SST on Ansys 19.1. From this study it was found that the use of a wingtip fence produced the best aerodynamic performance compared to other configurations. In addition, the use of a wingtip fence can delay stall and separation better than simple and blended winglets.