DETERMINATION OF THE OPTIMAL SUBSONIC AIRCRAFT WING POSITION

Abstract

In a developing of a new aircraft, especially an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), designers are trying to ensure maximum efficiency of its use. To achieve maximum flight range, an important role have the layout of the wing relative to the fuselage.The modern numerical methods help to model a large number of the wing and fuselage layout variants, without coming to sophisticated equipment for measuring aerodynamic parameters (wind tunnel).The purpose of the article is to investigate the influence of the wing and fuselage layout on the aircraft flight range. The relevance of the presented task is due to the high importance of the wings arrangement relative to the fuselage for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), where it is important to achieve the maximum flight range, that is, increase its resource.The proposed methodology for determination of the optimal subsonic aircraft wing position is illustrated by the example of an airplane model containing a wing of a adjusted profile and a fuselage which constructed along circular cross-sections. The choice of the indicators describing the flight range based on the Breguet`s formula. It shows relation between the range of flight and the aerodynamic and technical characteristics of an aircraft.The proposed method for determination of the aerodynamic parameters and calculating the indicators, which are characterizing the maximum flight range, makes it possible to analyze the influence of the aircraft parts interference due to its aerodynamic parameters.The presented technique for determination of the optimal wing position is universal; it can be used to study the mutual influence of different parts of aircraft, based on the achievement of maximum flight range.