Abstract
In this study, the aerodynamic performance of bionic airfoil was numerically studied by CFD method. The bionic airfoil was represented by the combination of airfoil and a small trailing edge flap. A variety of configurations were calculated to study the effect of flap parameters, such as the flap angle, position, and shape, on the bionic airfoil aerodynamic characteristics based on two layouts which were that (1) there was a tiny gap between the airfoil and the flap and (2) there was no gap between the two. The results showed that the flap angle and position had significant effects on the aerodynamic performance of the airfoil with the two layouts. Compared with the clean airfoil, the maximum lift coefficients of the first layout and the second layout could be increased by 10.9% and 7.9%, respectively. And the effective angle of attack (AoA) range for improving the lift-to-drag ratio could reach 7°. The flap shape also affected the airfoil aerodynamic characteristics, and the flap with the sinusoid curve shape showed ideal performance.
Highlights
Bionic morphing aircraft is a new type of aircraft with promising applications in military and civilian fields
This study reveals the flow details of the bionic airfoil, explores the key geometric parameters effect on airfoil aerodynamic characteristics, finds an optimal bionic flap shape, and provides theoretical and data support for bionic airfoil application in aeronautical engineering
As the flap angle increases, the lift decreases significantly at a small angle of attack (AoA), as the lift increases at a large AoA, the stall AoA is increased, which is consistent with Meyer et al.’s conclusion [19]
Summary
Bionic morphing aircraft is a new type of aircraft with promising applications in military and civilian fields. Rosti et al [18] focused on the use of passive, self-actuated flaps as lift enhancement devices in nominally stalled conditions They firstly designed the optimal motion parameter configuration for flap in 2D case and focused on the interaction between the self-actuated flap devices and the unsteady flow field generated by wing at high angle of attack and how to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of a stalled wing. The purposes of this study are twofold: to study bionic airfoil layouts and to investigate the influence of the geometric parameters, including the angle, position, and shape, on aerodynamic characteristics of the bionic airfoil. This study reveals the flow details of the bionic airfoil, explores the key geometric parameters effect on airfoil aerodynamic characteristics, finds an optimal bionic flap shape, and provides theoretical and data support for bionic airfoil application in aeronautical engineering
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