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Aerodynamic performance benefits of utilising camber morphing wings for unmanned air vehicles

Part of: Smart Aircraft

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2016

A. García Naranjo ,
I. Cowling ,
J. A. Green  and
N. Qin
A. García Naranjo
Affiliation:
Blue Bear Systems Research, Clapham, Bedfordshire, UK Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
I. Cowling
Affiliation:
Blue Bear Systems Research, Clapham, Bedfordshire, UK
J. A. Green
Affiliation:
Blue Bear Systems Research, Clapham, Bedfordshire, UK
N. Qin*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
*
[email protected]
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Abstract

This work considers the effects of camber morphing, both in magnitude and chord position, on the performance of a generic unmanned air vehicle (UAV). The focus is to maximise appropriate aerodynamic factors across the mission by optimising the wing camber. Specifically, the enhancement of range, endurance, and stall speed is sought by means of maximising their aerodynamic performance parameters, CL/CD, CL3/2/CD, and CLmax respectively. An analysis of the effects of camber morphing is carried out using the vortex panel code, XFOIL, utilising aerofoils from the NACA four-digit family. The results are then adjusted to account for 3D flow factors such as induced drag, offering a more realistic appraisal of their effectiveness. Flight testing is then performed on four wings of fixed aerofoil sections, optimised for each performance characteristic, to validate the trends observed in the XFOIL data onboard a 1·64m span aircraft.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 117 , Issue 1189 , March 2013 , pp. 315 - 327
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2013 

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