EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT WINGLET CONFIGURATIONS ON THE LIFT AND DRAG CHARACTERISTICS OF A BLENDED WING BODY AIRCRAFT

Abstract

The main focus of our research is to study how winglets of different designs effects the lift and drag characteristics of a Blended Wing Body Aircraft Model. For this, both computational and experimental analyses have been conducted on the BWB models. Through ANSYS Fluent, the computational analysis of models has been done at velocities of 15 m/s (Mach 0.0437), 20 m/s (Mach 0.058) and 25 m/s (Mach 0.072). The 5 different models will be analyzed at the angles of attack: −5◦, 0◦, 5◦, 10◦, 15◦and 20◦. The analysis has been done using the Spalart-Allmaras model. The winglet models have been fabricated through 3D Printing. Using the same conditions as the computational study, the models has been tested in the wind tunnel. Through the simulations, the lift and drag values, along with the stall characteristics resulting from the different winglet configurations, has been determined. The computational study has been done mainly to get an initial estimate of the results that has been obtained from the wind tunnel analysis. Upon comparing the results, it has been observed that the aerodynamic behavior of the BWB model is different for the different winglet designs. Different winglet configurations caused the model to generate different amounts of lift and drag at the same angle of attack. Through our research, we can provide an insight into the design of Blended Wing Body Aircraft and provide a scope for optimization of winglet design for incorporating it to a BWB Aircraft.