Vortex Induced Lift Augmentation: Case Study
Department
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Major
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Research Advisor
Finaish, Fathi
Advisor's Department
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Funding Source
Missouri S&T Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experiences (OURE) Program
Abstract
Optimizing the aerodynamic characteristics of an aerospace vehicle has always been of great importance. For instance, improving the lift-to-drag ratio could represent savings in fuel consumption, an increment in the range & endurance of the aircraft and a shorter take-off and landing distances. Therefore, this study explores the possibility of enhancing the aerodynamic performance by introducing a single step configuration in any given airfoil. The results presented here, use a computational fluid dynamics approach to simulate the development of flow around four different airfoils (NACA 0006, NACA 0009, NACA 1408, and NACA 1410) which utilize a single backward facing step configuration on either the upper or lower curve of the airfoil. All the cases studied, were simulated for two different angles of attack (0⁰ and 5⁰). It was found that the lower step configuration yielded to an increment in lift at lower angles of attacks that enhanced aerodynamic performance of a propeller driven aircraft up to a 130%.
Biography
Mariana is a senior at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. She hopes to graduate in May 2012 with a BS in both Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Currently, she is a peer learning assistant in the Physics Department for the Learning Enhancement Across Disciplines (LEAD) program.
Research Category
Engineering
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Document Type
Presentation
Award
Engineering oral presentation, Second place
Location
Ozark Room
Presentation Date
06 Apr 2011, 10:30 am - 11:00 am
Vortex Induced Lift Augmentation: Case Study
Ozark Room
Optimizing the aerodynamic characteristics of an aerospace vehicle has always been of great importance. For instance, improving the lift-to-drag ratio could represent savings in fuel consumption, an increment in the range & endurance of the aircraft and a shorter take-off and landing distances. Therefore, this study explores the possibility of enhancing the aerodynamic performance by introducing a single step configuration in any given airfoil. The results presented here, use a computational fluid dynamics approach to simulate the development of flow around four different airfoils (NACA 0006, NACA 0009, NACA 1408, and NACA 1410) which utilize a single backward facing step configuration on either the upper or lower curve of the airfoil. All the cases studied, were simulated for two different angles of attack (0⁰ and 5⁰). It was found that the lower step configuration yielded to an increment in lift at lower angles of attacks that enhanced aerodynamic performance of a propeller driven aircraft up to a 130%.
