Impact of Airfoil Type and Placement on Aerodynamic Performance of Blended Wing Body Aircraft

Öz

The Blended Wing Body (BWB) design holds promise for the future by lowering total drag, emissions, fuel consumption, and noise levels. The aim of this study is to elucidate the influence of airfoil selection on the aerodynamic characteristics of the BWB, particularly focusing on the center body and outer wings. To achieve this objective, comparative analyses were conducted for four different Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) BWB designs, utilizing XFLR5 software and employing MH 60 and NACA 6412 airfoils. The maximum lift-drag ratio in the entire MH60 BWB design reached 26.98, while the implementation of the NACA 6412 airfoil on the outer wing led to a notable increase, resulting in a maximum lift-drag ratio of 31.83. This represents an impressive 18% enhancement in BWB’s overall aerodynamic efficiency. Furthermore, the combination of a reflex airfoil on the center body, coupled with a high-lift airfoil on the outer wings, emerged as the optimal configuration, yielding the best aerodynamic performance among the tested designs. The study’s findings have significant consequences for crafting future subsonic BWB aircraft with exceptional aerodynamic performance. This research adds valuable information to the ongoing development of advanced BWB designs by highlighting the importance of airfoil selection and configuration.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Blended wing body
• Airfoil selection
• MH60
• NACA6412
• MALE UAV

Kanat Profili ve Yerleşiminin Gövde Kanat Harmanlı Uçakların Aerodinamik Performansına Etkisi

Öz

Gövde kanat harmanlı tasarım, toplam sürtünmeyi, emisyonları, yakıt tüketimini ve gürültü seviyelerini azaltarak gelecek için umut vaat etmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, özellikle orta gövde ve dış kanatlara odaklanarak, kanatçık seçiminin Gövde kanat harmanlı tasarımın aerodinamik özellikleri üzerindeki etkisini aydınlatmaktır. Bu amaca ulaşmak için, XFLR5 yazılımı kullanılarak ve MH 60 ve NACA 6412 kanatçıkları kullanılarak dört farklı Orta İrtifa Uzun Dayanıklılık (MALE) İnsansız Hava Aracı (İHA) gövde kanat harmanlı tasarımı için karşılaştırmalı analizler yapılmıştır. MH60 gövde kanat harmanlı tasarımının tamamında maksimum kaldırma-sürükleme oranı 26,98’e ulaşırken, NACA 6412 kanat profilinin dış kanata uygulanması kayda değer bir artışa yol açarak maksimum kaldırma-sürükleme oranının 31,83 olmasını sağlamıştır. Bu, Gövde kanat harmanlı tasarımın genel aerodinamik verimliliğinde %18’lik etkileyici bir artışı temsil etmektedir. Ayrıca, orta gövdede kuyruksuz bir kanat profili ile dış kanatlarda yüksek kaldırma kanat profili kombinasyonu, test edilen tasarımlar arasında en iyi aerodinamik performansı sağlayan optimum konfigürasyon olarak ortaya çıkmıştır. Çalışmanın bulguları, olağanüstü aerodinamik performansa sahip gelecekteki ses altı Gövde kanat uçaklarının üretilmesi için önemli sonuçlar doğurmaktadır. Bu araştırma, kanat seçimi ve konfigürasyonunun önemini vurgulayarak gelişmiş gövde kanat harmanlı tasarımlarının devam eden gelişimine değerli bilgiler katmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Gövde kanat harmanlı tasarım
• Kanat profili seçimi
• MH60
• NACA6412
• MALE İHA

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