Search results

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the aerodynamics of wing in ground effect with tiltable endplates for a new type wing‐in‐ground effect (WIG) craft.

The concept of tiltable endplates was implemented into the design of a WIG craft. Numerical investigation on aerodynamics of the tiltable endplate was carried out. The endplate effect on aerodynamics was deeply investigated with a rectangular wing at given angle of attack and flight height. The size of endplate relative to whole wing was then studied based on given endplate deflection angle and flight height. Finally, aerodynamics and flow of tiltable endplate in various flight heights and endplate deflection angles were analyzed. Aerodynamics, pressure and wingtip vortex were recorded in the study.

Endplate influences development of wingtip vortex and improves aerodynamics. Tiltable endplate can enable WIG craft to yield improved aerodynamic performance and worthwhile economy improvements on long‐distance flights in and out of ground effect (OGE).

The results are entirely based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The gap between “numerical world” and “real world” depends on development and appropriate application of CFD. The current work shows further understanding of ground effect and aerodynamics of wing in ground effect.

The aerodynamics and aerodynamic optimization of wing in ground effect are of the great importance for WIG craft. The work improves the design and research on aerodynamics of WIG craft.

The concept of tiltable endplate for a new type wing in ground effect allows WIG craft to achieve good aerodynamic performance not only in ground effect but also in OGE. This was studied and proved in the current work.

The purpose of this paper is to present a fast, economical and practical method for mathematical modeling of aerodynamic characteristics of rectangular wing in ground (WIG) effect.

Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations were converted to Bernoulli equation by reasonable assumptions. Also, Helmbold’s equation has been developed for calculation of the slope of wing lift coefficient in ground effect by defining equivalent aspect ratio (ARe). Comparison of present work results against the experimental results has shown good agreement.

A practical mathematical modeling with lower computational time and higher accuracy was presented for calculating aerodynamic characteristics of rectangular WIG effect. The relative error between the present work results and the experimental results was less than 8 per cent. Also, the accuracy of the proposed method was checked by comparing with the numerical methods. The comparison showed fairly good accuracy.

Aerodynamic surfaces in ground effect were used for reducing wetted surface and increasing speed in high-speed marine and novel aeronautical vehicles.

The proposed method is useful for investigation of aerodynamic performance of WIG vehicles and racing boats with aerodynamic surfaces in ground effect.

The proposed method has reduced the computational time significantly as compared to numerical simulation that allows conceptual design of the WIG crafts and is also economical.

This paper aims to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics as well as static stability of wing-in-ground effect aircraft. The effect of geometrical characteristics, namely, twist angle, dihedral angle, sweep angle and taper ratio are examined.

A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic code is developed to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of the effect. The turbulent model is utilized for characterization of flow over wing surface.

The numerical results show that the maximum change of the drag coefficient depends on the angle of attack, twist angle and ground clearance, in a decreasing order. Also, it is found that the lift coefficient increases as the ground clearance, twist angle and dihedral angle decrease. On the other hand, the sweep angle does not have a significant effect on the lift coefficient for the considered wing section and Reynolds number. Also, as the aerodynamic characteristics increase, the taper ratio befits in trailing state.

To design an aircraft, the effect of each design parameter needs to be estimated. For this purpose, the sensitivity analysis is used. In this paper, the influence of all parameter against each other including ground clearance, angle of attack, twist angle, dihedral angle and sweep angle for the NACA 6409 are investigated.

As a summary, the contribution of this paper is to predict the aerodynamic performance for the cruise condition. In this study, the sensitivity of the design parameter on aerodynamic performance can be estimated and the effect of geometrical characteristics has been investigated in detail. Also, the best lift to drag coefficient for the NACA 6409 wing section specifies and two types of taper ratios in ground effect are compared.

Ground effect is one of the important factors in the enhancement of wing aerodynamic performance. This study aims to investigate the aerodynamic forces and performance of a flapping wing with the bending deflection angel under the ground effect.

In this study, the wing and flapping mechanism were designed and manufactured based on the seagull flight and then assembled. It is worth noting that this mechanism is capable of wing bending in the upstroke flight as big birds. Finally, the model was examined at bending deflection angles of 0° and 107° and different distances from the surface, flapping frequencies and velocities in forward flight in a wind tunnel.

The results revealed that the aerodynamic performance of flapping wings in forward flight improved due to the ground effect. The effect of the bending deflection mechanism on lift generation was escalated when the flapping wing was close to the surface, where the maximum power loading occurred.

Flapping wings have many different applications, such as maintenance, traffic control, pollution monitoring, meteorology and high-risk operations. Unlike fixed-wing micro aerial vehicles, flapping wings are capable of operating in very-low Reynolds-number flow regimes. On the other hand, ground effect poses positive impacts on the provision of aerodynamic forces in the take-off process.

Bending deflection in the flapping motion and ground effect are two influential factors in the enhancement of the aerodynamic performance of flapping wings. The combined effects of these two factors have not been studied yet, which is addressed in this study.

The overall performance of an aerial vehicle strongly depends on the specifics of the propulsion system and its position relative to the other components. The purpose of paper is this factor can be characterized by changing several contributing parameters, such as distance from the ground, fuselage and wing as well as the nacelle outlet velocity and analyzing the aerodynamic performance.

Navier–Stokes equations are discretized in space using finite volume method. A KW-SST model is implemented to model the turbulence. The flow is assumed steady, single-phase, viscous, Newtonian and compressible. Accordingly, after validation and verification against experimental and numerical results of DLRF6 configuration, the location of the propulsion system relative to configuration body is examined.

At the nacelle outlet velocity of V/V_inf = 4, the optimal location identified in this study delivers 16% larger lift to drag ratio compared to the baseline configuration.

Altering the position of the propulsion system along the longitudinal direction does not have a noticeable effect on the vehicle performance.

Aerial vehicles including wing-in-ground effect vehicles require thrust to fly. Generating this necessary thrust for motion and acceleration is thoroughly affected by the vehicle aerodynamics. There is a lack of rigorous understanding of such topics owing to the immaturity of science in this area. Complexity and diversity of performance variables for a numerical solution and finding a logical connection between these parameters are among the related challenges.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect a variety of different boundary layers have on a wing in ground‐effect.

Experiments were carried out in the University of Southampton's 3′×2′ wind tunnel. A variable length splitter plate was designed and manufactured in order to generate four boundary‐layer thicknesses at a selected measurement position. A single element inverted GA(W)‐1 aerofoil was then introduced to the flow at varying heights above the plate. Laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) and surface static pressure measurements (both on the aerofoil surface and on the splitter plate) were recorded.

The flow beneath the wing is found to be affected considerably by the presence of the boundary layer. As the boundary‐layer thickness is increased, the under‐wing pressure is observed to increase, hence resulting in decreased suction. Further, the LDA results indicate a modification to the wake profile. In particular, at low wing heights, the wake is observed to become entrained in the boundary layer, to differing degrees dependant on the boundary layer present and the wing height.

The acquisition of force values from the tests will have allowed further understanding of the “real world” implications of the presence of the boundary‐layer thicknesses on a wing in ground‐effect but this is not possible in the test facility used.

The aerodynamics of a wing in ground‐effect are of great interest for both lifting surfaces for aircraft and downforce generation in motorsport applications. The implications of this paper enhance the importance of understanding the boundary conditions present when wind tunnel testing for these applications.

Although the influence of the boundary layer on low ground clearance objects has been well documented, the methods used here, in particular the use of the pressure tapped splitter plate and LDA, allow a further insight into the explanations behind this influence.

This paper aims to carry out the research on the influence of ground effect on the performance of robotic fish propelled by oscillating paired pectoral fins.

The two-dimensional ground effect model of the oscillating pectoral fin without considering flexible deformation is established by introducing a two-dimensional fluid ground effect model. The parameters of the influence of ground effect on the oscillating pectoral fin are analyzed. Finally, the ground effect test platform is built, and a series of hydrodynamic experiments are carried out to study the influence of ground effect on the propulsion performance of the robotic fish propelled by oscillating paired pectoral fins under different motion parameters.

The thickness of the trailing edge and effective clearance are two important parameters that can change the influence of ground effect on the rigid pectoral fin. The experimental results are consistent with that obtained through theoretical analysis within a certain extent, which indicates that the developed two-dimensional ground effect model in this paper can be used to analyze the influence of ground effect on the propulsion performance of the oscillating pectoral fin. The experiment results show that the average thrust increases with the decreasing distance between the robot fish and the bottom. Meanwhile, with the increase of oscillation frequency and amplitude, the average thrust increases gradually.

The developed two-dimensional ground effect model provides the theoretical basis for the further research on the influence of ground effect on the propulsion performance of the oscillating pectoral fin. It can also be used in the design of the bionic pectoral fins.

Investigations into ground effect phenomena about aerofoils are typically conducted on either an upright (lift‐producing) or inverted (downforce‐producing) configuration, in isolation. This limited approach does not promote a holistic understanding of how ground effect influences aerofoils. This paper aims to address this issue.

A two‐dimensional computational fluid dynamics investigation was conducted on the highly cambered Tyrrell aerofoil, in both its upright and inverted configurations, in order to better understand ground effect phenomena by observing how it influences each configuration differently. The trends in force and flow field behaviour were observed at various ground clearances through observation of the normal and drag forces and pressure coefficient plots. The aerofoil was held stationary and at a constant angle of attack of 6 degrees, with a moving ground plane to simulate the correct relative motion.

The different ground effect mechanisms that occur on each configuration are highlighted and explained. It is shown how ground effect manifests through these different phenomena and that there are general or overarching mechanisms that influence both configurations. These general mechanisms allow unintuitive phenomena, such as the downward movement of the stagnation point on both configurations, to be explained.

Overarching mechanisms of ground effect are discovered which are of value in any situation in which ground effect aerodynamics is to be exploited.

The purpose of this exhaustive experimental study is to investigate the fluid-structure interaction in the flexible membrane wings over a range of angles of attack for various Reynolds numbers.

In this paper, an experimental study on fluid-structure interaction of flexible membrane wings was presented at Reynolds numbers of 2.5 × 10⁴, 5 × 10⁴ and 7.5 × 10⁴. In the experimental studies, flow visualization, velocity and deformation measurements for flexible membrane wings were performed by the smoke-wire technique, multichannel constant temperature anemometer and digital image correlation system, respectively. All experimental results were combined and fluid-structure interaction was discussed.

In the flexible wings with the higher aspect ratio, higher vibration modes were noticed because the leading-edge separation was dominant at lower angles of attack. As both Reynolds number and the aspect ratio increased, the maximum membrane deformations increased and the vibrations became visible, secondary vibration modes were observed with growing the leading-edge vortices at moderate angles of attack. Moreover, in the graphs of the spectral analysis of the membrane displacement and the velocity; the dominant frequencies coincided because of the interaction of the flow over the wings and the membrane deformations.

Unlike available literature, obtained results were presented comparatively using the sketches of the smoke-wire photographs with deformation measurement or turbulence statistics from the velocity measurements. In this study, fluid-structure interaction and leading-edge vortices of membrane wings were investigated in detail with increasing both Reynolds number and the aspect ratio.

The purpose of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the flow field structure around the race car in two cases: stationary wheel and rotating wheel. In addition, this paper also illustrates and clarifies the influence of wheel rotation on the aerodynamic characteristics around the race car.

The author uses steady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with the Realizable k-ε model to study model open-wheel race car. Two cases are considered, a rotating wheel and stationary wheel.

The results obtained from the study are presented graphically, pressure, velocity distribution, the flow field structure, lift coefficient (C_l) and drag coefficient (C_d) for two cases and the significant influence of rotating case on flow field structure around wheel and aerodynamic characteristics of race car. The decreases in C_d and C_l values in the rotating case for the race car are 16.83 and 13.25 per cent, respectively, when compared to the stationary case.

Understanding the flow field structures and aerodynamic characteristics around the race car in two cases by the steady RANS equations with the Realizable k-ε turbulence model.