COMPUTATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL AERODYNAMIC

ANALYSIS FOR THE WING OF A MINI UNMANNED

AERIAL VEHICLE (UAV)

José Manuel Herrera Farfán

Nohemí Silva Nuñez
Hernán Darío Cerón Muñoz
Nelson Javier Pedraza Betancourth
 COMPANY OVERVIEW

• The ‘Fundación Universitaria Los

Libertadores’ is an institution of higher
education and nonprofit public utility which
has the mission to make professionals and
critical citizens with broad sense of the social,
ethical, aesthetic and political; research
relevant, innovative and entrepreneurial spirit.
 INGENIERIA AERONÁUTICA

• The Aeronautical Engineering program,

educate competent professionals with strong
ethics, humanistic and scientific basis;
committed to their social environment,
participants in the research and finding
appropriate means to generate new
opportunities in the aviation industry.
ESCOLA DE ENGENHARIA DE SÃO (EESC)

• The Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC) is

one of the units of instruction, research and
extension of the University of São Paulo (USP),
which through its 10 undergraduate programs,
including the Aeronautical Engineering course make
highly qualified engineers to meet the demands of
the labor market or continue their academic career.
• The EESC is a national reference in the field of
engineering and has contributed to the development
of Brazilian society, implementation and
dissemination of scientific, cultural and technological
knowledge.

• Is also attentive to new global paradigms, it has

established internationalization actions, with the
completion of agreements with abroad institutions
and implementing exchange programs.
 PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

The UAV-SOLVENDUS, aircraft its lack of

aerodynamic analysis for the wing surface.
Therefore it is necessary to rigorously design
the wing of a mini-UAV where the aerodynamic
analysis is important to consider that the wing
profile is selected from the mission for which it
is designed.
 METHODOLOGY

MESH GENERATION
• Unstructured mesh it does not have a specific
guidance in this cell line is much simpler but carries a
higher computational cost; this type of mesh is used
more irregular and complex geometries in which a
structured mesh is very difficult to implement.
 STRUCTURED MESH
• Is characterized by: all cells lines are regularly oriented in two or three
directions.
• Algebraic methods: include using the values specified on the frontiers of
the geometry to interpolate functions and generate curves within a
domain; this is accomplished by interpolation through unidirectional
Lagrange polynomials and Hermes polynomials interpolations.
 CFD ANALISYS

For this analysis, ANSYS, FLUENT was used in the modeling

of airflow over the wing. The simulation was performed with
atmospheric conditions of Sao Carlos, Brazil, where the
experimental tests were performed.
The next pictures, shows the aerodynamics lines for angles of
the 4° and 10°respectively. It can be observed the presence of
fluid and separation cross the wing to 10 °.
Não é possív el exibir esta imagem no momento.
• The structured mesh is performed in GAMBIT then is
exported to ANSYS-FLUENT, this mesh type offers distinct
advantages over unstructured; in their main features, the
implementation is simple and suitable for the finite difference
solution stands.

• For this analysis in ANSYS-FLUENT the Spalart Allmaras

turbulence model was used, due its more common in
aerospace-related limited by walls and model simulations at
low Reynolds numbers flow applications.
 EXPERIMENTAL CONFIGURATION

The model was built in a 1:3 scale (taking into the dimensions of the
test section of the wind tunnel LAE) made in MDF (Medium Density
-2
Fiberboard) with a thickness of 6.3x10 m, and PVC (Poly Vinyl
-3
Chloride) with 5x10 m thick and flexible plastic tubes at 25% of the
chord for the pressure taps.
• The experimental model used a semi-span of 1m, a chord of 0.13
m and a root tip of 0.05m, taper ratio of 0.375, having a constant
section of 0.60 m and a sweep section at the tip of 0.40 m . The
wind tunnel model is presented in the next picture:
 LABORATORY AIRCRAFT EESC-USP

The top view of the wind tunnel circuit closed LAE, School of
Engineering of São Carlos, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil is
illustrated. The dimensions of the test section of the tunnel is 3 m
long, 1.30 m high and 1.70 m wide, with a level of 0.25% turbulence
and maximum speed of 50 m / s.
 GOALS

The figures of the computationally data from ANSYS-FLUENT which

are compared with experimental data, which are analyzed for the
maximum speed of 25m / s with a variation of angle of attack of -4 °
to 18 ° are presented.
The Figure shows, that for low angles of attack the computational and
experimental results are very close. However, from 8 ° begins to be a
divergence in the results. Since an angle of 10 ° the slope of the curve
changes and the growth rate decreases lift coefficient.
1,4

1,2

1
Coeficiente de Sustentación

0,8

0,6 Experimental
Fluent 25 m/s
0,4

0,2

0
-5 0 5 10 15 20 25
-0,2
Alpha

Comparison of lift coefficient versus angle of attack.

Furthermore, an excellent approximation to lower angles of attack of
experimental and computational results with regard to drag coefficient
was obtained.
0,25

0,2
Coeficiente de Arrastre

0,15

Experimental
0,1 Fluent 25 m/s

0,05

0
-10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25
Alpha

Comparison of drag coefficient versus angle of attack.

At the Figure, both experimentally and computationally the moment
coefficient is negative, confirming that the wing has a tendency to have a
static stability.
0,15

0,1

0,05
Coeficiente de momento

0
-5 0 5 10 15 20 25 Fluent 25 m/s

-0,05 Experimental
Linear (Fluent 25 m/s)
y = -0,0072x + 0,0539
-0,1 Linear (Experimental)

-0,15

-0,2

-0,25
Alpha

Comparison of moment coefficient versus angle of attack.

The table shows the different results obtained are shown, for a speed of
25 m / s.

Aerodynamic parameters Experimental ANSYS-FLUENT

CL máximo 1,11 1,18

Alpha para CLmáx 15° 15°
CD 0,126 0,110
Alpha para CD 15° 15°
δCM / δAlpha -0.0072 -0.012
CL/CD máximo 22,23 24,88
Alpha para CL/CDmáx 4° 5°
CL^1,5/CD máximo 19,34 22,61
Alpha para CL^1,5/CD máximo 6° 7°
CL^0,5/CD máximo 28,46 30,67
Alpha para CL^0,5/CD máximo 4° 5°
 CONCLUSION

• In developing the project was presented numerical and

experimental analysis of the wing to the mini-UAV
Solvendus. Experimental results compared with
computational simulations are next in relation to the
aerodynamic coefficients.

• Aerodynamic efficiency (L / D) obtained was 4 °, so the angle

of attack is recommended for best aerodynamic efficiency in
cruise flight mini-drone.

• For three-dimensional analysis, favorable results were

obtained with the ANSYS, FLUENT software.
• With the turbulence model used, Spalart Allmaras consistent
for models at low Reynolds numbers were obtained.

• Finally, the results suggest that the wing design is within the
requirements proposed for implementation in the UAV-
Solvendus.