Topic : CFD analysis on airfoil of an airplane using Ansys Fluent

Literature Review
1 ) Exact detail of problem is in study, in detail problem and focused area will be written.
2) General Concepts
Sir George Cayley was the most important and first person in the history of aeronautics. He is
also considered the first person to understand the principles and force of flight. He put forward
the concept of four aerodynamics forces of flights i.e. weight, lift, drag and thrust.
Wikipedia contributors. (2019, March 10). George Cayley. In Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:22, April 1, 2019,
from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Cayley&oldid=887077989
The Pioneers 2009 Sir George Cayley Bt. (1773 - 1857), russell.naughton@eng.monash.edu.au,
viewed 01 April 2019, http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/cayley.html

To understand a clear view to the literature review, the whole literature view is sub categorized
into different sections. Each section defines in brief and make the concept of the theory easier to
be grasped and understood.
2.1) Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics is the study of forces and the resulting motion of objects through the air. By
studying the motion of air around an object, it help us to measure the force of lift, and drag.
Aerodynamics effect every object which is moving through the air.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, n.d. Aerodynamics, viewed 01 April 2019
https://howthingsfly.si.edu/aerodynamics
2.2) Drag Concept
Drag in general physics is referred as the resistive force which is experienced by an object/ body
when it is in motion with respect to the fluid surrounding it. Drag forces are dependent on the
velocity of the object and is shown by a formula defined as:

𝑭𝑫 = 𝛒𝐯𝟐𝑪𝑫𝑨 / 2
Where FD is the drag force
𝛒 is the density of the fluid
v is the speed of the object in the fluid
CD is the drag coefficient
A is the cross sectional area

Drag force is highly dependent on the density of the fluid, velocity of the object and cross
sectional area of the body acting with the fluid. This tells us that, the sleeker the body is, the
lesser the drag coefficient and drag force is. However the velocity and density is also
proportional to the drag force.

There are two types of aerodynamics drag that acts on a body are:
Pressure drag: It is caused by the air particle being more compressed and pushed together on the
front facing surface and more spaced out on the back surface.
Skin friction drag: It is caused as the layer of air moves over a rough surface, the air particles in
the layer closest to the surface collide with the surface.
Dibyajyoti Laha. (2011). Computational aerodynamic analysis of a rear spoiler on a car in two
dimensions (unpublished bachelor dissertation). Anglia Ruskin University, UK
Science Learning Hub 2011, Causes of aerodynamic drag, viewed 01 April 2019
https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1346-causes-of-aerodynamic-drag

2.3) Lift Concept

In aerodynamics lift is the force that directly opposes the weight of an airplane and holds the
airplane in the air. Lift is generated by every part of the airplane, but most of the lift on a normal
airliner is generated by the wings. Lift is a mechanical aerodynamic force produced by the
motion of the airplane through the air. Because lift is a force, it is a vector quantity, having both
a magnitude and a direction associated with it. Lift acts through the center of pressure of the
object and is directed perpendicular to the flow direction. There are several factors which affect
the magnitude of lift.
It is explained by the
following equation in aerodynamics:
L𝑫 = 𝛒𝐯𝟐𝑪L𝑨 / 2

Where 𝑫 is the Lift force

𝛒 is the density of the fluid.
v speed of the object
CLis the lift Coffieicient
A is the cross sectional area.

Dibyajyoti Laha. (2011). Computational aerodynamic analysis of a rear spoiler on a car in two
dimensions (unpublished bachelor dissertation). Anglia Ruskin University, UK
NASA 2015 , What is Lift?, viewed 01 April 2019, https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-
12/airplane/lift1.html

2.4) Theory of Flight and Aerodynamic Lift and Drag

Bernoulli’s Equation and Bernoulli’s theory of flight
The theory of flight is explained in terms of Bernoulli’s Equation i.e.
𝐏 +𝛒𝐯𝟐 /2+ 𝐠𝐡 = 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭

It states that:
For a non-viscous, incompressible fluid in steady flow, the sum of pressure, potential and kinetic
energies per unit volume is constant at any point.
If we ignore potential energy due to latitude:
When the velocity of fluid increases, its pressure decreases by an equivalent amount to maintain
the overall energy, this is known as Bernoulli’s principle.

According to Bernoulli's Principle, the air which passes over the top of a wing has high velocity
which makes it to travel a long distance and in the same way the air passing below the aerofoil
has low velocity which make it travel for a shorter distance under the wing. The consequence of
this is that the air above the wing has a lower pressure than the air below the wing and this
pressure difference creates the lift.
 Newton's Theory of Flight

Isaac Newton did not propose a theory of flight but he did provide Newton's Laws of
Motion the physical laws which can be used to explain aerodynamic lift.

Newton's Second Law states that:

 The force on an object is equal to its mass times its acceleration or equivalently to its rate of
change of momentum
F = M a = d/dt (M v)
In other words, whenever there is a change of momentum, there must be a force
causing it. In this case, since momentum is a vector quantity, the change in direction of
the airflow around the wing must be associated with a force on the volume of air
involved.
Newton's Third Laws states that:
 To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
This means that the force of the aerofoil pushing the air downwards, creating
the downwash, is accompanied by an equal and opposite force from the air pushing
the aerofoil upwards and hence providing the aerodynamic lift.
It is thus the turning of the air flow which creates the lift.
Aircraft Wings

Aircraft are kept in the air by the forward thrust of the wings or aerofoils, through the
air. The thrust driving the wing forward is provided by an external source, in this case by
propellers or jet engines.
The result of the movement of the wing through stationary air is a lift force perpendicular
to the motion of the wing, which is greater than the downwards gravitational force on the
wing and so keeps the aircraft airborne. The lift is accompanied by drag which
represents the air resistance against the wing as it forces its way through the air. The
drag is dependent on the effective area of the wing facing directly into the airflow as well
as the shape of the aerofoil.
The magnitudes of the lift and drag are dependent on the angle of attack between the
direction of the motion of the wing through the air and the chord line of the wing.
 Wind Turbine Blades

Wind Turbines extract energy from the force of the wind on an aerofoil, in this case a
turbine blade. The relative motion between the air flow and the turbine blade, is the
same as for the aircraft wing, but in this case the wind is in motion towards the turbine
blades and the blades are passive so that the external thrust provided by the moving air
flow is in the opposite direction to the thrust provided by the aircraft wing. The turbine
blades thus experience lift and drag forces, similar to the aircraft wing, which set the
blades in motion transferring the wind energy into the kinetic energy of the blades
The turbine blades are connected to a single rotor shaft and the force of the wind along
the length of the blades creates a torque which turns the rotor.
As with aircraft wings, the magnitudes of the lift and drag on the turbine blade are
dependent on the angle of attack between the apparent wind direction and the chord
line of the blade.
See more deatils about Apparent Wind Direction

The dynamics of wind turbines is however slightly more complex than the dynamics of a
simple wing because the direction of the gravitational force on the turbine blade
changes with the rotation of the turbine rotor.
In a "theoretical" turbine with a single blade operating with a constant wind force, the
magnitude and direction of the lift and drag with respect to the aerofoil profile will be
constant throughout the full 360° rotation of the turbine rotor but the direction of the lift
with respect to the ground will depend on the position of the rotor. The magnitude of the
gravitational force on the blade will also be constant for any position of the rotor but the
horizontal position of the centre of gravity of the blade with respect to the centre of the
rotor will vary as the rotor turns. The net effect of these forces on the rotor torque
depends on the position of the rotor.
 When the blade is horizontal and moving upwards it is moving against the force of gravity
which is pulling the blade downwards so that the net lifting force on the blade and the
resulting torque on the rotor is reduced.
 After 180° rotation of the rotor, the blade is once more horizontal but upside down and
moving downwards so that the "lifting force" due to the wind is in the opposite direction and
reinforces the downwards gravitational force so that the torque on the rotor is increased.
 When the blade is vertical, either at the top or the bottom of its cycle, the gravitational force
is perpendicular to the lifting force and passes through the centre of the rotor shaft and
hence has no effect on the torque which is purely due to lift.
Practical turbines however have multiple blades which balance each other, so that the
gravitational effects cancel out and the torque on the rotor is constant.

Angle of Attack

The angle of attack of a turbine blade is the angle between the direction of the apparent
or relative wind and the chord line of the blade. For an aircraft wing, it is the angle
between the direction of motion of the wing and the chord line of the wing.

At very low angles of attack, the airflow over the aerofoil is essentially smooth and
laminar with perhaps a small amount of turbulence occuring at the trailing edge of the
aerofoil. The point at which laminar flow ceases and turbulence begins is known as
the separation point.
Increasing the angle of attack increases the area of the aerofoil facing directly into the
wind. This increases the lift but it also moves the separation point of laminar flow of the
air above the aerofoil part way up towards the leading edge and the result of the
increased turbulent flow above the aerofoil is an increase in the drag.
Maximum lift typically occurs when the angle of attack is around 15 degrees but this
could be higher for specially designed aerofoils.
Above 15 degrees, the separation point moves right up to the leading edge of the
aerofoil and laminar flow above the aerofoil is destroyed. The increased turbulence
causes the rapid deterioration of the lift force while at the same time it dramatically
increases the drag, resulting in a stall.
The graph opposite shows the lift and drag at different angles of attack experienced by
a Clark Y aerofoil, a type widely used in general purpose aircraft designs. When moving
through the air at constant speed, as the angle of attack is increased, both the lift and
the drag increase until the aerofoil reaches a critical angle when the lift suddenly falls
away and the aerofoil begins to stall, in this case, as the angle of attack approaches 20
degrees.

Note:
Since the lift generated by an aircraft wing is proportional to the angle of attack and also
to the square of the aircraft speed, the same lift can be accomplished by flying at a
higher speed with a lower angle of attack. Reducing the angle of attack also reduces the
induced drag due to turbulence thus enabling greater aerodynamic efficiency. (See
next)
 Aerodynamic Drag Components

Drag is the force experienced by an object representing the resistance to its movement
through a fluid. Sometimes called wind resistance or fluid resistance, it acts in the
opposite direction to the relative motion between the object and the fluid. The example
opposite shows the aerodynamic drag forces experienced by an aerofoil or aircraft wing
moving through the air with constant angle of attack as the air speed is increased..

The Total Aerodynamic Drag is the sum of the following components:

 Induced Drag - Due to the vortices and turbulence resulting from the turning of the air flow
and the downwash associated with the generation of lift. Increases with the angle of attack.
Inversely proportional to the square of the air speed. Decreases as aircraft speed increases
and the angle of attack is reduced. Induced drag associated with the high angle of attack
needed to maintain the lift is dominant at low air speeds.
 Form Drag or Pressure Drag - Due to the size and shape of the aerofoil. Increases with
the square of air speed. Streamlined shapes designed to reduce form drag.
 Friction Drag - Arises from the friction of the air against the "skin" of the aerofoil moving
through it. Increases with the surface area of the aerofoil and the square of air speed.
 Profile Drag or Viscous Drag- The sum of Friction Dragand the Form Drag.
 Parasitic Drag or Interference Drag - Incurred by the non-liftting parts of the aircraft such
as the wheels, fuselage, tail fins, engines, handles and rivets. Increases with the square of
air speed. Parasitic drag becomes dominant at higher air speeds.
 Wave Drag - Due to the presence of shock waves occurring on the blade tips of aircraft and
projectiles. Associated with passing the sound barrier it is a sudden and dramatic increase
in drag which only comes into play as the vehicle increases speed through transonic and
supersonic speeds. Independent of viscous effects.

Electropedia 2005, Aerodynamic Lift and Drag and the Theory of Flight, viewed 01 April 2019 ,
https://www.mpoweruk.com/flight_theory.htm

AERODYNAMIC FORCES
Drag Force
Lift Force
Down Force
Aerodynamic Pressure Distributions
Relationship between coefficient Drag and Lift