Numerical Analysis of Flow Over Fixed Wing Mav with Bio Inspired Winglets

Abstract

A numerical study was undertaken to study the effect of feather like winglet configuration on the performance of fixed wing MAV at a velocity of 15 m/s and angle of attack of 15 and 20o. A baseline configuration along with four different feather configurations were studied where the size of the feather and the distance between the feather were varied.. The chord wise pressure distribution was seen to change with the span wise location from the center and this distribution is affected by the wing tip vortex. The wingtip was observed to change the pressure distribution near the tip. The velocity field, stream lines and the vorticity were seen to be affected by the presence of the wing tip. The wing tip configuration resulted in a minor loss of lift which may be due to the reduction in wing surface area due to the addition of the wing tip to the baseline wing. However, the drag and the corresponding lift to drag ratio were seen to be increased.