Design of low Reynolds number airfoil for micro aerial vehicle

Abstract

The aerodynamic characteristics of low Reynolds number flows make the dilemma of new airfoil design. It is the fact that the boundary layer is a great deal less capable of managing an adverse pressure gradient without separation. Hence, very low Reynolds number designs do no longer have astringent pressure gradients and the maximum lift functionality is restrained. In many commercial applications, the evaluation of the impact of laminar separation can be essential for the presage of specific ecumenical and local aerodynamic performances. In this paper, the low Reynolds number airfoil coordinates from the UIUC airfoil database is extracted. Utilizing preliminary analysis implement i.e. Xfoil panel code method analyzed the aerodynamic characteristics over 200 plus airfoil. Based on the outcome of the Xfoil results, the best three airfoils i.e. FX63137sm, S1223, and e423 are chosen for understanding the aerodynamic characteristics. The Reynolds number ranges from 3.42 X 105 to 10.28 X 105. Using XFLR5 software and adopted Foil Direct Design method, the new airfoil is generated based on the maximum lift coefficient by modifying the airfoil parameters i.e. maximum thickness, max camber, location of thickness and camber. The aerodynamic characteristics of new airfoil are analysed and validated against the reference airfoil such as FX63137sm, S1223, and e423 airfoil.