Influence of airfoil layout on lift-drag characteristics of tandem wing UAV

Abstract

The shape layout of the wing largely determines the endurance of the UAV. Aiming at the aerodynamic layout characteristics of tandem wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with overlapping wings and tandem front and rear wings, the influence of layout parameters such as wingspan size and normal spacing on the lift and drag characteristics of tandem wing is analyzed. According to the appearance characteristics, the tandem wing is divided into three types of layout, and the lift drag characteristics of each layout under different normal spacing of front and rear wings are calculated by vortex element method, and the characteristics of the aerofoil such as streamline are further analyzed. It is found that when the front wing size is larger than the rear wing, the best lift-drag ratio and drag characteristics are often brought about. When the front wing size is smaller, the lift coefficient is favorable. When the front wing size is the same, the wingtip vortex coupling will cause the lift drag characteristics to decrease. Therefore, the influence of the front wing on the rear wing in tandem wing layout design is often a factor that cannot be ignored. The study of the layout design law of the front and rear wings has important guiding significance to improve the aerodynamic performance and even the endurance of the tandem wing.