Flow bench testing of prototype intake manifolds for ultralight aircraft engine

Abstract

The article describes the research on the intake manifold for ultralight aircraft engine Vaxell 100i. It presents the actual and new redesigned manifold construction and points out the design requirements. The results of previously made numerical simulation of air flow inside the manifold are discussed. Computer analysis confirmed the appropriateness of internal guide vanes usage to improve the uniform air distribution between cylinders. For verification, a flow bench test stand was made for multicylinder intake manifold testing. A prototype manifold was built with the possibility of guide vane adjustment. The best variant had almost 5 times better uniformity of air distribution comparing to variant without the guide vane. Flow bench results confirmed the conclusions from numerical simulations.