03.1 - Aerodynamics – CFD Methods and Validation
AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS RESEARCH OF A DISTRIBUTED PROPULSION AIRCRAFT
S. Chen¹, Z. Guo¹, G. Jia¹, D. Liu¹; ¹National University of Defense Technology, China
The manuscript focuses on the distributed propulsion system of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The essential three-dimensional layout parameters of the distributed propulsion system are designed to be dimensionless, which intended to obtain the optimal layout law during takeoff and landing stages. Based on the experimental verification of numerical simulation methods, the Multi-Reference Frame (MRF) method and the sliding grid method were used to perform high-fidelity quasi-/unsteady RANS simulations of the aerodynamic characteristics of multiple propeller-wing-flap coupling configurations. The manuscript reveals the flow mechanism which caused by the aerodynamic interference of multiple propellers-wing-flap in a distributed propulsion system at low Reynolds numbers and high angles of attack; We focused on the three-dimensional spanwise and chord flow characteristics of the wing surface, and the optimal aerodynamic lift enhancement law of the distributed propulsion system is obtained. Finally, the results of Vortex Lattice Method calculation and RANS simulation at high angle of attack were compared, laying the foundation for the subsequent establishment of a rapid optimization process for the three-dimensional layout of distributed propulsion systems.