Effects of Geometrical Configuration on the Aerodynamic Performance of the Joined Wings

Abstract

Joined wing holds promises for future generation airplane application. It might provide a superior lift to drag ratio by reducing the effect of the wing vortex as well as the reduced drag. Moreover, it has higher structural rigidity, therefore, provides a lighter aircraft design facility. In this paper, the aerodynamic performance of a joined wing with a different sweep angle of the front and aft wings has been studied numerically. The Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations were solved by the SST model to study the fully developed turbulence flow over the wing. The solution of the flow obtained by commercial software Ansys Fluent. The lift, drag and lift to drag ratio for the various angle of attacks have been calculated and plotted for the different specified geometries. The simulation result shows that the lift, drag coefficient increase with the increase of angle of attack whereas, the lift to drag coefficient increase first then gradually decreases for different joined wing configurations. In some cases, irregular behavior was observed, the vortex shedding behind the front wing could highly affect the aft wing so it might be the reason for this irregularity. The study findings emphasize that the aerodynamic wing performance for joined wing depends on the specification of each wing as well as also the mutual interaction between them.