Experimental Study of an Asymmetric Tandem Wing Configuration for Drone Application

Abstract

A low-speed wind tunnel investigation characterizing the performance of an asymmetric tandem wing is presented. Wind tunnel data were supported by numerical modeling and flow visualization. The opposing wing halves of a rectangular [Formula: see text] wing were systematically shifted fore and aft along a central fuselage to yield asymmetry. The results show that the lift curve slope, minimum drag coefficient, and Oswald efficiency factor are weakly affected by asymmetry, a result supported by numerical computations. The maximum lift-to-drag ratio, however, dropped essentially linearly with increasing asymmetry, a consequence of the reduced aspect ratio of each wing half decreasing the lift coefficient for minimum drag. Comparison of the experimental results with a symmetric wing with conventional empennage suggests that an asymmetric tandem wing configuration may be a viable geometry for deployable flight vehicles such as tube-launched drones.