Computational Fluid Dynamics Study on the Influence of Variable Cant Angle Winglets on Total Drag Reduction

The development of winglets has been motivated by the need to reduce lift-induced drag in aircraft. One of the main limitations, since they are fixed devices, is related to their inability in adapting to variable flight conditions. To address this issue, this study proposes the use of variable cant angle winglets that can be adjusted to optimize drag reduction under different flight conditions. In this study, we use the CFD solver OpenFOAM to investigate the effects of varying the winglet cant angle. Instead of a fully mesh morphing approach, a quasi-steady approach was taken where different winglet configurations were investigated by changing the cant angle from 0º to 70º. The main reason for taking this approach was to reduce the burden related to the dynamic meshing approach. The results obtained in this flight condition show an optimal cant angle, with respect to the aerodynamic efficiency, around 40º.