Aerodynamic modelling and performance analysis of over-the-wing propellers
A combined numerical and experimental study
E.A.P. Marcus (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
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Abstract
The research objective is to analyze the aerodynamic interaction effects and quantify the performance of over-the-wing propeller systems. To achieve this objective, two wind tunnel experiments have been performed to characterize the most important aerodynamic interaction effects of a single propeller installed over-the-wing. Results feature wing and wake plane pressure distributions and forces on the propeller. Based on the findings, a low-fidelity numerical model is developed. The model couples a panel method for the wing, a blade element method accepting non-uniform inflow for the propeller and a vortex lattice method for the propeller slipstream. The model has a low computational cost and is used to perform sensitivity analyses. Results indicate that the propeller is positioned optimally near the wing trailing edge. The tool is shown to be adequately accurate for the aircraft conceptual design phase, making it invaluable to explore new aircraft configurations.