Aerodynamic investigation of airfoil inspired HALE UAV

The present investigation focuses on structure and shape modification for a High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Aerodynamics and performance parameters are defined during the conceptual design. Accordingly, the fuselage shape is designed by NACA 2410 (low - Reynolds number) and the wing modification is carried out using Gurney flaps and winglets. The objectives of this investigation are fully stated as a consequence of the design, and the wind tunnel model is briefly described. This project intended to get some coherent results between theoretical calculations and both the experimental and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) results. Two methods for calculating the pressure coefficient are used, one is experimental low speed subsonic wind tunnel testing and the other is a numerical solution from CFD ANSYS R15.0. The Spallart-Allmaras turbulence model was used for solution initialization. The lift and drag coefficients of the airfoil at different angles of attack were observed for both computational and experimental study. The pressure and velocity distribution were obtained using ANSYS R15.0. The aerodynamic characteristics of the UAV model have been carried out at different angles of attack. The aerodynamic parameters, such as the lift coefficient, drag coefficient and (L/D) ratio are improvised by optimizing the design.