IJSEA Volume 9 Issue 4

Tubercles Effect on a Wing Performance for NACA 634-421 Aerofoil

Gracio Joyal Lobo, Amrutha K, Dumpeti Vineeth, Medisetti Swami Charan
10.7753/IJSEA0904.1002
keywords : Morphology, Flippers, Tubercles, Airfoil, CFD, Aerospace, Aerodynamics

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Humpback whales have a morphological structure on the leading edge of their flippers that provide them with the capability of extreme manoeuvrability. Inspired by nature, tubercle design has been incorporated in wing-like structures such as wind turbines, marine propellers, etc. The idea of tubercles was studied by P Watts and F E Fish to develop their turbine blades and showed that wind farms can produce up to 20% more power with less wind. The purpose of this study was to see how the performance of a finite wing is affected due to the geometrical modification. To understand the effect of tubercles, various parameters are being measured and compared. A Baseline model and model with Tubercles are being tested with a 6 - digit NACA 634-421 cambered airfoil, similar to that of the flipper of the Humpback Whale. Tubercles of various wavelength and amplitudes are taken to analyse and study various aerodynamic characteristics. Preliminary analysis was carried out in XFLR for baseline model, modeling and computation using ANSYS ICEM CFD and ANSYS CFX respectively. Also, prototypes manufactured using 3-axis CNC Router are tested in the Subsonic Wind Tunnel. The computational data and experimental results are observed in both the cases and the potential advantages and disadvantages of having tubercles on the leading edge of a wing have been noted.
@artical{g942020ijsea09041002,
Title = "Tubercles Effect on a Wing Performance for NACA 634-421 Aerofoil",
Journal ="International Journal of Science and Engineering Applications (IJSEA)",
Volume = "9",
Issue ="4",
Pages ="43 - 48",
Year = "2020",
Authors ="Gracio Joyal Lobo, Amrutha K, Dumpeti Vineeth, Medisetti Swami Charan"}