Exploration Flying Vehicle (LEMFEV) under various constraints is considered. Formulated is the problem of multi-point optimization of the airfoil shape, based on level flight conditions of LEMFEV, with an additional condition related to flight Reynolds number variation of the LEMFEV wing. This problem formulation makes possible the airfoil optimization taking into account the studied vehicle wing loading. The airfoil is optimized for a wide range of flight lift …
Abstract
A solution to a multi-point optimization problem of a wing airfoil for a Long Endurance Mars Exploration Flying Vehicle (LEMFEV) under various constraints is considered. Formulated is the problem of multi-point optimization of the airfoil shape, based on level flight conditions of LEMFEV, with an additional condition related to flight Reynolds number variation of the LEMFEV wing. This problem formulation makes possible the airfoil optimization taking into account the studied vehicle wing loading. The airfoil is optimized for a wide range of flight lift coefficients CL and Reynolds’ numbers. It has been shown that taking into account the Reynolds’ number makes possible quality improvement of the obtained optimization results, which are physically better justified against existing optimization techniques. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) are applied to validate the obtained aerodynamic coefficients. The most popular CFD simulation methods are based on Reynolds averaged Navier-Stocks equations with semi-empirical turbulence models, such as k−ε and k−ω. In this regard, investigated is Ansys Fluent ability to predict the airfoils lift and drag coefficients in Martian atmospheric conditions. Experimental data are used to validate the numerical simulation. The flow around NACA0012-34 airfoil with a chord length c ~ 50 mm is simulated at angles of attack ranging − 5…15° using different turbulence models. It has been shown that turbulent Prandtl number in turbulence kinetic energy equation significantly influences on the aerodynamic coefficient prediction accuracy.