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. 2024 May 22;10(11):e31595.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31595. eCollection 2024 Jun 15.

Computational and experimental study on the aerodynamic performance of NACA 4412 airfoil with slot and groove

Asif Mahmud Rayhan  1 , Md Shahriar Hossain  1 , Rokeiya Haque Mim  1 , Mohammad Ali  2
Affiliations

Computational and experimental study on the aerodynamic performance of NACA 4412 airfoil with slot and groove

Asif Mahmud Rayhan et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

Since the Wright Brothers' first flight in 1903, extensive research has been dedicated to improving the aerodynamic performance of aircraft. This study investigates the effect of two distinct wing geometric modifications on airfoil performance at high angles of attack (AOAs). These two modifications are slot, specifically the NACA 4412 with only a slot, and groove, specifically the NACA 4412 with both a slot and a groove. The investigation combines numerical simulation using ANSYS fluent with experimental evaluations conducted in the VDAS AF1300 subsonic wind tunnel. Since turbulent airflow often results in early stall, the primary objective of this research is to delay the stall angle of the normal NACA 4412 airfoil by mitigating local separation zones, and boundary layer transitions. Numerical simulations are performed at airspeeds of 20 m/s and 43.9 m/s, while experimental investigations are conducted at a speed of 20 m/s. The results indicate that both modified airfoils have higher lift-to-drag ratio than the normal airfoil at high AOAs. Specifically, the NACA 4412 airfoil with only a slot demonstrates the highest lift-to-drag ratio among the modified airfoils at high AOAs. Moreover, the NACA 4412 airfoil equipped with a slot and a groove demonstrates the highest stall angle, measured at 18°, compared to the normal NACA 4412 airfoil with a stall angle of 14°. At high AOA, the NACA 4412 airfoil with a slot generates a nearly 35 % higher lift coefficient than the normal NACA 4412 airfoil, while the NACA 4412 with a slot and a groove achieves almost a 16 % higher lift coefficient than the normal NACA 4412 airfoil.

Keywords: Aerodynamics; Airfoil; CFD; Groove; NACA 4412; Slot.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Normal NACA 4412 airfoil.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
(a) Geometric pattern for internal slot (b) slotted NACA 4412 airfoil with dimensions.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
NACA 4412 airfoil with internal slot and groove (a) side view, (b) isometric view.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Meshing methodology.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Computational domain with boundary conditions.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Grid independence test of (a) lift coefficient, (b) drag coefficient, and (c) lift-to-drag ratio for different numbers of elements.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Small components of the airfoil model.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Airfoil models for experiment: (a) normal NACA 4412 model, (b) NACA 4412 model with an internal slot, (c) NACA 4412 model with internal slot and groove.
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
(a) Three-component balance (b) digital output unit (c) effuse.
Fig. 10
Fig. 10
(a) VDAS AF1300 subsonic wind tunnel, (b) working section.
Fig. 11
Fig. 11
Calibration of the wind tunnel.
Fig. 12
Fig. 12
Comparison of simulated data for (a) lift coefficient, (b) drag coefficient, and (c) lift-to-drag ratio at 20 m/s.
Fig. 13
Fig. 13
Velocity and pressure contours of three airfoils at their stall angle at 20 m/s.
Fig. 14
Fig. 14
Comparison of experimental data for (a) lift coefficient, and (b) drag coefficient, and (c) lift-to-drag ratio at 20 m/s.
Fig. 15
Fig. 15
Comparison of simulated data for (a) lift coefficient, (b) drag coefficient, and (c) lift-to-drag ratio at 43.9 m/s.
Fig. 16
Fig. 16
Velocity and pressure contours of normal NACA 4412 airfoil at 43.9 m/s.
Fig. 17
Fig. 17
Velocity and pressure contours of NACA 4412 airfoil with slot at 43.9 m/s.
Fig. 18
Fig. 18
Velocity and pressure contours of NACA 4412 airfoil with slot and groove at 43.9 m/s.
Fig. 19
Fig. 19
Comparison between experimental and numerical data at 20 m/s of (a) lift coefficient, (b) drag coefficient for NACA 4412 with slot and (c) lift coefficient, (d) drag coefficient for NACA 4412 with slot and groove.
Fig. 20
Fig. 20
Velocity contours at lower velocity.
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