Effect of Tubercles on Aerodynamic Characteristics of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Abstract

The tubercles are passive leading edge devices that affect the wing's flow field. Their application prevents the wing from stalling at high angles of attack. The stall is gradual compared to sudden stall in case of unmodified wing. Amplitude and Wavelength are the terminology used to describe them. The optimum configuration of amplitude and wavelength gives a maximum desirable performance. The application of tubercles on wing leading edge improves performance of wing after the stall angle of attack. The tubercles also reduce induced drag by restricting the spanwise flow. The aim of this study is to apply the tubercles on the leading edge of the wing of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and compare the performance of UAV model with Plain Wing Configuration and tubercled wing configuration.