CFD analysis of winglets

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to analyse different types of winglets using Gambit and Fluent and then, to find out what happens when winglets are linked to wingtips. One wing model without winglet and three wing models with winglets were created and drawn in Solid Edge and they were meshed in Gambit using geometry data gathered by the Airfoil Investigation Database and Airbus website. Those models were read into Fluent where flow boundary conditions were applied and the discretized Navier-Stokes equations were solved numerically. The wing without winglet and the wings with winglets performance were analyzed in several angles of attack and the drag coefficient was compared when the aircraft is taking off. Wingtip vortices from models were checked, studied and compared. The best winglet model reduces drag coefficient and wingtip vortices from wing without winglet model and it will be pointed out at the end of this project. There was a test in order to analyse the models when the aircraft works in cruise velocity. Unfortunately, as I was running out of time, this task was not successfully completed.