Corrugation Assisted Enhancement of Aerodynamic Characteristics of Delta Wing for Micro Aerial Vehicle

Some of the existing challenges of fixed-wing micro aerial vehicle designs at low Reynolds number are low lift and reduced aerodynamic efficiency. Delta wings, despite their characteristic maneuverability, are rarely used for micro aerial vehicles, perhaps due to the limited lifting capacity because of the reduced aspect ratio. Corrugations on insect wings are ubiquitous and augment the aerodynamic performance in a similar Reynolds number regime. Herein, corrugations are applied to enhance the lift and aerodynamic efficiency of a delta wing. Three delta-wing geometries are examined using numerical simulations at a Reynolds number of 105: a nonslender delta wing with 53 deg leading-edge sweep and two variants with corrugations in the rear planform. The simulations reveal that the variants potentially offer approximately 11 and 27% increments in the aerodynamic efficiency and the lift, respectively, over the conventional delta wing at an angle of attack of 5 deg. Moreover, the corrugations strengthen the leading-edge vortices and generate an additional nosedown moment about the leading edge. The introduction of corrugations on micro aerial vehicle wings could be a passive technique to potentially improve the aerodynamic characteristics, without any significant weight or drag penalty.

Automated summary

This study investigates the effects of corrugations on lift and aerodynamic efficiency of delta wings for fixed-wing micro aerial vehicles at low Reynolds number. Numerical simulations show that corrugations can potentially improve aerodynamic characteristics with significant increments in efficiency and lift compared to conventional delta wings.