Abstract

The impact on the reduction in wing tip vortex strength for a raked wingtip and single slotted raked wingtip configuration was investigated numerically using the software package FLUENT from ANSYS. A base line configuration (clean wing) was a sweptback and tapered NACA 0015 wing, which was similar model used by P. Gerontakos and T. Lee for their investigations. The raked wingtip and single slotted raked wingtip configuration was generated keeping the same span as clean wing configuration. Only tip section of clean wing was modified to make raked wingtip and slotted raked wingtip configuration. In this paper, near-field flow structure of a wing tip vortex was carried out at the velocity equal to 35 m/s for all the three different configuration (Clean Wing, Raked Wingtip and Slotted Raked Wingtip) at various angle of attack (of 2o, 4°, 6°, 8°, 10° and 12°). The numerical results of tangential velocity of tip vortex of clean wing configuration was compared with the experimental result done by P. Gerontakos and T. Lee at McGill University low speed wind tunnel at angle of attack 8°. The numerical result that was obtained by using CFD code shows a good agreement with the experimental result. It has been shown that a wing without any wingtip devices (clean wing configuration) was having less aerodynamic efficiency compare to raked wingtip and slotted raked wingtip configuration. It was found that the slotted raked wingtip design was able to reduce the strength of wing tip vortex and increase the aerodynamic efficiency with compare to other two type of configuration (raked wingtip and clean wing). The aerodynamic efficiency for single slotted raked wingtip was 15% and 2.2% more compared to clean wing and raked wingtip respectively

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