NACA 4415 Wing Modification Using Tubercles - A Numerical Analysis

Abstract

In this work, the characteristic design of the humpback whale flippers is incorporated and investigated on NACA 4415 airfoil at very low Mach number. The effect of Tubercle Leading Edge on NACA4415 airfoil has been studied. This novel study attempts to mimic the effect of tubercles on the airfoil wing to improve lift and delay stall. The results showed significant improvement in aerodynamic performance of TLE when compared to CW. TLE, in comparison to wing with vortex generators, performed better. An improvement in lift by about 13.6% was obtained contrary to only 6.3% increase in case of VG under same Reynolds number. In addition, it was also observed that incorporation of tubercles further delayed stall and continued to produce lift at high angle of attacks.