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Methodology for Obtaining an Optimized Baffled Airfoil for an Inflatable Wing
Journal
32nd Congress of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, ICAS 2021
Date Issued
2021-01-01
Author(s)
Mistri, Sohrab R.
Pant, Rajkumar S.
Yerramalli, Chandra Sekher
Guha, Anirban
Abstract
Although many attempts have been made to manufacture inflatable wings, a standardized method to generate and communicate the geometric details of an inflatable airfoil is not found in the literature. This paper attempts to fill this lacuna. The paper begins with a brief introduction to inflatable wing technologies and discusses a few milestones of the technology. Further, the paper predicts the shape of a single compartment of an inflatable airfoil. The paper then formally introduces a geometric method to convert a conventional airfoil into an inflatable airfoil, with equally spaced baffles. A preliminary attempt to reduce the deviation of the inflatable airfoil from its original airfoil is undertaken. The angle of the first baffle is varied to reduce the Area Change Ratio (ACR), a term defined to quantify deviation of the inflated airfoil from the original airfoil. Based on this study, a standardized nomenclature for inflatable airfoils is proposed which can be used by researchers in this field.
Subjects