Study the Influence of Position and the Angle of the Winglets on MITE Micro Air Vehicle

In recent years, small aircraft has been thoroughly studied and superior designs have been extensively developed. The aerodynamic design of micro aerial vehicles (MAVs), the most important small aircrafts, in Low-Reynolds number flow (LRNF) has become one of the main concerns to the profession. LRNF is mostly influenced by the airfoil design. Similar to all aircrafts, vertical elevons and winglets play an important role in the aerodynamics of MAVs. On this basis, the present study aimed to assess the effect of lateral angle alterations of the two vertical winglets in the aerodynamics of micro tactical expendable (MITE) in LRNF. A finite element flow solver (FEFS) based on structured grid was employed for studying the aerodynamic characteristics of MITE. The findings of the present study suggest that with the gradual increase in cant angle φ, lift force decreases and drag force remains unchanged. Also with the increase of lateral angle θ, drag force increases significantly and negligible changes are observed in lift force. Vertical elevons play an important role in the control of MITE. Also the effect of Reynolds number on aerodynamic coefficients is discussed.