Numerical Analysis of Low-speed Characteristics of Blended Wing Body Aircraft using Laminar Flow Airfoil and Supercritical Airfoil

Abstract

The Blended Wing Body (BWB) aircraft represents a cutting-edge design that seamlessly merges the fuselage and wings into a unified aerodynamic structure. This configuration offers significant improvements in aerodynamic efficiency over traditional tube-and-wing aircraft. In this study, the aerodynamic performance of a BWB configuration incorporating a supercritical airfoil was investigated, with particular emphasis on low-speed flight conditions. Supercritical airfoils, such as the RAE2822, are engineered to perform efficiently at transonic speeds by delaying drag divergence. However, their performance at lower speeds remains less explored. Using SolidWorks for 3D modeling and SolidWorks Flow Simulation for aerodynamic analysis, the study compared the performance of the RAE2822 supercritical airfoil with the NLF-0215F airfoil, a natural laminar flow airfoil commonly employed in BWB designs. To validate the computational results, 3D-printed models were tested in a wind tunnel, showing strong correlation with the simulations. The analysis revealed that the NLF-0215F outperformed the RAE2822 at low speeds, delivering approximately 20% greater aerodynamic efficiency across all angles of attack. These findings underscore the suitability of the NLF-0215F airfoil for low-speed BWB applications.