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Computational Analysis of a Wing Designed for the X-57 Distributed Electric Propulsion AircraftA computational study of the wing for the distributed electric propulsion X-57 Maxwell airplane configuration at cruise and takeoff/landing conditions was completed. Two unstructured-mesh, Navier-Stokes computational fluid dynamics methods, FUN3D and USM3D, were used to predict the wing performance. The goal of the X-57 wing and distributed electric propulsion system design was to meet or exceed the required lift coefficient 3.95 for a stall speed of 58 knots, with a cruise speed of 150 knots at an altitude of 8,000 ft. The X-57 Maxwell airplane was designed with a small, high aspect ratio cruise wing that was designed for a high cruise lift coefficient (0.75) at angle of attack of 0deg. The cruise propulsors at the wingtip rotate counter to the wingtip vortex and reduce induced drag by 7.5 percent at an angle of attack of 0.6deg. The unblown maximum lift coefficient of the high-lift wing (with the 30deg flap setting) is 2.439. The stall speed goal performance metric was confirmed with a blown wing computed effective lift coefficient of 4.202. The lift augmentation from the high-lift, distributed electric propulsion system is 1.7. The predicted cruise wing drag coefficient of 0.02191 is 0.00076 above the drag allotted for the wing in the original estimate. However, the predicted drag overage for the wing would only use 10.1 percent of the original estimated drag margin, which is 0.00749.
Document ID
20170005883
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Deere, Karen A.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Viken, Jeffrey K.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Viken, Sally A.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Carter, Melissa B.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Wiese, Michael R.
(Craig Technologies, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)
Farr, Norma L.
(Craig Technologies, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)
Date Acquired
June 29, 2017
Publication Date
June 5, 2017
Subject Category
Aircraft Design, Testing And Performance
Aircraft Propulsion And Power
Report/Patent Number
NF1676L-25695
Meeting Information
Meeting: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aviation Forum 2017
Location: Denver, CO
Country: United States
Start Date: June 5, 2017
End Date: June 9, 2017
Sponsors: American Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Funding Number(s)
WBS: WBS 107210.02.06.07
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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