2014 Volume 12 Issue ists29 Pages Pk_59-Pk_64
The aim of this study is to find the optimal airfoil for Mars exploration aircraft, which requires high-lift-to-drag ratio. However, existing airfoils for flying in the Earth’s atmosphere do not have a high enough lift-to-drag ratio in Mars flight condition. The airfoil studied here was designed using a Genetic Algorithm (GA) and evaluated using two-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) without turbulence model (laminar). The objectives in this optimization include the maximization of lift and minimization of drag coefficients at only angle of attack of 6 °. The Reynolds number is 2.3 × 104 under the aircraft cruising condition. B-spline curves that connect neighboring control points express the upper and lower surfaces of the airfoil. The results show that some typical types of airfoils excel in aerodynamic performance. Most optimal airfoils have a large upper surface curvature or a strong curvature at the center of the lower surface. The former feature generates a separation bubble that leads to a high negative pressure, and the latter character makes a high positive pressure. Both phenomena generate lift force, and yield higher lift coefficient and high lift-to-drag ratio. Furthermore, most airfoils on the Pareto front have a thickness less than 10 % of the chord length, which is suitable for the wing structure design of the Mars aircraft.