A combined experimental and computational investigation of the aerodynamic interaction between propellers and wings has been conducted at the Purdue University Aerospace Sciences Laboratory. This study's primary objective was the determination of the time averaged performance of a propeller and wing in a tractor configuration. A wind tunnel test was performed using an untapered, semispan wing and a Purdue Model propeller mounted in a tractor arrangement, All tests were conducted at low subsonic speeds, M = 0.1, and a Reynolds Number of 470,000 based on the wing chord of 8 inches. Wing angle of attack was varied from 0 to +13 degrees and prop advance ratio ranged frcm 2.4 (windmill) to 1.1 (maximum power).A computational analysis utilizing two individual methods was performed. A semi-empirical model which calculated wing performance for a predetermined steady -prop wake velocity distribution was formulated.The second method was a vortex lattice simulation of both the propeller and wing. Since the propeller and wing circulation distributions are solved simultaneously in this method, calculation of quasi-steady loading is possible.The results of the experiment and the computational analysis showed good agreement and indicated a significant steady state performance improvement for the tractor configuration, including a reduction in wing induced drag and increases in propeller efficiency and wing lift curve slope. The quasi-steady results of the computational analysis provided insight into the time dependent loadings on both the propeller and wing.
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