The aerodynamic characteristics of a NACA0012 wing geometry at low Reynold’s numbers and angle of attack ranging from 0º to 90º are investigated using numerical simulations and the results are validated by wind tunnel experiments. Further experiments are conducted at low Reynold’s numbers of 1 × 105, 2 × 105 and 3 × 105. Findings of the study show a similar trend for the lift and drag coefficients at all the investigated Reynold’s numbers. The lift coefficient is linearly increased with angle of attack until it reaches its maximum value at 32º which is the stall angle. It is observed that further increment in angle of attack results in decrement of lift coefficient until it reaches its minimum value at 90º angle of attack. The drag force acting on the airfoil increases as the angle of attack is increased and increment in the drag force results in change of laminar flow to turbulent flow. As the turbulence gets higher the flow starts to separate from the airfoil surface due to eddies generated by turbulence. Hence, the lift force generated by the wing is reduced and drag force is increased simultaneously, which results in poor performance of the wing.

Automotive racing is one of the favorite sports of human being. There have been many developments in past decades by car engineers to improve the performance of the engine and increase the aerodynamic efficiency of the race cars to achieve a better lap time and get a better placement safely. One of the ways to improve the aerodynamic performance of a race car is to use rear spoilers. This study by using ANSYS FLUENT numerically investigated the effect of the spoiler shape and setting angle on the aerodynamic characteristics of a race car and then it was validated by conducting wind tunnel experiment. Lift and drag coefficient of NACA0012, NACA4412, and S1223 are determined in Reynold’s number of 2×105 as an airfoil and as spoiler on ERC model which is a conceptual car model inspired by Porsche 911. It was found that ERC model with spoiler would have better aerodynamic efficiency compared to ERC model without spoiler. Also, S1223 at -6 degrees was identified as the optimized configuration as it generates the highest downforce. Even though the drag coefficient at this setting angle is slightly higher, but in terms of stability and handling IT is at its best. Overall, this study would help car manufacturers, for racing and commercial purposes, to have a better insight into the effect of spoiler configuration on the aerodynamic performance of cars. Hence, the stability, handling, and efficiency of the cars can be further improved by selecting the suitable spoiler configuration.

The applications of unmanned aerial vehicles have been extended through the recent decades and they are utilized for both civil and military applications. The urge to utilize unmanned aerial vehicles for civil purposes has elevated researchers and industries interest towards the mini unmanned aerial vehicle (MUAV) category due to its suitable configurations and capabilities for multidisciplinary civil purposes. This study is an effort to further enhance the aerodynamic efficiency of MUAVs through a parametric study of the wing and proposing an innovative bioinspired wing design. The research is conducted utilizing numerical simulation and experimental validation. This research provides a better understanding of different wing parameter(s) effect on the aerodynamic performance of the wing and mini unmanned aerial vehicles. A new wing configuration is designed, implemented and evaluated. The wing is named as Alpine since it is inspired by biomimicry of alpine swift bird. Evaluation of the new wing geometry shows that the Alpine wing geometry performs 35.9% more efficient compared to an existing wing with similar wing area. Hence, the aerodynamic efficiency optimization is achieved for the Alpine wing which helps to enhance the performance of MUAVs.

The need for energy and electricity has been increasing globally, and this means more power is required from the power plants. Power plants, however, will then continue harming the earth because of the greenhouse gasses produced while generating energies that contribute to global warming. Using renewable sources to produce clean energies is one of the sustainable methods to deal with such challenges. Wind energy is one of the renewable sources, which is accessible anywhere on earth, creating green energy. Wind turbines are mainly categorized into Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT) and Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT). This paper firstly presents a general comparison between the HAWTs and VAWTs. Then, it presents mathematical modelling for the aerodynamic factors of HAWT and Darrieus VAWT to assist the researchers to understand some key design aspects of wind turbines, such as lift/drag ratio, tip speed ratio, power coefficient, and torque coefficient. Also, this paper presents a review of the aerodynamic performance of the recent VAWT designs to help researchers to identify and choose the best model among the Savonius and Darrieus rotors for further development or designing a new model at different wind conditions. This comparison review shows that for a large scale HAWT upwind 3 bladed wind turbines are the most optimum. The helical Savonius rotors perform better by having positive torque coefficient at all azimuth angles. Moreover, helical Darrieus was found to produce lesser noise and suitable for conventional areas. hybrid Savonius-Darrieus rotors can solve the self-starting challenge of the VAWTs, and they are suitable at low wind speeds. At last, this review shows some of the recent hybrid Savonius-Darrieus rotors which would help to solve the low efficiency of Savonius rotor and self-starting challenge of Darrieus rotors.

The usage of the Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate or C-D-I-O initiative is well documented within the context of engineering undergraduate programmes. To date, there are over 140 universities around the world which are part of the initiative, and most, if not all, of these universities have utilised the initiative as a framework within undergraduate curricula. This has been initially done for engineering undergraduate programmes, with other disciplines (outside of engineering) now choosing to implement this framework within its own context -due to its success in enhancing the overall student learning experience, at the engineering undergraduate level. There are, however, limited studies on how the framework is utilised within the context of a postgraduate programme. In particular, there are little to no studies on how this framework may be utilised to enhance the student learning experience within research-based postgraduate programmes e.g. MSc (by research) or PhD programmes. This paper aims to firstly review the available literature on how the framework influences postgraduate programmes globally. An attempt would also be made to discuss how previous studies have applied the framework to postgraduate education. To further narrate the application of the framework to graduate studies, a case study of a research-mode MSc programme will be explored. Specifically, how C-D-I-O influenced

No abstract

The application range of small UAVs for civil purposes such as aerial imaging, agricultural pest control and, corps management as well as drone delivery has been increasing throughout recent years. Promising results are observed from recent studies which support the effectiveness of the bio-inspired approach in improving the aerodynamic efficiency of small UAVs. However, very limited studies have investigated the effect of Alula on the aerodynamic performance of wing geometries. This research investigates the effects of employing Alula on the aerodynamic efficiency of the wing to overcome the challenge of small UAVs efficiency degradation. Numerical and experimental investigations are conducted on 6 different Alula configurations. The findings of the investigations shows a reduction in drag for wings and an increase in aerodynamic efficiency by 9% for wings with Alula compared to the conventional wing. It is observed that using Alula configuration helps in delaying flow separation by adding momentum into the flow which resulted in total drag reduction without having a significant effect on the lift. Consequently, the aerodynamic efficiency is increased, and this can be utilized in drone industry to increase the endurance of the flight.

The flight conditions, small length scale, and low altitude flight of mini-UAVs lend them to the low Reynolds number of less than 300,000 in which the aircraft performance is significantly degraded. In such operating conditions, the aerodynamic performance of aircraft is critically dependent on its lifting surface which is the wing configuration and high-cambered airfoils are equipped to generate enough lift to keep the aircraft and its payload airborne at low operating speeds. However, the aerodynamic performance of airfoils at low Reynolds number is significantly degraded due to the early separation of flow. This results in higher form of drag and lower lift which leads to higher power required to generate thrust for the aircraft to overcome drag and remain airborne. Consequently, the range and endurance are significantly reduced. This paper investigates the interactive effects of different Alula deflection angles and span ratios on the aerodynamic efficiency of a three-dimensional (finite) swept back wing during cruise flight. A total of nine wing configurations are designed with different Alula deflection angles (4∘, 13∘, and 22∘) and span ratios (5%, 10%, and 15%). Investigations are carried out using numerical simulations and wind tunnel experiments. Overall, an enhanced aerodynamic efficiency is achieved for wings equipped with Alula configuration at 13∘ deflection angle and 15% span ratio as well as 22∘ deflection angle and 5% span ratio, and they have 9.3% and 4.5% higher aerodynamic efficiency compared to the clean wing. The endurance of electric-powered mini-UAVs is exponentially proportional to aerodynamic efficiency. Hence, the resulting wing configurations from this research with improved aerodynamic efficiency have a promising effect on the endurance enhancement of UAVs during the cruise envelope of flight.