Aerodynamic and structural design of winglet with integrated VHF antenna

Abstract

A new optimized winglet of a small aircraft is used to develop the solutions for structure, VHF antenna, systems as lights and lightning protection. The aerodynamic optimization has been based on the Design of Experiment and Response Surface method in order to find out the suitable shape of the winglet from the aerodynamic, structure and the basic operating frequency range for VHF radio communication points of view. The winglet’s structure has been designed based on the aerodynamic loads and took into account the appropriate technology. The improvement of the aerodynamic characteristics and handling qualities of the aircraft are discussed and the integration concepts and production moulds are presented.

Contribution of Conformal Antennas Towards Sustainable Aircraft

“…Many operational improvements and new technologies have to be adopted to achieve this ambitious goal. One new technology is to replace the protruding communication antennas by integrated one with the aircraft outer skin can be used to contribute to the defined requirements [2,3]. The structurally integrated antennas cause less additional drag, noise and turbulence in comparison with classical protruding antennas.…”

“…The European project ACASIAS [4] addresses, among others, the topic of integrated antennas and their effect on aerodynamic performances and environment. The project researches VHF antennas that can be integrated into the fuselage panels or winglet's surface [3], e.g. This paper is focusing on the evaluation of the aerodynamic effect of the integrated antenna with the aircraft fuselage and its impact on the weight and fuel savings by eliminating the need for a radome.…”