Geometrical nonlinear static aeroelastic analysis of high aspect ratio wing based on fluid structure interaction

In recent years, the utilization of High Aspect Ratio (HAR) wings, particularly in High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) applications, has significantly increased. HAR wings play a crucial role in reducing induced drag and enhancing fuel efficiency. However, HAR wings exhibit complex geometrical nonlinear behaviour, posing challenges for optimal aircraft design. Traditionally, researchers have explored methods to analyze geometrical nonlinearities through Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) analysis. However, most works have predominantly focused on low aspect ratio wings, neglecting the complexities associated with HAR wings. Consequently, a critical research gap exists in understanding the unique challenges posed by HAR wings in the context of FSI analysis. This study addresses this gap by evaluating the effectiveness of FSI approaches in the context of HAR wings using ANSYS software with three different domain sizes (100 % size domain, reducing 20 % domain size and reducing 40 % domain size). The results from the analysis were then validated with the experimental result. The finding showed that domain size (reduced by 20 %) was slightly near to the experimental result with maximum percentage difference of 12.28 % at effective angle of attack, AoA 1° using one-way FSI. In terms of FSI competency approach, one-way FSI analysis exhibits maximum percentage difference of 12.28 % at AoA 1°. Meanwhile, two-way FSI analysis closely approximates experimental data, exhibiting a maximum percentage error of 3.61 %. Based on this analysis, a two-way FSI analysis was employed to investigate the aerodynamic performance of the HAR wing. The analysis of the HAR wing aerodynamic performance included evaluating lift coefficient, drag coefficient and lift-to-drag (L/D) ratios. The lift coefficients for aspect ratios AR-12, AR-14 and AR-16 were determined to be 0.6591, 0.744 and 0.799 respectively. Conversely, the drag coefficients showed values of 0.384, 0.3581 and 0.334 for the similar aspect ratios. Meanwhile, the L/D ratios exhibited an increasing trend, measuring 1.734, 2.08 and 2.391 respectively. Hence, these results highlighted that the HAR wing with aspect ratio AR-16 demonstrates higher aerodynamic performance compared to both AR-14 and AR-12 configurations. This finding underscores the potential of optimizing the HAR wing design to enhance fuel efficiency in practical applications as well as to improve the aircraft performance.