Aerodynamic Analysis and Optimization of Wings for the Jain University Sailplane Using XFLR5

The wing of a sailplane must be designed to conform to specified mission and design requirements. High aerodynamic efficiency and good stall characteristics are some of the design requirements, while achieving level flight at a particular altitude could be a mission requirement. The aerospace engineering students of Jain University set out the task of designing a sailplane capable of flying at an altitude of 7,000 feet. The design task was undertaken using the computational code XFLR5. In the first step, the aerodynamic characteristics of five different airfoils are analyzed considering the effect of altitude. Secondly, the effect of chord length and span on rectangular wing aerodynamics is investigated. The design convergence is obtained for a wing of chord length 1 m and span 20 m. The effect of wing twist on the initially converged design to obtain a more elliptical lift distribution is then performed to obtain optimized designs.