Blended Wing Aircraft Design

Overview

This project focuses on the conceptual design and aerodynamic optimization of a Blended Wing Body (BWB) aircraft. The BWB configuration offers significant improvements in fuel efficiency and lift-to-drag ratio compared to conventional tube-and-wing aircraft.

Objectives

• Design a BWB geometry for high subsonic cruise efficiency
• Analyze lift distribution and stability characteristics
• Perform CFD simulations to validate aerodynamic performance
• Compare performance metrics against conventional aircraft

Approach

The design process utilized OpenVSP for parametric modeling of the aircraft geometry. Initial aerodynamic sizing was conducted using vortex lattice methods in XFLR5. High-fidelity CFD analysis was then performed using ANSYS Fluent to resolve flow flow features and optimize the wing-body blending region.

Results

The final BWB design demonstrated a 15% improvement in lift-to-drag ratio over comparable conventional designs. The study highlighted the potential of BWB configurations for future sustainable aviation and identified key challenges in stability and control.