Propulsive/Aerodynamic Coupled Characteristics of the Distributed-Propulsion-Wing in Hover and Forward Flight

Based on the background of distributed hybrid electric propulsion aircraft technology, this paper conducts numerical simulation and analysis on propulsive/aerodynamic coupled characteristics of the distributed-propulsion-wing (DPW) in hover and forward flight, both the mutual interference between internal and external flow and the inner correlation between the PW unit and the overall DPW object are discussed, and the outer duct-wing camber influences on the DPW cruise performance are also studied. The results indicate that the present DPW cluster mode has little impacts on its hovering performance, but its aerodynamic performance at cruise depends on the propulsive thrust level to certain extent. Besides, the span-wise lift and drag distributions of the DPW model are very similar to that of the reference conventional wing, which means that the relationship between the PW unit and the overall DPW model is very similar to that between the conventional airfoil and wing. In addition, the outer duct-wing camber influences are mainly manifested in changing the external flow pressure distributions, and the variation trend is consistent with that caused by camber changes of conventional wings.