Aero-propulsive coupling performance and design of distributed propulsion wing

The Distributed Propulsion Wing (DPW) presents prominent advantages in terms of energy conservation during flight, but the intense integration of propulsive internal flow with aerodynamic external flow brings significant design challenges. To tackle this issue, this paper undertakes a comprehensive investigation of the aero-propulsive coupling performance of the DPW under both hovering and cruising conditions, and subsequently proposes a multi-level collaboration optimization design method based on the decomposition principle. Specifically, the complex 3D surfaces of DPW are systematically dissociated into simple 2D curves with inherent relationships for design. The decomposition is achieved based on the analysis results of the aero-propulsive coupling characteristics. And a DPW design case is conducted and subsequently analyzed in order to further validate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed design method. It is shown that a 115.75% drag reduction of DPW can be achieved at cruise under a specified thrust level. Furthermore, the DPW exhibits inherent characteristics of consistent lift-to-drag ratio with the thrust-drag balance constraint, regardless of variations in incoming flow velocity or total thrust.