Aerodynamic Performance of Propeller–Wing in Continuous Transition Mode Under Different Strategies

Transition mode, which is characterized by highly nonlinear aerodynamic properties critical to the safety and stability of the electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft during flight, is still not well understood with respect to aerodynamics and flight dynamics. This paper establishes a simulation method based on the overset mesh method, which is suitable for the aerodynamic performance research during continuous transition mode. A calculation method for the transition corridor is proposed based on the variation law of wing aerodynamic coefficients with tilt angle obtained from simulations. The impact of different aerodynamic coefficient settings on the transition corridor boundary is analyzed. The aerodynamic performance of the propeller–wing system under different tilt routes within the transition corridor is analyzed. It is found that the system’s aerodynamic performance is superior when there is a pause during tilting compared to tilt with uniform velocity. The pause angle should be set in the early phase of the tilt, not less than 60 deg, and the pause duration should be about 9% of the total tilt time. These provide references for calculating more accurate transition corridors and optimizing transition strategies.