Aerodynamic investigation of banking effect on a blended wing body at low speeds

The Blended Wing Body (BWB) aircraft design holds promise for enhanced passenger capacity and improved fuel efficiency. This study rigorously investigates the aerodynamic performance of BWB aircraft, with a particular focus on lift, drag, and the impact of banking angles. Both experimental and computational methods were utilized to evaluate how banking angles affect BWB aerodynamics. The experimental study was conducted in an open-circuit wind tunnel with a 9:1 contraction ratio, while computational analysis was performed using FLUENT CFD software. Results demonstrate that the BWB configuration maintains effective lift even at elevated roll angles, though flow dynamics over the wings were disrupted during high-angle turns, with span-wise flow shift observed from port to starboard. Additionally, variations in lift and drag coefficients in response to banking angles produced significant effects on the BWB’s aerodynamic performance, with notable changes in normalized flow velocity at 0.2C height. The study highlights the underlying flow physics of the BWB configuration and confirms the consistency between experimental and computational results, validating the robustness of the findings.