The Numerical Analysis of NACA 0018 Airfoil: Studying the Effect of Flap

An airfoil is basically a cross-section of the wing or a blade (in case of rotor or propeller). Flap is such a device which is used to increase the amount of lift generated by an airfoil. As the flaps are deployed the curvature (or camber) of the wing increases which leads to an increment in the lift coefficient of the wing. During take-off the required lift cannot be generated alone by the wings because of the slow speed and thus flaps are deployed. During flight when air flow over the wings starts detaching from the wing surface it leads to flow separation and thus stall of the aircraft. The stall is a severe phenomenon which can lead to sudden loss of lift and thus can be fatal for the aircraft. This paper deals with numerical analysis of NACA 0018 airfoil. Initially, 2D NACA 0018 clean airfoil has been modelled and simulated to obtain lift and drag coefficients. The results were validated by comparing it to standard data. Based on previous simulation a flap was added to the airfoil and then analysis was conducted to get lift and drag. Results obtained for both clean and flap airfoil were compared and the changes in lift and drag forces were tabulated. This paper will benefit and provide a base to researchers, aerodynamicists etc. who want to carry out work in the field of 2D airfoil. Standard SST k-ω turbulence model was used in ANSYS Fluent to conduct the simulation.