The effects of wedge tail thickness on NACA 0021 airfoil performance

Abstract

In this study, the effects of the wedge tail thickness on the performance of the NACA 0021 airfoil were analyzed. The study employed RANS-CFD simulations in a two-dimensional domain to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoils and evaluated the effects of Mach numbers (0.05 ≤ M ≤ 0.25), Reynolds numbers (0.25 × 10⁶ ≤ Re ≤ 1 × 10⁶), and angle of attack (1◦ ≤ α ≤ 9◦) on their performance. Subsequently, the results were compared for all the airfoils, showing that the wedge tail increased the lift coefficient of the NACA 0021 airfoil, although it also increased the drag coefficient.