Influence of agricultural sprayers on wing aerodynamics at low Reynolds number.
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The integration of spraying systems into unmanned aerial vehicles is usually realized through multirotor platforms equipped with external booms. An alternative approach embeds sprayers directly into the lower wing surface of fixed-wing UAVs, which may influence aerodynamic performance due to local flow disturbances. This study investigates these effects through wind-tunnel tests of a Clark Y airfoil segment at 20 m/s (Re ≈ 3.8 × 105) for the defined range of angles of attack (AoA). Three commercial agricultural sprayers were examined in five configurations and compared with a smooth reference wing. Aerodynamic parameters, including drag coefficient CD, lift coefficient CL, and pitching-moment coefficient CMz, were calculated and statistically compared with the reference case. The results show that integrated sprayers primarily increase drag while leaving the CL slope, CLmax, and stall angle largely unchanged. Pitching-moment characteristics remained linear with only minor offsets, indicating minimal influence on longitudinal stability. Polar curves CL(CD) preserved their shape, confirming that the effect stems mainly from added parasite drag. In the horizontal-flight regime (AoA ranging from –4° to 4°), the lift-to-drag ratio decreased by 0.3–0.9, corresponding to efficiency losses up to around 10 %. The maximum CL/CD of the smooth wing (approximately 9.17 at 6°) was slightly reduced (by up to 7 %) for modified cases. Overall, integrated sprayers cause a small aerodynamic penalty that may slightly reduce UAV range and endurance but do not compromise lift generation or stability. The findings support further research using validated CFD or Reynolds-number scaling.
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| Rekord utworzony: | 12 stycznia 2026 11:11 |
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| Ostatnia aktualizacja: | 12 stycznia 2026 11:12 |