Effect of Tip Vortex on Wing Aerodynamics of Micro Air Vehicles

Tip vortex induces downwash movement, which reduces the effective angle of attack of a wing. For a low-aspect. ratio, low-Reynolds-number wing, such as that employed by the micro air vehicle (MAV), the induced drag by the tip vortex substantially affects its aerodynamic performance. In this paper we use the endplate concept to help probe the tip-vortex effects on the MAV aeredynamic characteristics. The investigation is facilitated by solving the Navier-Stokes equations around a rigid wing with a root-chord Reynolds number of 9 x 10 4