Aerodynamic Performance

This module contains numerical data defining the aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft.

Parameters

Parameter	Unit	Description
cl_max	-	Maximum lift coefficient (stall condition).
cl_max_alpha	deg	Angle of attack where maximum lift is achieved.
cd_min	-	Minimum drag coefficient (typically at zero lift).
ld_max	-	Maximum lift-to-drag ratio.
ld_max_alpha	deg	Angle of attack where maximum L/D is achieved.

Reference Values

Reference values used for non-dimensionalizing coefficients:

Parameter	Unit	Description
span	mm	Reference wingspan.
area	mm²	Reference wing area.
mean_chord	mm	Mean aerodynamic chord (MAC).
reynolds_number	-	Approximate Reynolds number used in the analysis.

Polars

The variation of aerodynamic coefficients with respect to angle of attack (alpha) is stored as arrays.

Parameter	Unit	Description
alphas	deg	Array of angle of attack values.
cl_values	-	Lift coefficients (CL) at corresponding alphas.
cd_values	-	Drag coefficients (CD) at corresponding alphas.
ld_values	-	Lift-to-drag ratios (L/D) at corresponding alphas.

Example Configuration

aerodynamics:
  cl_max: 1.45
  # ...
  polars:
    alphas: [-5, 0, 5, 10, 15]
    cl_values: [-0.2, 0.4, 0.9, 1.3, 1.45]
    cd_values: [0.03, 0.025, 0.04, 0.08, 0.15]
    ld_values: [-6.6, 16.0, 22.5, 16.25, 9.6]