Numerical Assessment of Pneumatic Devices on the Wing/Fuselage Junction of a Tiltrotor

The present study aimed at investigating the effect of boundary-layer control techniques, in particular suction and blowing, on the aerodynamic performance of the wing/fuselage junction of a tiltrotor. To this purpose, a series of numerical analyses at were performed in order to obtain the best shape and location of the suction/blowing slot in terms of aerodynamic efficiency and maximum lift gain with respect to the baseline. A preliminary cost-benefit analysis was also carried out by comparing the increased onboard installed power required by these systems with the estimated reduction in the propulsive power due to improved aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft.