Simulation of Different Endplate Configurations' Efficiency

In order to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of a radio-controlled aircraft destined to the SAE BRASIL AeroDesign Competition, this paper's goal is to find an ideal position for a wingtip device known as endplate through computational simulation. Therefore, computational fluid dynamics simulations were performed on a wing, maintaining the same geometry and airfoil in all tests, with and without endplate, varying among four positions - up front, down front, up rear, and down rear. The simulations' results showed that positioning the endplate in the back generates the greatest drag force decrease among the tested configurations, being, therefore, the configuration chosen as more efficient.