NEWS
A Study at the University of Bahrain Develops a Base for the Aircraft Wing to Reduce Fuel Consumption
Sakhir – University of Bahrain (Ali Al Sabbaq)
A study at the University of Bahrain developed a base for the wing section of the aircraft that contributes to reducing fuel consumption by about 12%, particularly in civil and cargo aircraft flights, through reducing air resistance and increasing lifting capacity.
The study, presented by the student in the Mechanical Engineering PhD program, Ibrahim Kamal Siddiq, as a requirement of his PhD degree in the program was entitled, “The effect of adding a roughness pattern on a section of the wing of NACA 4412 aircraft and on aerodynamic properties.”
The study aimed to develop certain parts of the wing section of the aircraft with specific heights, to obtain the best aerodynamic properties in the standard flight mode of commercial aviation, and at several speeds and angles of air direction.
The PhD dissertation, which is the first of its kind in the field of aerodynamics, examined several digital hypotheses through a program that simulates real flight conditions, CFD program Ansys Fluent. The process of verifying these hypotheses was also carried out through a special wind tunnel in the mechanical engineering laboratory at UoB.
The Researcher designed 15 digital models, all of which were subjected to about 180 separate tests, and four practical models, which were subjected to about 60 separate tests. In total, experiments amounted to about 240.
The study concluded that adding the proposed base in certain parts of the wing section of the aircraft and at a specific height would improve the aerodynamic properties and increase the rate of lifting force compared to the resistance force, which would reduce fuel consumed by about 12%, while maintaining stable aerodynamic properties, thanks to the perfect interaction of the proposed model with the air currents affecting the wing section.
The thesis recommended the manufacture of a low-cost thin film with the pattern and thickness referred to in the study and installing it in the wing section of the aircraft to improve the aerodynamic properties, and reduce fuel consumption, which would contribute to reducing the weight of the aircraft at take-off.
The discussion panel consisted of professor of mechanical engineering at the College of Engineering, University of Bahrain, Dr. Ahmed Yusuf Abdullah, as an internal examiner, faculty member at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kuwait University, Dr. Walid Chakroun, as an external examiner, associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bahrain, Dr. Mohammad Nabhan, as a supervisor, and associate professor of Mechanical Engineering at the same department, Dr. Omar Abdulaziz Al-Abbasi, as an assistant supervisor.
