Boundary Layer Stabilization of Airfoils Using a Rotating Cylinder: An Analysis of Rotation Effects on Boundary Layer Stability

This study investigates the application of the Magnus effect in rotating cylinders to enhance boundary layer stability in aerodynamic profiles. The energization of the boundary layer through this method potentially permits higher angles of attack compared to conventional techniques. The primary objective is to explore the utility of this approach for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), focusing on a specific range of rotation speeds, a single angle of attack, and a range of incident velocities to analyze the effect of rotation on boundary layer stabilization. Simulations are performed using OpenFOAM with the pimpleFoam solver to model airflow around the airfoil with rotating cylinders.