calculate drag coefficient of airplane in matlab

To calculate the drag coefficient of an airplane in MATLAB, you will need to use a combination of aerodynamic principles and numerical methods. Here is a general approach:

  1. Define a 3D model of the airplane and calculate the surface area of each component.
  2. Estimate the velocity and air density around the airplane using atmospheric models.
  3. Estimate the boundary layer thickness around the airplane based on its size and velocity.
  4. Calculate the skin friction drag using the formula:
main.m
Cf = 0.037 / Re^(1/5)
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where Re is the Reynolds number, defined as rho * V * l / mu, where rho is air density, V is velocity, l is the characteristic length (such as wing chord or fuselage diameter), and mu is air viscosity.

  1. Calculate the pressure drag using the lift and drag coefficients of each component, which can be obtained from experimental data or 3D simulations.
  2. Calculate the total drag coefficient as:
main.m
Cd = Drag / (0.5 * rho * V^2 * S)
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where Drag is the total drag force, S is the total surface area of the airplane, and rho and V are the air density and velocity, respectively.

  1. Plot the drag coefficient as a function of velocity or angle of attack to investigate its behavior.

Note that the above steps are simplified and there might be more complexities involved in accurately estimating the drag coefficient of an airplane.

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