Computational investigation of passive stall prevention techniques on an S1223 airfoil

The Selig 1223 airfoil (S1223) is a high-lift airfoil commonly used in low-speed fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to obtain short take-off and high load capacity. However, this airfoil is highly susceptibility to boundary layer separation at lower Reynolds numbers, which limits its usefulness in smaller UAVs. Here, we use numerical simulations to investigate the use of passive flow control methods for boundary layer separation at lower Reynolds numbers. We characterize airfoil performance at various angles of attack and values of Reynolds number and draw comparisons to the performance of an unmodified S1223 airfoil. Prevention of boundary layer separation can expand use of the S1223 airfoils to effectively provide lift and prevent stall even for small UAVs.