Multifidelity Numerical–Experimental Database for Tailplane Aerodynamics

What is it about?

Modern aircraft need to produce fewer emissions, and one way to achieve this is by designing more efficient tail configurations. In the MONNALISA project, we studied “unconventional” tail shapes that differ from the traditional designs you usually see on airplanes. We created an open-access database that combines both wind tunnel experiments and computer simulations to show how these new tails behave in flight. The database includes many different tail geometries and also considers how they perform when the tail’s control surface is moved. The results show that experiments and simulations agree when the airflow is smooth, but differences appear when the airflow becomes unstable at higher angles or large control surface movements. This resource is freely available and can help researchers and engineers develop cleaner, more efficient aircraft.

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