articleEngineeringJan 1, 2026GOLD OA

Experimental and Numerical Study on Aerodynamic Characteristics of Distributed Ducted Fans in Ground Effect

FZFang ZhouYWYangang WangMWMan WangSXSi XiongQZQiao Zhou

Northwestern Polytechnical University · Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (China)

Indexed incrossrefdoaj

Abstract

The aerodynamic characteristics of distributed electric propulsion (DEP) aircraft change significantly in the near-ground hovering state. In this paper, we employed a combination of experimental and numerical methods to investigate aerodynamic characteristics induced by ground effect for both isolated and distributed ducted fan configurations. The steady-state results indicate that the ground effect significantly influences the outlet pressure of the ducted fan. As the distance to the ground decreases, the thrust contribution from the duct decreases, while the thrust from rotor and stator blades increases, resulting in an overall increase in total thrust. At the distance to the ground of 0.8 D ( D is the…

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5
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311.78
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100%
References
16
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5

Topics & keywords

Topics
Keywords
  • Thrust
  • Aerodynamics
  • Duct (anatomy)
  • Ground effect (cars)
  • Vortex
  • Stator
  • Transient (computer programming)
  • Propulsion
UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Affordable and clean energy
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