AME (Aplikasi Mekanika dan Energi) : Jurnal Ilmiah Teknik Mesin
Vol. 12 No. 2 (2026)

Aerodynamic Potential of NACA 4415 Airfoil for Agricultural Drone Applications: A CFD Study

Mohamad Yamin (Master's Program in Mechanical Engineering, Gunadarma University)
Nuril Hadi (Center for Automotive Research, Gunadarma University)
Mustafa Dwi Prasetyo (Center for Automotive Research, Gunadarma University)



Article Info

Publish Date
15 Sep 2026

Abstract

Improving the aerodynamic efficiency of agricultural drones is important for supporting flight stability and energy efficiency during operation. This study numerically investigates the aerodynamic characteristics of the NACA 4415 airfoil at varying angles of attack as a preliminary basis for evaluating its potential before integrated agricultural-drone analysis. The simulations were performed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) at a reference Reynolds number of 1.5 × 10⁶, with angles of attack ranging from 0° to 20°. The analyzed parameters included the lift coefficient (CL), drag coefficient (CD), lift-to-drag ratio (CL/CD), and the velocity and static-pressure fields around the airfoil. The results show that CL increased with angle of attack and reached a maximum value of 1.8709 at 16°, whereas CD increased substantially at higher angles because of flow separation. The maximum CL/CD ratio of 16.153 was obtained at 4°, indicating the most aerodynamically efficient condition among the simulated cases. Flow visualization confirmed relatively attached flow at 4° and strong separation with post-stall behavior at 20°. These findings suggest that an angle of attack of approximately 4° may serve as an initial design reference, while further work should extend the analysis to realistic agricultural-drone operating conditions, speeds, and complete rotor–airframe configurations.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ame

Publisher

Subject

Control & Systems Engineering Engineering Mechanical Engineering Other

Description

AME (Aplikasi Mekanika dan Energi):Jurnal Ilmiah Teknik Mesin merupakan jurnal ilmiah dengan e-ISSN 2581-0979 dan p-ISSN 2460-3988 yang direview dengan double blind review. Jurnal diterbitkan secara berkala 2 kali dalam setahun (6 bulanan) yaitu pada bulan Maret dan September dengan menyajikan ...