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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 July 2016
The aerodynamic interaction between a wing and a coupleof propellers in tractor configuration isinvestigated by means of a model based on thelifting line concept and under the assumption ofquasi-steady incompressible motion of inviscidfluid. The ways the propellers influence the wingperformances, particularly the induced drag, areanalysed. It turns out that the lift increase andthe possible drag reduction depend strongly on thedirection of the blade rotation and on the propellerdistances from midspan, and result from two maineffects: the direct propeller induction on the wingand the modification of the lift distribution alongthe span. An additional nonlinear (mixed)contribution affects the drag but has onlynegligible influence on the lift. The describedmodel allows one to evaluate separately all theseeffects and helps understanding their influence onthe global modification of the wingperformances.