Strut-braced wing (SBW) configurations incorporating leading-edge-mounted distributed electric propulsion (DEP) systems have been investigated for next-generation aircraft applications worldwide. This arrangement combines the aerodynamic and structural advantages of the SBW design with the low-emission potential of the distributed propulsion system, while the presence of the strut and the interaction with the DEP system substantially modify the aerodynamic characteristics relative to conventional configurations. This study aims to investigate the aerodynamic performance of different strut-braced DEP designs under various operating conditions. Three different strut designs and five DEP propeller arrangements are considered, with varying wing-strut joint locations positioned either between the propellers or behind the mid propeller location of different triple-propeller leading-edge-mounted DEP configurations. The experimental results show that the shortest strut design (Strut A) significantly reduces wing drag, achieving values lower than those of the corresponding no-strut wing configuration in most studied cases. The drag reduction is more pronounced at lower propeller rotational speeds, with improvements of up to 30% observed for the most effective DEP configuration. Among the five propeller arrangements investigated, the configuration of one centrally mounted 15-inch propeller and two adjacent 12-inch propellers provides the most favourable aerodynamic performance, yielding the highest lift-to-drag ratio for the strut-braced DEP configurations. Numerical simulations using an Euler-based actuator-disk method with adaptive mesh refinement were conducted to validate and further investigate the experimental findings. The numerical predictions successfully reproduced the drag reduction observed for the Strut A design compared to the no-strut wing configuration, with a consistent drag-reduction region identified in the strut-braced area.
DOI: 10.2514/6.2026-4600
Publication Date: 2026-06-04