Beyond Efficiency: Rethinking Airfoil Design for Sustainable Aviation

Haoran Xu

doi:10.54254/2755-2721/2025.GL28811

Applied and Computational EngineeringOpen access

Beyond Efficiency: Rethinking Airfoil Design for Sustainable Aviation

Research Article

Open Access

Beyond Efficiency: Rethinking Airfoil Design for Sustainable Aviation

Haoran Xu ^1*

¹ Catholic Memorial School, 235 Baker Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132, USA

^*Corresponding author: HaoranXu26@catholicmemorial.org

Published on 28 October 2025

ACE Vol.201

ISSN (Print): 2755-273X

ISSN (Online): 2755-2721

ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-493-9

ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-494-6

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Abstract

This paper explores the potentials of innovative airfoil configurations in addressing global environmental challenges. Although conventional airfoil designs have already achieved high aerodynamic efficiency in standard operations, unresolved issues such as drag at transonic speeds and instability under extreme weather conditions still exist. Through simulated case studies and literature reviews, this article evaluates how optimized airfoil could reduce fuel consumption, cut carbon emissions, and improve aircraft stability across diverse conditions. Specifically, this paper looks into optimization methods like Computational Fluid Dynamics inside design loops that balance many factors, and newer ideas such as combining reinforcement learning in wing design. These approaches show different ways to improve aircrafts’ performance while keeping the focus on environmental goals. The outcome of this paper demonstrates the technologies that play a critical role in airfoil’s further advancement. Additionally, this paper emphasizes the necessity of integrating environmental considerations with engineering advancements, hence suggesting directions for future sustainable air travel.

Keywords:

Airfoil optimization, sustainable aviation, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), reinforcement learning (RL)

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References

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Cite this article

Xu,H. (2025). Beyond Efficiency: Rethinking Airfoil Design for Sustainable Aviation. Applied and Computational Engineering,201,18-22.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of CONF-FMCE 2025 Symposium: Semantic Communication for Media Compression and Transmission

ISBN: 978-1-80590-493-9(Print) / 978-1-80590-494-6(Online)

Editor: Anil Fernando

Conference website: https://2025.conffmce.org/glasgow.html

Conference date: 24 October 2025

Series: Applied and Computational Engineering

Volume number: Vol.201

ISSN: 2755-2721(Print) / 2755-273X(Online)

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