Purpose

Test design
Measurement system and Procedures
Uncertainty Analysis

Purpose
Examine the surface pressure distribution and

wake velocity profile on a Clark-Y airfoil

Compute the lift and drag forces acting on the
airfoil
Specify the flow Reynolds number
Compare the results with benchmark data
Uncertainty analysis for
Pressure coefficient
Lift coefficient

Facility consists of:

Closed circuit vertical
wind tunnel.
Airfoil
Temperature sensor
Pitot tubes
Load cell
Pressure transducer
Automated data acquisition
system

Test Design (contd.)

Airfoil (=airplane surface: as wing) is placed

in test section of a wind tunnel with freestream velocity of 15 m/s. This airfoil is
exposed to:

Forces acting normal to free stream = Lift

Forces acting parallel to free stream =
Drag
Only two dimensional airfoils are considered:
Top of Airfoil:

The velocity of the flow is greater than the

free-stream.

The pressure is negative

Underside of Airfoil:

Velocity of the flow is less than the freestream.

The pressure is positive

This pressure distribution contribute to the lift

S o ft w a r e
- S u rfa c e
P re s s u re
- V e lo c it y
- W T C o n tro l

PC

Instrumentation
Protractor angle of attack
Resistance temperature detectors
(RTD)
Pitot static probe velocity
Vertical Pitot probe traverse
Scanning valve scans pressure
ports
Pressure transducer (Validyne)
Digital Voltmeter (DVM)
Load cell lift and drag force

D ig ita l
i/ o

A /D
B o a rd s

M e tra b y te
M 2521
S ig n a l
C o n d it io n e r

S c a n iv a lv e
P o s itio n
C ir c u it (S P C )

S c a n iv a lv e
C o n t r o lle r
(S C )

RTD

P re s s u re
In p u t

D ig ita l
V o lt im e t e r
(D V M )

S c a n iv a lv e

P ito t T u b e
(F re e
S tre a m )

P re s s u re
T ra n s d u c e r
( V a lid y n e )

S e ria l
Com m .
(C O M 1 )

S c a n iv a lv e
S ig n a l
C o n d it io n e r
(S S C )

P re s s u re T a p s

A ir fo il M o d e l
B u n d le o f
tu b e s

AOA, and Pressure taps positions

Data reduction
In this experiment, the
lift force, L on the
Airfoil will be
determined by
integration of the
measured pressure
distribution over the
Airfoils surface. The
figure shows a typical
pressure distribution
on an Airfoil and its
projection .

Data reduction

Cp

Calculation of lift force

The lift force L is determined by integration of the

measured pressure distribution over the airfoils

surface.
It is expressed in a dimensionless form by the
pressure coefficient Cp where, pi = surface pressure
measured, = P pressure in the free-stream
The lift force is also measured using the load cell
and data acquisition system directly.
U = free-stream velocity, = air density
(temperature),
pstagnation = stagnation pressure measured at the tip
of the pitot tube, L = Lift force, b = airfoil span, c
= airfoil chord

pi p
1
U 2
2

2 pstagnation p

CL

2L
U 2 bc

L p p sin ds
s

CL

p sin ds

1
U 2 c
2

Data reduction
The drag force, D on
the Airfoil will be
determined by
integration of the
momentum loss found
by measuring the axial
velocity profile in the
wake of the Airfoil. The
figure shows how the
wake of the airfoil
affects the velocity
profile.

Data reduction
Calculation of drag force

The lift force D is determined by integration

of the momentum loss found from the

2 pstagnation ( y ) p
velocity profile measurement.
u( y)

The velocity profile u(y) is approximated by

measuring ui at predefined locations
y
The drag force is also measured using the
load cell and data acquisition system directly. D u ( y )U u ( y ) dy
U

yL

U = free-stream velocity, = air density

(temperature),
pstagnation = stagnation pressure measured at
the tip of the pitot tube, D = Lift force, b =
airfoil span, c = airfoil chord

CD

2D
U 2 bc

2 U
C D 2 ui U ui dy
U c yL

mass (kg)

Volts
0

-0.021

0.295

-0.1525

0.415

-0.203

0.765

-0.3565

1.31

-0.5935

1.635

-0.7385

Program output
Calibration program
Curve fitting method

Setting up the initial motor speed

Visualization of wind tunnel conditions

Data acquisition (contd.)

Data needed:
Observation point list
Sampling Rate
Settling Time
Length of each Sample
Angle of attack

Airfoil pressure visualization

Program to measure lift force in volts

Program to measure velocity in volts

Uncertainty analysis

Pressure coefficient
C p f ( pi p , ,U )

Lift coefficient
C l f ( pi p , i , , U , c)
2
2
U CL
BCL
PCL2

2
2
U Cp
BCp
PCp2
j

B B
2
Cp

i 1

p _ p
i

2
i

2
i

2
( pi p )

2
( pi p )

2
CL

i2 Bi2 (2pi p ) B(2pi p )

i 1

C p

pi p

PCp 2S Cp

2
U 2

PCL 2 S CL

Benchmark data

Distribution of the pressure coefficients for

= 0, 4, 8, 16 and Re = 300,000

Benchmark data continued

Reference data for CL

Reference data for CD

ePIV
Measurements of

complete flow field

with a small Clark-Y
Re1000
Chord length 20
mm
AoA of 0 and 16
Plot the following
Contour of velocity

magnitude
Vector field

Streamlines

Two models: AoA 0 and 16

ePIV-Post Processing
Contour of
velocity
magnitude

Velocity
vectors

Streamlines

ePIV Post Processing

continued
Flow conditions
Re 1000
AoA = 16
PIV setting
Brightness = 35
Exposure = 100
Gain = 100
Frames = 9
Window size = 30
Shift size = 15
PIV pairs = 9

Wall

Flow

Airfoil

Wall

Wake

ePIV Analysis
Flow features
Optical hindrance
Fast moving flow
Low pressure
region
Stagnation points
Slow moving flow
High pressure
region

ePIV CFD Comparison

ePIV

CFD