TECHNICAL MEMORANDUUS t RATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR ABRONAUTIOS 4 SIMPLE APPROXIMATION METHOD FOR OBTAINING . THE SPARWISE LIFT DISTRIBUTION By 0. Schrenk Luftwissen, Vol. 7, No. 4, April 1640 = - COPY. NON 7O Be THEN FROM MTs RoR se uns PL Meo telendagmentical Auge tage For REFERENCE sBaadh,NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR ABRONAUTIOS THOHNICAL MEMORANDUM WO, 948 A SIMPLE APPROXIMATION METHOD FOR OBTAINING TEE SPANVISE LIFT DISTRIZUTION* By 0. Schrenk PRELIMINARY REMARES In this paper o simple approximation method 1s pre~ sented for rapidly computing the lift distributions of arbitrary airfoils, The numerical results are compared with those obtained by an exact method and for many pur poses show a satisfactory degree of accuracy, Tho latter, for all practically occurring cases, can be ostimatod at the start of the computation work with tho aid of the com parison examples siven, The method described below enables the approxinate determination of the lift distributions in a few minutes with an accuracy sufficient for many purposes. It is also characterized vy a certain simplicity which 1s useful in tho clarification of many questions and is in accord with the engineer's point of view. Finally, ‘the method is ap= plicable to cases for which all other methods are entirely unsuitadlo (for example, wings with end plates). Similar methods, as the author subsequently found have already appeared elsewhere. The surprising accuracy of such simple methods is, however, generally unrecognized, So that a presentation of comparison computations which provide meneure of tho degree of accuracy obtainable, should lead to an extended application of the method. Tho author wishes to exprees hie appreciation to his co-worker at Gottingen, Mr, N, Hiorth, for carrying out the laborious computations recuired for the comparison. “"Ein einfaches Naherunggverfahren sur ‘Ermittlung von Auf triebsvertetlungen lange der Tragflugelspannreite." Luftwissen, Ba. 7, Hr. 4, April 1940, pp. 118-120.2 WACA Technical Menorandun No. 948 FUNDAMENTAL IDEA OF TEE METHOD The plausible assumption is made that the real lift @istribution lies between an ideal distribution indevend- ent of the wing shape and « distribution determined in a simple manner by the wing shape. Tho ideal distribution is that with minimum induced drag and constant induced downwash velocity ~ that is, for the usual monoplane, the elliptic distribution; while the distribution dependent on the the shape 1s proportional to at at each position of the wing. COMPUTATION PROCEDURE In the case of the untwisted wing the angle of attack is not absolutely necessary. There is’ drawn instead (for the monoplane) the semiellipse of equal area with the chord=distribution curve, and the lift distrioution is ob- tained by forming the arithmetical mean between the two curves. In the case of twisted wings (and similarly for wings with aileron or flap oe es there is first detormined the sero lift direction of the entire wing. A sufficient approximation for this is the direction of tho mean acro~ dynamic twist . 2 Where the bars denote mean valuos, 8(x) and 8 aro the twist anglos botween the reference direction of the entire airplano and the local and mean zero lift direc- tions, rospectively, For all furthor computations, the angles of attack aad _twist are rockoned from the zero lift direction given by 5, With angles reckoned’as indicated above, the lift is decomposed inte 2 component without trist and a twist com~ ponent yithout lift, The second component is determined on the basis of a mean value which has the zero line in= stead of the'ellipse ag the ideal distribution, and for which the twist engle must always be considered. The general case with twist is most conveniently comNAGA Technical Kemorandun No, 948 3 puted with the aid of the following formula,.which requires no explanation: dhl do, 4 pep eae ee sat /> (F) 1 ao, +3 a gee Me) eG) Sea ona S28 can gonereliy aa ne de taken as constant along the span. 4 somewhat more accu rate formule is given below. In the above relation ao, do, Q : Sea Sa : - Tho trial computation of yo end g;% ‘may be some what refined by the introduction of a correction factor (1+) setting: ie The constant & for various taper ratios was determined vy trial in such a way that the, lift determined with our approxindtion method is given as correctly as possible (fig, 1). In the case of the rectangular wing the value thus determined agroes with the theoretically determined value of Glauert. For other teper ratios the agreoment has not béen checkod and in this connection is not required. A further refinement in the value of , noevertheloss, Seoms unnecessary. The computation procedure thus consists of tho follow- ing stepst a) Computation of 8 by forming the mean. b) Trial computation of dc,/da and dea/dans ¢) Gomputation of the lift distribution vy the formula for dA/dx.4 WACA Technical Menorandum No, 948 AGOURACY OF THE METHOD The comparisons given in figures 2 to 13, between the accurate values computed by the method of Multhopp and the results of the approximation method, show in general a snt~ isfactory, and to some extent oven surprising, agreement. The error arising through the assumption of a constant value of deg/da along the span in unfavorable cases, can be eliminated ty computing a mean value dog (x) ae bE te) oS day, ¥ and then computing the lift by the only slightly altered formula, [ acg(e) t(z) + 224g Skga axe aa da 7 8a) 55) ¢(2) 7 . Bt “Ge, 5 The sharp difference between lift without twist and twist without lift, to be sure, no longer arises. This correc~ tion has not boon applied in the example here given. Further refinement through additional computations, et the exponse of briefnoss and simplicity, does not ap= pear to be of advantage, The deviations, moreover, occur at such pocitions whero the exact theoretical solution doos not agreo with actuslity.- for example, for unrounded wing tips and at transition positions of ailerons and flaps. The deviations at the transition positions of ailer- ons and flaps can be readily balanced by hand with the aid of examples given in the figures. POSSIBILITIES OF APPLICATION The method, as may te seon, is euitable for all probeNAGA Technical Memorandum No. 948 5 lems where too great accuracy is not required; that is, in Genoral, for investigations with regard to the maximum 1ift coefficient og. ., stelling, end static equilibrium ax Problems, By the decomposition into an ideal, plan form and twist distribution, simple and time-saving relations nay be set up for frequently ropented computations of bond~ ing moments, trenaverse forces, and torsional momonts along the spam. For the computation of the induced drag and for the downwash computation, the method is not directly appli~ cables The method is suiteble for the determination of lift distributions aleo in cases for which the usual mothods fail completely. Thus, it is applicable to monoplane wings with end plates. Ideal distributions that take the place of the ellipse can be computed on the basis of an investigation of the Aerodynamic: Experimental Institute (reference 1) - the distributions there given being for smallest induced drag and constant downwash. The relation for tho 1ift distribution now becomes: sl = Sf tz) a(x) Pla 2 1 do, 30 gee 8(x) &(x) where f(x) 4s the function denoted by Mangler as the "4deal function" for the given case with end plates. The method should likewise find application to bi- plones and other arrangements. SUMMARY The approximation method described makes possible 1ift-distribution computations in a few minutes, Compar~ ison with an exact method shows satisfactory agreemont. The method is of groator applicability than tho exact6 NAQA Technical Memorandum No. 948 2 method and includes also the important case of the wing with ond plates. ¢ Translation by S. Roiss, National Advisory Committoo for Acronautics. REFERENOZ Manglor, W,: Tho Lift Distribution of Wings with End Plates. T.M. No, 856, NACA 1938,NAGA Technical Memorandum Wo, 948 Figs.1,2,3,4,5,6 x 0.2 ” Figure 1.- The values of K . that occur in ’ the formilas for 4A/dx, For I non-trapezoid shaped wings a) ta ty the nearest value of the taper ratio is used for the ° 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 determination of K. Approximation — Exact by ihilthipp's method 0.2 O12 Trapezoidal taiti=0.75 og Trapezoidal 0.25 ten 3) 0.2 0.8 1.0 Oo e2 06 1.0 Figures 2 to 5,~ Comerison curves with b@/Fe6.67 for various taper ratios, The comparison fop ta. ti=0.5 is given on Mg, 6. No jwist. | —— Approximation E, 20.1 a Exact ty —-~ 4-015} imitnopp's . o method —— Roe - we ere i at) Figure 6.- Gompargeon curves for tat#=0,5 for vartous values of #/b", No twist.NACA Technical Memorandum No. 948 Gab a(x) (x) 0.16 0,08 e (x) o al: ——> Ca(x)**(x) Figs.7,8,9,10 Figure 7.- Comparison curves for a wing without twiat with cut-out in center, 411 three curves enclose equal crea, Key for Pig. 7. ~—-—+ Chord distribution Approximation — Tnact by Multhopp's method, Figure 8,- Comparison curves for e rectangular wing with seniciroular rounding, without twist. The deviesion of the approximation method at the wing tip for the non-rounded rectangular wing here almost completely disappears, Key for Pigs. 8,9,10. Approximation. —--~ Exact by Multhopp's method 10,016 Figure 9,- Comparison curves for g wing with taiti=0.5 and v°/#=6,67 for various values of ca with @ Linear twist which iz 0° at the center and 3° domvards at the wing tip. Figure 10,- Larger scale representation of the curves for ca=0 from Fig. 9.NACA Technical Memorandum No, 948 . Fge.11,12,13 Rj 0-024 Bax Figure 11.- Results for ca=0 as in Fig. 10 with a twist which similarly enounts to 3° at the wing tip but increases perabelically, — Key for Figs, 11,12,13- Approximation —---~ Exact by Multhopp's method : “ —— of Figure 12,- Comparison curves for a rectangular wing with b@/F=6 for an aileron deflection 8=0.25-14° with and without lift, The corners of the approximation curve can practically be woll rounded off by hand following the example given ani thus considerably better agreenent is obtained, The rolling moments of the non-rounded off approximation curve very well agree with the exactly computed values. Be Boas a Figure 13.- Comparison . carves for a tapered wing with tetti= 0,5 and b°/#26,67 with 60° deflected split flap along center half of span,