NACA Airfoils

6-Feb-08

AE 315 Lesson 10: Airfoil nomenclature and properties

Definitions: Airfoil Geometry

z Mean camber line

x Chord line Chord x=0 Leading edge x=c Trailing edge

NACA Nomenclature
Digit: Maximum camber is 2% of 2D airfoil chord length, c (or 3D wing mean chord length, c). 2nd Digit: Location of maximum camber is at 4/10ths (or 40%) of the chord line, from the LE. 3rd & 4th Digits: Maximum thickness is 21% of c (or c).
0.40 m 0.21 m
0.02 m

1st

NACA 2421

c=1m

Lift-Curve Slope Terminology

cl c l
3

2 1

Sample NACA Data

[1] l=0 Angle of attack () where the lift coefficient (cl) = 0, no lift is produced; l=0 = 0 for a symmetric airfoil; l=0 < 0 for a positively cambered airfoil. [2] cl Lift-curve slope (dcl/d); rise of cl over run of for a linear portion of the plot; 0.11/deg for a 2D (thin) airfoil (sometimes called a0) [3] clmax Maximum cl the airfoil can produce prior to stall [4] stall Stall angle of attack; at clmax; maximum prior to stall

DATA SHOWN ON NACA CHARTS (2421)

Airfoil Shape

Data point symbols for various Reynolds numbers (R)

Location of aerodynamic center (a.c.)

Fill in the blanks: think pair - share

1st Digit: Maximum camber is _% of 2D airfoil chord length, c 2nd Digit: Location of maximum camber is at __ /10ths of the chord line, from the LE.
NACA 6716 3rd & 4th Digits: Maximum thickness is _% of c).
0.14 0.09

NACA 6716
y/c
0.04 -0.01 -0.06 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1

x/c

Definitions: Symmetrical Airfoil

If an airfoil is symmetrical, then the chord line is the line of symmetry. The part of the airfoil above the chord line will be the mirror image of the part below it.

Fill in the blank: If max thickness is 15% of chord What is NACA 4-digit description?

Wing Geometry

an Sp

) (b

Chord (c)

Planform Area (S) S=b*c

Angle of Attack, Airfoil Forces and Moments

Lift Moment + Aerodynamic Force

V
Relative wind

Drag

Angle of attack () : angle between relative wind and chord line Note: 1) lift is perpendicular to freestream velocity 2) drag is parallel to freestream velocity 3) moment is positive nose-up

Pressure & Shear Distribution Change with a Change in Angle of Attack

Aerodynamic Force Vector Sum of Pressure and Shear forces Lift (perpendicular to flow) results mostly from pressure forces Drag (parallel to flow) contains shear Lift and pressure forces

Total Aerodynamic Force (Sum of Pressure and Shear)

Pressure

Vfree stream
Drag

Shear Figure 3.10 , Page 75

Center of Pressure
Lift Moment = 0 + Aerodynamic Force

Drag

Center of Pressure: the point on the airfoil where the total moment due to aerodynamic forces is zero (for a given and V )

Increasing angle of attack causes the center of pressure to move forward while decreasing angle of attack moves the center of pressure backwards.

Aerodynamic Center
y x Mac +

Aerodynamic Center : The point on the airfoil where the moment is independent of angle of attack. Fixed for subsonic flight c/4 supersonic flight c/2. The moment has a negative value for positively cambered airfoils zero for symmetric airfoils.

Force and Moment Coefficients

l q S d cd q S cl cm m q Sc

Lift: Drag: Moment:

Note: nondimensional coefficients!

Coefficients for NACA airfoils are found from charts in Appendix B. Why are these coefficients a function of angle of attack and Reynolds number?

DATA SHOWN ON NACA CHARTS (2421)

Airfoil Shape

Data point symbols for various Reynolds numbers (R)

Location of aerodynamic center (a.c.)

DATA SHOWN ON NACA CHARTS (2421)

Lift Curve : cl plotted against

DATA SHOWN ON NACA CHARTS (2421)

Drag Polar: cd plotted against cl

DATA SHOWN ON NACA CHARTS (2421)

Pitching moment coefficient at the quarter-chord point (cmc/4) plotted against

DATA SHOWN ON NACA CHARTS (2421)

Pitching moment coefficient at the aerodynamic center (cmac) plotted against cl

Daily quiz Given: NACA 2421 Airfoil Reynolds Number = 5.9x106 Angle of Attack = 12

Find:

cl = cl = ( cl / ) = cd = cm c/4 = cm a.c.= clmax = stall = l=0 =

Example Problem (NACA 2421)

cl 1.3

cl = 0.6/6 = 0.1/ Cm c/4 -0.025

Reynolds Number

Example Problem (NACA 2421)

cd 0.018
cl 1.3

Cm a.c. -0.04

Reynolds Number

Example Problem (NACA 2421)

clmax 1.4

l=0 -2

stall 15

Reynolds Number

Example Problem
We just found: cl = 1.3 ; cd = 0.018 ; cmac = -0.04 To calculate the lift, drag and pitching moment on the airfoil we need to know the dynamic pressure, the chord, and the planform area. Given that we are at sea level on a standard day with V = 100 ft/sec, q = V2 = (0.002377 slug/ft3) (100 ft/sec)2 = 11.885 lb/ft2 If c = 4 ft and S = 200 ft2,

l = cl q S = (1.3) (11.885 lb/ft2) (200 ft2) = 3090 lb d = cd q S = (0.018) (11.885 lb/ft2) (200 ft2) = 42.8 lb mac = cmac q S c = (-0.04) (11.885 lb/ft2) (200 ft2) (4 ft) = - 380 ft-lb

Changes to Lift Curves

1. Camber
cl

cl

Positive camber Zero Camber (symmetric)

Negative camber

2. 2D vs 3D cl CL wings

cl CL

Airfoil (2-D) Wing (3-D)

= 1+ =C

c l 57 . 3 c

eAR

L=0

)
24

6-Feb-08

AE 315 Lesson 10: Airfoil nomenclature and properties

Changes to Lift Curves

3. Flaps cl
Without flaps With flaps

4. Boundary Layer Control (BLC) or increasing Reynolds Number cl

Without BLC With BLC

6-Feb-08 AE 315 Lesson 10: Airfoil nomenclature and properties 25

3-D Effects on Lift

c l and CL
Airfoil

cl CL
Wing

Notice the slope is decreased for the wing and the zero lift angle of attack is unchanged.
6-Feb-08 AE 315 Lesson 10: Airfoil nomenclature and properties 26