NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

FOR AERONAUTICS

REPORT 1273

A STUDY OF THE ZERO-LIFT DRAG-RISE

CHARACTERISTICS OF WING-BODY
COMBINATIONS NEAR THE SPEED
OF SOUND

By RICHARD T. WHITCOMB

1956

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 REPORT 1273

A STUDY OF THE ZERO-LIFT DRAG-RISE

CHARACTERISTICS OF WING-BODY
COMBINATIONS NEAR THE SPEED
OF SOUND
By RICHARD T. WHITCOMB

Langley Aeronautical Laboratory

Langley Field, Va.
 National Advisory Comlnittee for Aeronautics
HeaclquaTteTs, 1512 H StTeet N TTT., Washington 25, D. C.
Created by act of Congress approved 1\1arch 3, 1915, for t h e upervi sion and direction of the scientific study
of the probl ems of fligh t (U. S . Code, ti tle 50, sec. 15 1). I ts m embership was increased from 12 to 15 by act
approved March 2 , 1929 , a n d to 17 by aet approved M ay 25,194 The m emb er are a ppointed by the P re ident,
and serve a s ueh \\'i thou t comp ensation.

J EROME C . H u SAXE H, C. D., ]\I[a sach useLLs I nsLit uLe of T ec hno loo-y , Chair III an

LEO ' ARD CA RMICHAEL, PIf. D. , Secreta ry, SmiLhson ian I nstiLuL ion , Vice Chairman

J Of:>E PH P . AD AMS, LL.B. , Vice C ha ir man , iv il Aeronautics
Boa rd.
ALLEN V. ASTIN, PH. D., Director, National BllI'eau of tandards.
PR ESTON R. BASSET'!', M. A. , Vice Pre ident, SpCl'l'Y Rand Corp.
D ETLEV \ V. BRONK, PH. D ., President, Rockefeller I nstit ute for
M edical R esearch.
THO~IAS S . CmIBs, Vice Admiml, U nited tat s K a v)', D ep uty
C hi ef of N aval Operat ion (Air) .
FREDEHICK C. CRAWFORD, Sc. D., Chairman of the Board ,
Thomp on Product, I nc.
J AMES H. DOOLIT'l'LE, Sc. D., Vice President, Shell Oil Co.
CLIFFO RD C. F URNAS, PH. D ., Assistant ecretary of D efen e
(Research and D evelopment ) D epartment of D efense.
C ,\HL J. Pr"INGS'l'AG, R ear Adm iral, Un ited States Navy, Assistan t
Ch ief for Field Act ivi t ies, Bureau of Aeron a ut ic".
D ONALD L. P UTT, Li eutenant General, United States Air Force,
D epu ty Chief of Staff (D eve]opmen t) .
ARTliu R E. R AYMOND, Sc. D ., Vice Pre ident-En gineering,
D ouglas Ai rcraft Co., In c.
FHAN CIS ' V. R EI HELDEHFER, Sc. D ., Chief, Un ited States
'Veather BW'eau.
EDW ARD V. R rCKENBACKER, Sc. D. , C ha irman of th e Board ,
Eastern Air Li nes, Inc.
L OUIS S. ROTHSCHILD, PH. B. , Un der ecr etary of Co mm erce
for Tran portation,
r A1'HAN F. TWINI NG, General, United States Air Force, Chief
of Staff.

H UG H L. DRY DEN, PH. D ., Director JOH N F . VrC'l'ORY, 1,1,. D., Executive Secretary

JOHN W. CROWLEY, JR., B . S., Associate Director /01' Research EDWA RD H . CHA MB ERLIN, Executive a .[JiceT

H EN RY J. E. R EID, D. Eng., Director, Langley Aeronau tical Laborator y, Langley FicIci, Va.

SJI1I'l'H J. D EFRA NCE, D. Eng., Director , Ames Acronautical Laboratory, Moffett Fie ld, Calif.

EDWAlm R. S HARP, Sc. D. , Directo r, Lew is Flight Propu ls ion Laboratory, Cleveland, Ohio

W AL'l'ER . WI LLIAM , B. S., Ch ief, High-Speed Flight Station, Edwards, Calif .

11 (Rev. 6-14-50)
 REPORT 1273
A STUDY OF THE ZERO-LIFT DRAG-RISE CHARACTERISTICS OF WING-BODY COMBINATIONS
NEAR THE SPEED OF SOUND
By RI C IIAHD
SUMMARY
Oom]Jari on8 have been mad of the shock phenomena and
dmg-rise increments for repre entative wing and central-body
combinations with those for bodie of revolution having the same
axial developments oj cross- 'ectionaL area normal to the air-
tream. On the basis of the e compari on , it is concluded that
neal' the peed of 'ound the zero-lift dmg ri e of a low-aS1Ject-
mtio thin-wing and body com bination i primarily d p ndent
on the axial development oj the ero s-s ctional areas normal to
the airstream. It follows that the drag rise for any such con-
figuration i' approximately the same (~ that f or any other with
the same d velopment of cross-sectionaL area .
I nvestigations have also been made of repre entative wing-
body combinations with the body so indented that the axial
developments oj cross-sectional areas j or the combinations were
the 'ame a. that jor the original body alone. uch indentations
greaity reduced or eliminated the zero -t~ft drag-1'i e incremen t
associated with the win{Js neal' the speed oj soun d.
I TRODUCTION
1n Lhe in LCl'pl'etal ion of Lhe ze l"o-lifl drag-rise cilarac-
leri Lic of config uralion neal' lhe pe ed of ound, the
transonic similal'iL~- mles and lin ear theOl'~- have b een
applied in limiLed analyse. Howeve l", no general mean i
available for directly explaining quantitaLi\'cl.\' th e varia-
Lion s of lhe Lransonic drag 1'i e a socialecl with lhe numerou
challge in 'w ing plan form and e('lion con idered by airplane
de igne]' even for the implified ca cot a wing alone. ~I ore
imporLanL, even a qualiLali e under Landing of the large and
h ighly var iable zcro-lift drag inLerfer ence n ear Lhe spec 1 f
sound associated with practical combin aL ion of wings and
bodi es has been lacking. A logi cal mean s for interpr t in O'
lhe clrag-ri e valu es for bodies wilh thin low-asp ec l-ratio
wi ng is d isc u sed h erein.
The 1'e uILs pre enLed in referen ce 1 indicate thal , for a
repre entat ive swept-wing and cenLral-bo ly combination ,
the zero-lieL drag ri e is due primarily to bock 10 e. A
sLud.\' of lhe e r uIL al 0 indicale that the shock forma-
lion s about Uti relalivcIy complex confi glll'al ion at zerO lifl
Ileal' tlte s peed of so und arc simil ar to Lhose lhat would be
-Supersedes recen tl y dedasslfled N AC'A Research " reruoranuuru L52 LJ OS by Rlchal'u 'I'. Whitcomb, 1952.
1
T. WHIT CO MB
expecLed for a bod.,' of revolu t ion wi Lil Lhe ame ax ial develop-
men t of eross-secl ion al area normal to tlte airsLr eam.
Further, th e drag-r i c characteristic for this wing-bocl~'
combination at zer o lif t arc about lhe ame as lho e for a
bod~- of r evolu tion (r ef. 2) with approximatrl.,' lite ame axial
d evelopment of cross- ectio nal areas. On lhe basi of lhe e
fact and a preliminary co n ideration of lhe ge neral physica l
nalure of the flow about configurations, it h a been r easoned
that neal' the speed of ound the zero-lif t draO' rise of a winO'-
body con figuraLion ge nerall.\- should be primarily d ep end nt
on t he axial development of the C1'OSS- ectional area normal
to tlte a irstream.
In order to ascertain th e oun dn e s of this co nce pt, m eas-
urement h ave b ee n made of Lhe flow fi eld and drag-ri e
chal'aet ri stic for foul' re presen tative wing-ce nLral-bod ,-
combination ancI for boclies of revolution wilh the a me axi~l
dev elopmenls of erO - edional area normal lo Lhe a ir-
s Lrea m. Th e r es ult , ob tai ned at 1fac h numbe r from O. 5
lo 1.10 in th e L a ngle.,- -foo t transonic t unn el, a rc co mpare 1
a nd analyzed herein. In order to illustraLe possibilili e for
imp roving airplane perf rmance at Lransonie speeds, zero-
lif t drag coefficient s [01' lhree pecial wing-bocl.,- co mbinaLions
a rc al 0 pre ent ecl.
EXPE RIM E RE
CON FIG RAT IO S
Basic bodies .- Th e major part of the r esull eli c u eel
h erein wer e oblaincd for three wing in conjuncLion "Tilh the
bod)T of revolulion hown in fiO'ur e 1 (a), 1 (b), and 1 Cc) .
Th e body is norm a lly c.dindl'ieal in the region of Lhe win g
and has a for ebod.r of th e a me hape as that of lhe body de-
cr ibed in r efer ence 1. Til e radii of the c~'lindri cal body a rc
given in table 1. Th e wept wing wa a lso inve ligaLed in
conjunction wilh th e bo<I.,- havi ng a cUl'\Ted afLe rbody as
shown in fio-ure 1 ( 1). Tili combination is lh e ame model
used in Ludic in refe rence 1. R adii of th e cu n -cd body ar c
al 0 given in table 1. Th e maximum diameter of thi ('u ITed
body i ome \\'h aL Ie Lhan lhat of the cylindrical bod.\'.
Wings.- Th e win g for which the most ex en iYe re ults
were obtained hll 0° \\'('('p of th e qUllrlrr-chonl [ill e, an
2 REPORT 12 73- NATIONAL ADVI SORY COMMITTEE FOR AERO AUTICS

23.50 22 .50

43.00 12.0 0 12.00

- J

1200

I
---- 3.75 diom.

(0) (b)

12.63

21 .13 32.60 I
-'-

3.33

(e)
(a) L: nsw<,pt wi nl!;, cy li nd ri cal b od., '. ( IJ ) /) (> Ita \\'illl!;, (·.,·Ii m l ric al iJod y.
(l') Swept WillI!;, C'.v li ndri ral bod.v. (d ) S"'t'pt \\ illl!;, l'll n ' ('d bod., .

F I CU R~: l.- \ \"in g-bocly cOll1b in aL i o n ~ IIS(,(\ ill ill,·(>stigatioll. (All dimension s are in in chr s.)
I
I

A TUDY OF 'l'HE ZERO-LIFT DRAG RI SE OF WING-B ODY OMBI A'I' IOI S EAR THE PEED OF SOU D 3
a peeL r atio of 4.0, a nd a tap er r aLio of O. Th e t l'eam wi e TABLE IT. -OR DI NATES OF COMPARABLE BODIES OF
REVOLU TION
eelion of th e wing ar e ymmetrieal, arc 4 p er cent thick, [All dimensions arc in inches]
and on i l of circular arcs wi th th e maximum thicknc at
th e 40-perc enL-chmd stations. Tll i configu ration (fig. 1 (a)) Co rn parable LO Com parable to
lLllswepL wing on delta wing on
is refelTed to as the " unswept" wing. R es ul ts wer e also ob- cy lin drical body cylindrical body
tained \viLh Lhi wing r evel' ed so Lhat the 75-percent-chord
Station R adi us tation Radius
Jin e i un wepL, a hown in figur e 1 (b ). Th leading-edO'e
weep of L11i win g i 37°. Thi configur ation ha alm ost a 2'.1.500 1. i5 22.500 l. S75
23.500 I. 75 24.000 1. 75
delta plan form and, th refor e, i referr ed Lo as th e " del ta" 24.500 1. 92 24.500 1. 2
25.000 1. 939 25.000 1. 94
wing. Finally, inve tigations we rc made with a wing which 25.500 2.012 25.500 I. 911
26.000 2.0 7 26.000 1. 934
has 45 ° weep of th e q uar ter-cho rd lin e, an a p c L ratio of 26.500 2.155 26.500 1.968
27.000 2. 182 27.000 I. 992
4.0, a Lapel' raLio of 0.6, and a n N AC \. 65A006 a irfoil ec- 27.500 2. 1 5 27.500 2. 019
28.000 2.174 28.000 2.054
Lion p arallel to the ail' t ream . Th i configu ration (figs. 1 (r) 28.500 2. 145 28.500 2.066
29.000 2. I 13 29.000 2. 11 3
andl (d)) is referred to a the "s wept" win g. 29.500 2.0 (i 29.500 2. 145
30. 000 2.054 30.000 2.174
Special bodies.- Bodie of revolution wi t h t he a me axial 30. 500 2.019 30.500 2. I 5
31. 000 I. 992 31.000 2. I 2
d evelopmen t of c1'oss- ectional a rea as th wing-boely com- 31. 500 1.9 31. 500 2.155
32.000 1.934 32.000 2.0 7
bination wer e obtained by alterill g Lhe ori gin al bodic . Th e 32.500 1.9ll 32.500 2.012
33.001) I. 89'1 33.000 l. 939
rad ii of Lhese rev i eel bod ies of r evolu Lio n a rc give n in table 33.500 1.882 33.500 I. 9~
34.000 I. 7r> 34.500 I. 75
II. p erial indented bodie o f r evolu tion wer e in ve. tigaLcd 43.000 I. 875 43.000 1. 875
in co njun ction with the t hre wi ng a nd til e bod ie \\"ere
al 0 obtained b )' al tc ri ng t he o ri gin al cylin d ri cal boely. Th e
rad ii of t hese bodies in Lll e regio n of t he will g ar e pre enLed
Comparable to swept Comparable to swellt
in tabk I II. win g on cylindricnl wing on cur\'C'd
hod), body

tatiOIl Had i us tut.ion Radius

Schlieren urveys wer e 0 btai neel wi t il a Lem por ar y chli e1'e ll
.y tern . In orde l' to ob tain ide-view ehlier en urveys of 22.500 I. 75 14.000 1.5i3
2.3. 12., I. 87!i 14.300 1.580
t il e fidds at eli lan ces from the model ce nter lin e wit h t he 24.12.; 1. 907 14.625 1. 595
25.125 I. 957 15.625 I. 670
hori zo ntal sym mrL rira ll)T or ir ntrc/ ehli rren )TsLem, th e 26. 12.'> 2. 024 16.625 I. 747
27.125 2.080 17.625 I. 36
va riou moelrls wer e eli placed downwar d from the cenl er 28.12.; 2. 117 1 .625 1.903
29.125 2.14.1 19.625 1. 943
li ne of th e tunnel , as hown in figu re 2 (a ). In ever y cu e 30.125 2. 135 20.625 1.966
31. 12.; 2.107 21. 625 1. 949
Lhe displaceme nt s fo r th e compa,rable bodies of r evolution 32.125 2.0' 22.625 1. 901
33. 125 2. Oil 23.625 1. 857
wer e th e arne as fo r the wing-body combination. P lan-vimv 34. 125 2. 045 24.625 I. 22
35. 12.5 2.001 25.625 I. 756
sc hlieren Lll'v eys for Lhe un wepL-wing-b ely co nfigw'ation 36.125 1. 946 26.625 1.664
37. 125 1. 99 27.625 1. 545
were obtained by rotatin g the model 90° and eli pla cing iL 3 . 125 1. 876 28.625 I. 413
:18. 37.1 I. 87.\ 29.62.'; I. 292
ra r tlle[' from t he center li ne of the Lunnel. , !\Tall M a h num - 43.000 1. 75 29. 7!i 1.260
:10.000 1. 251
ber eli LribuLions were obtained from p re Ul"e. m ea w'ed at :32.000 I. 010
32.60., O. 9~0
t he rOw of orifice placed along tho ceGLer lin e of panels of
Lhe Le L sec tion adjacent to tho Lop and bottom pan el a
hown in figLU' e 2 (a). The r e]fl,tive radial locatio ns of the
wall 1!{ach number m ea urem enL tation " ith J'e pect to
TABLE IlI. - OR DI ~ A TE· OF l ~D I:';::\TE D BOD lI ~S
TABLE I.- ORDI ~ ATES OF BASIC BODY [A ll dimenSions nrc in inches]
[AI! dimensions a re in inches]

n Tith unswept 1\"lth delta wing " -ith s\"'-ept wLng

Cylindrical body Cu n 'cd hod)' wing

taLion Ha<li us ~lalion Ra<li us Station Radius talion Radius Station R adins
- --- --- - --I ---" - - - ------
0 0 0 0 2'Z. 500 1. 75 22.500 1. i5 2'.1.500
.2'.15 . 104 .200 .092 24.000 1. 75 24.000 1. 875 23.125
.3:1 . 134 .300 . Jl9 24.500 I. 57 24.500 l. 68 24.125
.563 . 193 . 500 . 171 25.000 1. 07 25.000 I. 56 25.125
I. 12.; .325 1.000 . 289 25.500 1. 720 25.500 1. 7 26.125
2.250 .542 2.000 .4 2 26.000 1. 2'.1 26.000 1. 12 27.125
3.375 .726 3. 000 .645 26.500 1. 521 26.500 1. 773 .1 25
4.500 7 4.000 .7 27.000 1. 476 27.000 1. 743 29.125
6. 750 1.167 6. 000 I. 037 27.500 I. 470 27.500 1. 710 30. 125
9.000 1. 391 .000 1. 236 .000 1. 4 7 .000 1.664 31.125
11. 250 1. 559 10.000 1.386 .500 1. 533 . 500 I. 642 32.125
13.500 1.683 12.000 I. 496 29.000 1.580 29.000 1.580 33.125
15.750 1. 770 14.000 I. 573 29.500 1. 6~2 29.500 1.533 34.125
1 .000 1.828 16.000 1. 625 30.000 1. 664 30.000 1. 7 35.125
20.250 I. f>4 1.000 I. 657 30.500 I. 710 30.500 1. 470 36.125
2'.1.500 1. 75 20.000 I. 667 31.000 1. 743 31.000 I. 476 37.125
43.000 I. 75 22.000 I. 652 31. 500 I. 773 31.500 1. 521 3 .125
24.000 1. 610 32.000 I. 12 32.000 1. 62'2 3 .375
26.000 1. 537 32.500 I. . 7 :l2.500 1. 720 43.000
2 ' . 000 1.425 33.000 I. 6 33.000 I. 807
30.000 I. 251 33. DOO I. 6 33. DOO I. S5i
32.000 1.010 :14.000 1. 75 :14.ooo 1. 75
32.605 11.940 43.000 I. 75 '1:1.000 I . 75
-I. REPORT 12 7 3- NATlONA L ADVI SOR Y COMMITTEE I<'O H AERO I AUTI CS
thc model arc a l 0 ind icatcci in lhi nO" ur e, Fo r llJc siclc-yL cl\·
sc hli('rcn urH.\- , thc eli tancc from the model cc n tc r lin c
to t1wsC' s tations WCI' C 35.5 a nd 52. in ch cs; fol' the pla n-v ic w
lIJ'H,\-S, thcy \\-Cl' e 31. 2 a nd 5 ,0 inche, Drag m ea LIl'C-
mcnls \\·(' I'C obtainc(l b~- intel'lla l l rain-gage balanccs. Base
prcss urcs \\-erc also 111 ca u reel.
PRESEN TATION OF R ES LTS
Detailed flow surveys,- Comp o it es o f thc sehl icl'{'11
photographs and the di s ll'ibulions of wall 'M ach number M w
1'0], thc Ull wcpt-\\-ill g and cyl illd l'i cal-body comb inat io·fl,
thc comparable body of ]'cYolution, and the cylin(hi cal body
alonc an' prcscnlee! in figlll'c 2 1'0], eY('l'al lrcam M ac h
Ilumbcrs J I oo . The chliel'en phOlogr aphs prL' ent ed a bovc
thc diagrams of th c thr('e config ura ti on h o w lhc s id e yicws;
those b ('\0 \\. the ,,·in g-body co-n fi g ul'alion ho,,- lhe plan
YIC\\·S . The plaJl-yicl\' chli crcn Ul'YCYS for t he wi Ilg-body
('o llfi gurntioJls W('l 'l' no duplicalNi fol' the hodics o f 1'cvol ll -
tio ll. The J'clatiH OJ'ic·lll a li o ll allcl izes o f lh e pho logra phs
\\·ith r('s ped lo the configur at ion ou tlin es al' (, thc same as
tho (' of th(' chlil' r('·Jl ficld s with H' pcel to t h e test 1110d('.1.
(Sec s kPlches in fig. 2 (a ) .)
Thc ,,·all :\1a c h llumbcl' di s lr ibu t ion sh o wn abon> til('
compos it cs for the t hr('c configurat ion s wc]'c obtfLiJlcei e1uring
s icl c-\·icl\- sc hlicrcn un·cy; tho c below lhe compo it c [0),
thc wing-body comb iJlaliQil arc [rom plan-yic \\- SUJTeys .
(cc kclchc ill fiO". 2 (a ) .) T h e t ,,-o Mach numbcl' eli -
tribution s prc c·l ltcd on a giycn scL o f ord inatc (fig . 2) a r c
for lh(, l ,,·0 measul'cm('nt s tation s that ar c h own by lh('
circl e alld qual'C symbol l abeled in the top s \;: ct eh o f figure
2 (a ) . Thc :\[ach number dis ll'ibutioJl ar c p laced on lhe
composilt,s so that lhc Cli tances from Lh e ccnt('1' line of the
modclto thc JIoo point on thc M ach number calc arc equal
relfLtin' ly to lhe cii s taJl ces from lhe model Lo th e 10wcr-woJI
:-fach Iluml)(' )' meaSUl'em ent tation , as incii ca t ed by th c
('in'le- symbol in thc s ke tch in figure 2 (a ) , The h orizon ta l
scale of lhe \\·all ~b ('h number ciisll'ibu t ioJls i the sa mc a
that 1'0)' th(' modc'l oull ine.
TI1l' s tream :\lat'l, number ]'',1[ 00 at which t hc \-ario us
schlie1'('n photogr aph s and wall Mach numbcr (ii tl'ibu t io Jl
\\'(']'(' obtaincd Ya)'iccl by as much as ± 0.005 from Lh e me a n
Yalu(' for cach of lhc eomposite. H o\\'e \"e)', the maximum
diA'cl'cncc bet " ·CCll t he str eam Mach numbcl' fol' t hc d ircctly
eompcl ),O ble s icic-Yiew photogr aph s for lh c wing-body COlll-
billl1tion and for the comp arable body of l'cYolulion was
approximately 0.003.
Drag coefficients ,- The zcro-lift drag coemciellt CDO 1'0 )'
thc ,,·ing-hody combinalion , the comparable boclie of 1'eyo-
lution , nJld the basic bo lies alone, as presented in t he vari o us
fiO"u1'cS lIch as fig ul'c 3, a r c all ba eel on willg ar eas o[ 1
squarc fool. The c ('ocffi.cient have b een corfectecl to a
condition at \\-hi ch the ba e prcss ure is equal Lo t h e stream
sta lic pl'e ure. Thc drag-coc ffi cient incl'cmcnls f:::. DO' a
prcscnlt'd in figurc 3, h aw be en obtained by s ubtrac ting the
drag-coefficient valu es mcaslll'ecl aL a Mach number o f
approximatcly 0 , 5 from l hos(' m co urcd at thc high cl' l1ach
numbcl's. Thi s ubtradion ]lcarly eliminated t hc cA'cet o f
c1ifl'CI'cll('(' in thc skill fri ction of the compara bl e configul'-
at iolls on thc compari son o f the drag c harac t cri lie fo l'
t hcse ('on fi O" ul'a l iOlt .
The m ax imum elTOl' of the ab ol ul e drag coefficient pre-
scn ted i appr oxima Lely ± 0,0005, The cA'ecls of wall-
1'cflecte I di s turbanccs on Lh e drag 1'(' ulls h aY(' been essen-
lia lly el imin ated at all Mach numbers exccpt those ncar a
yalu e of about 1.05. This elimination ha been accompli h cl
by eli pl acing thc modcl from lhe tunnel ccntc1' lin e, by u in g
a eylin cl ri ca l aftcrbody 011 the lal'gC'l' hod y, ancl by cOJ')'cct ill g
[01' the base-prc s urc Ya'J'ifLt iolls, IO rc ult s " ·C'), C, ob LfLined
for Mach ltumber n eal' 1.05,
Schlieren photographs,- T he sc hli eJ'ell fields 1'0)' Lbe elella-
and wept-wi ng con figuJ'fLtion s (fig. 4, fo )' ('xampl c) w('re
o)'i e nlcd wiLh l'C pecL lo the cO llfi g ur al ion a inelica lcd by
l h e lowes l schlier en phoLograph s and conflguraLion outlin e
RESULTS AND DIS CUSS IO
I n the eli eu iOIl lhat follows, thc ha s ic com pari on s a lld
alla l~rscs a re macic 1'01' the lIn wept-\\·ill g- cylin d ri ea l-bocly
com bin a tion . Th e l'cs ul t fo l' thc ot h('r co mbi no.l io ns ineli-
('atc thc effcct o [ se \-c ral va ria lion s of thc wing a nd boel:\"
('onfigllJ'fl.tions OJl lh c ph cnomcna.
' S WEPT WIN G AN D C YLI N DIU CA L BODY
Shock phenomena,- Th c wall lV1 achnu m bcl' eli trib u tion
a ll d chli eren photoO'l'aph s prese n tcd in fjO"ur e 2 (a) to 2 (d )
indicate that t h e cxtcnsivc sho ck fOl'mation s produ eel by
th e un wept-,,-ing- cylinclrical-bocly combination at t h e
lcsL :\/1ach numbers ncar the peed of ound a rc almo t ex-
actl,v th e, ame as Lhose caused by the body of r evolution
,,-ith the ame axial d evelopment of crO s- ectional a rea ,
except in lhe locall'egion direc tl y down stream o[ the wino·,
In thi loca li ty, thc shock formation s, ,,·hile not a closel~­
s imilar as at grea ter eli tallce f rom Lhe configul'alions, arc aL
least app roxil11 alc1:\- comparable. (T he i ncompatibl e hock
(' ros in g th(' down Ll'cam , plan-vicw scll li er cn photograph
(fig. 2 (cl )), aL a l\Iach numbcr of l.03 is a \\-cak r c flcction o f
a di tU J' bance of the co nfiguration from lhe Lunnel wall .)
_\ t a :\1ach numbcr of l.lO (fig . 2 (e)), thc simiJaJ'iti s of Lhe
ch li crcll photographs fo r thc comparabl e config mo.tion a rc
kss dosc than at Mach llumb er s nco.1' 1.0 .
.\. sl udy of lhe p h.'- ical nalure of t h c flow ill([i eales t h at
lhe imil a ri ties of the cxLcll ive shock formaliO Il S produced
b,Y thc \\·in g-body combi nation and a boel.'" of l'evolution
lV ith Lhe sa m e axial development of cross-secLional a l'ea
ncar t/) e peed of sound can logico.ll y bc attributed primarily
lo lWo ba ic f actors: lhe negli giblc variation s of sLr eam- tube
a rca with changc in vclocity (rcf. 3) ancl the concent ration
o( lhc crt ccls of a eli tLll'bance in a plall nearly no rmal to t he
o.i r lrcam. (Thesc LIVO facLo r s a re ba ically l'elaL d. ) I t i
apparcnt that, b eca use of Lhe econd f actor, Lhe sLl'ea mwi c
lo calion of Lh e effect of the eli turbancc of t h e wing s hou ld
bc c se nlial l.'" Lhc ame a lhose for the correspo nd ing effecL
produccd by the body of l'e\"ollltion with the ame axia l
di stribution of eli tmbance . AI 0, bccau e of lhe econel
ffLCtO )' , t he analysis o f Lhe lateral si mila)'iti e of t h e fi eld of
t IH' com po.rabl (' COil figu ralions mo.." be g reatl y iJ1l plificd
b,\- CO il iderillg thc flo\\' changc, ill each nOl'll10 1 plnnc
illdcpcndently.
 A STUDY OF THE ZERO-LIFT DRAG RISE OF WING-BODY COMBINATIO S EAR THE SPEED OF SOU D 5
1.1

Mw 1.0~----------------------------------------------------------------------------

.9
Tunnel
wall / - p---.
'/ Model

Schlieren
field
1==- ~==t
--cr-- /

/
Relative locations of
Mw survey stations
Arrangement for side-view schlieren
surveys

Wlng- body comblnatron

Side view

--=~=======--------- - - - -------.-;--

/ -~

Wing-body combination / \
Plan view
t==--===t
\
~
~Model
/

1.1 Arrangement for plan-view schlieren

surveys

Mw 1.0~---------------------------------------------------------------------------

.9 (0) L -76100

FIG HE 2.--Compari son s of t he hock phenomena for thl' un \\'l'pt-\\'ing and cylindrical-hody combinat ion with those for the comparable
body of re\-olu tion and til(' cy lindrical hody alon .
6 R.EPORT 12 73- ' ATIO N AL AD I"1 OHY COMMI'I''I'EE FOR. AER.ONA TI C

I. lf
MW __ ~_~_~__ -",_~~
I.o fl~ ~-Q- - %: _:t} -0- -* * ~
.9

Comparable body of revolution

Side view

o
1.1

Mw 1.0~----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- --0- -

.9

Cylindrical body
Side view

(0)
__ _ _ _ ..J.LII_ _ o L-76101 .1
(a) .\1 .,= O.H5. ( ' UII l'IiI( h-d .
 A STUDY OF THE ZERO -LI FT DRAG RISE OF WI G- BODY COMBI ATIONS TEAR THE SPEED OF SOUr D 7
1.1

MwIOr----------------------------------------------------------------------------

.9

Wing-body ccrnblnatlon
Side vi ew

-------------====------- I- -----J--

Wing -body ccrnbinati on

Plan view

1.1

MwI.Or-------------------------------------~--~------------------------------------

.9 (b) L-76102
(b) IIIoo= 0. 98. See fi gure 2 (a ) for test-poin t arrangement.
FIG U R E 2.-Continuerl .

?PF245- 5(;---2
8 REPORT 1273- NATIONAL ADVI SORY COMMITTEE FOR AERONAUTICS

II

MwIO ~----------------------------------------------------------------------~
r-

.9

Comparable body of re volu tion

Side view

~---- - ------

1.1

MwLOr------------------------------------------~---

.9

..II!I••I!
. . u. . . ... ..
!~
I>

- -it ..
• .••
1 ••Inl
Iu
","1
!. . •. • • •
' '''lr
.:
..... • .. 11·
.r .;. .. ... Cyl indrical body
,
9~
.. : Side vie w

(bl
~---------------- - ---- _ _ _-"-11_- o L -76103

(b) 11!",= O.(J 8. Conclu ded.

FI GU R I;; 2.- Co ntin uC'd.

J
A STUDY OF THE ZERO-LIF'l' DRAG RISE OF WING-BODY COMBINATIONS EAR THE SPEED OF SOUND 9
1.1

.9

Wing-body comblnotion
Side view

--~=======--- --------

Wi ng - body combinotion
Pion view

1.1

.9 (c) L -76104
(c) J1{ ",= 1.00. cc fi gure 2 (a) fo r l t -point arran gement.

FI G HE 2.- Cont i nuC' d.

10 REPORT 1273- NATIONAL ADVISORY COMM ITTEE FOR AERONAUTICS

1.1

.9

Comporoble body of revolu tion

Side view

_-------'IL__ _ ----.:LO_

Cylindrical body
Side vie w

___ ,
II, -_ _ _ _ -::.L.O_
(c) L-76105

(c) 11{'" = 1.00. Concluded.

F I GU H E 2.- Co nlinu ccl.

--~-- --~ - ~~
A STUDY OF 'fHE ZERO- LIFT DRAG RISE OF WING- BODY COMBI ATIONS NEAR THE SPEED OF SOUND 11
I I

.9

Wing-body comblnotlon
Side view

------------------- ---=========-------------

Wing-body comblnotlon
Pion view

1.1

.9 (d ) L -76106
(d) !II " , = 1.03. See fi gure 2 (a) for te t-po in t arrangement.
F l O URE 2.- Continued .
12 REPORT 12 73-NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMIT'l'EE FOR AERONAUTICS

1.1

r..--V----<., _ -0- - -D- -"iJ_

- -0- - -D- - -0 - O--..[)..---<:>-.:Q----tJ--O<-=4!;::.::-:t:F':.:o-

.9

Comparable body of revolution

Side view

II o

1.1

.9

Cylindrical body
Side view

~ ---- II o L -76107

(d)
(d) j\ J ",= 1.03. Conclud ed.

F JGURE 2.- Cont in ued.

J
A STUDY OF THE ZERO - LIFT DRAG RISE OF WING-BODY COMBI rATIONS EAR THE SPEED OF SO U ND 13
1.2

....0---0- --0-- -0..... .....

- """1-- -

--0-

I.OL-----------------------------------~

Wing-body comblnotlon
Side vie w

------------- -===~- --- ---

Wing-body comblnotlon
Pion vi ew

1.2

1.0 L - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - L - - - = 7 - - = - 6 - - = 1 0 - - = - S
(e)
(e) Af ",= 1.10. See fi gur e 2 (a) f or te t -point arrangement.

F IG RE 2.-Continu ed .
14 REPORT 1273- NATIONAL ADVI SORY COMl"\1ITTEE FOR AERONAUTI CS

1.2

1.0 L----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comporoble body of revolution

Side view

------'1-1'--. ____ =-rL

1.2

- -0- - -0----0-- _

1.0 ' - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -- -- -- - - - - -- - --

Cylindrical body
Side view

L - 7610 9
(e)
(c) .11 ",,= 1.10 . C' OIl Cllldf' d .

F IGlTR8 2.- C'o n cllldc o .

 A STUDY OF THE ZERO-LIFT DRAG RISE OF WING-B ODY COMBINATIO "S NEAR TI-IE SPEED OF SOU TD 15

0 .95

.98
o o o
.024
~

ro
.020 / :r----
/
I if
p.- c.--- rv

,/' 1.00
.016

Coo
V /
,........... / ! /
.012
/ r --- -...........

.008 - ~
/'
~ to
1.03 ~
.004
.012
~ f:::"-=- f-::-:: r:: :...1-
.,.........,
17 1.1 0
.008

I
/
/1
~/ V- r--- r--..

o l-;::- ~
v/ /
.84 .88 .92 .96
M",
1.00
li'l(a ' RE :~. - Co mp a r isons of th' drag r ioe for th e Ll ll swept-w inl!; and
cy lindric8J-body comb ination with that for the comparable body
of rc voilit i on !lnd ri'e cy lindrical body 2.l onl:'.
As a start ing point for thC' analy i of lite lateral simil ari-
Lies, coni der t he flow abou l the co mparable configur at ion
in a given normal plan e a t a circle, concentric t the axi of
s)-mmetr.y, out ide the l ip of t he wing. A a result of the
essential inval'iance of t he tream tube , the total rad ial
rleviation of lh e field at thi circl a re e enti ally the am e
as th e displacements of I he urface of the eonfig u rations in
the am e pla ne. Since Lh e lotal smface eli placem enLs for
t he two con fig urat ion a re the sam e, the tolal flow d evialions
at the circle mu st be e ent i all~- equal. H owever, circum-
ferential varia Lio ns of the e devia tions may ex i l for the
wing-bocl~- co nfig LU"ation . Th e e enLial irro tat ionalil.\- of
the flow leads to 1'e luctions of the e cir cu mferential varia-
tion with increase in distance from the configmat ion.
B ecan or t he invari a nee of t he t ream-t ube a rea the e
redu C' Lion a re rclaL iv('ly rapid . Thi s invul'i a nce eau e li te
o liler field to b l' l'elal ivl'l.\" infl exible, a nd a a rc ull , il rNtet
s lrongly Lo the ci rc umferenti al var iaLions of th e rILel ial dev ia-
lion ; Lhis reaction produ ce pronounced circumferenlial
pressure g l'acl ienL" These g rad ien t cause devia tion i It t he
-.....
-t-- ,~-; --t f-----------t
, /
, ,
1.04 1.08 1.1 2
,
,,
,, "
"
, ,
\ f'
'v L-76110
FI Gl" liI, -I. - ('oillpar i ~oll;;
of tilt' . hock ph 1:' 11 0 Illl:' lla for till' ci('lla-,,"illg;
allcl cy lilldri cal-bod.\" combillatioll \\"ith thosp for th e comparable'
body of rl:'\"oilit ion. Sid" \"ie \\", .
circumferenlial di rec tion whi ch maJ'k e ll~- reduce the vana-
lion of lhe radial deviation. ,'uch eHeC' l lead to an
es enlial eli minalion of lhe ci rcum ferential vari at ion o f
radi al [e\-iation at a relatively horl eli lanC'e from lh con-
figu raLio n. Al 0 , a I1Y in i tial ci l'cumferenlial deviations as 0-
ciated ,,"it h lh e a -,"mmelr.'" of lhe wing-bod!- combination
ar e rapidl~" dis ipaled with inc rea e in radial distanC'e. A
a co n equenee of the rapid eli ipation of bolh the circum-
ferenlial dev iation and lhe variation of radial deyiations
with r ad ial di tanc , the deviation in a given plane at a
hort distance from the wing-body con.figmalion are nearl!-
lhe ame a the axiall~- s~-mm elric effecl ~ produced by the
("o mp a n1blc bod.'" of re \-oiuli on. , ueh liken c for the
nuiou normal pl 1111l' , arc ubstantiaLcd b.\- lhe ob e[Tcd
simill1l'iti cs of the strong shoc k fo rmat ions for the win g-body
combinatio n an d lhe co mparable h od y of revol ution. a l il.
di stance from Lhe co nfiguration .
16 REP ORT 12 7 3- rATIO AL A DV ISORY
Th e trong r eact ions of th e flow in th e o ut er r egion s of th e
fi eld of the wing-fu elage com bina.t ion to d eviat ion s from
ax ia l 'y mmetr~r, a pr ev iousl.\' describ ed ) converge to ward
he axi of s~" mm et ry and red uce Lhe asymmetri cal deviation ,
f've n in the immediate r egion of the wing. These r eaction s
for ce the innC'1' field in to at least an ap proximate similariL.\"
to the axia ll y s~"mm et ri c field of th e bod~- of r evolution wit;h
the same ax ial eli lribu t ion o( disturban ces, as sh ow n in
fi g ure 2.
As Ih l' :\[ ach numb er is in crea. cd to s uper so nic val ues, Llle
field of the vari ous eli Lurb ances b ecom e conical. Also, aL
these s peeds, chan ges in v elocit ie 1'e ult in varia t ion of the
trea m-tube ar ea Con equ e n tl~r , the imilari ties of th e
shock formatio ns for the win g-bod.\- combination and Lhe
comparable body of )'evolu t i n s houlcl be progr essive1.\'
Ie senecl as t he :\IaCll number i incr ea ed b ey ond t he sp eed
of so und.
Drag characteristics.- Th(, close similarit y of th e shock
formalions in m os t reg io n o [ th e fldd fo r Ih e wing-body
('omhinati on a nd thl' body of revolution wiL h th e anw
axial clenlopme nt of (TO - ('d io na l a reas s ugge ts that
in lhpse region t he enc rgy los. ('s associat ed with the shoc ks
for th e two ('o n(i g ur atio ll sh o uld bc nearl .\T t ile . am e. I II
the localit y dircct l.\' clowns trl'a m of th e win g, the shoek
los. es for the 1\\' 0 co nfig urati oll mar difrer so m ewhn,l;
hO\\'C' \"l' r, the rrl aL ivl' eO'ect of s uch differences s hould bc
unimportant. B etause of the in varian ce of t he tream- t ube
a reas ncar a :\fach numb l' r of 1.0, th e field of flow for th es c,
or an~-, co n figura tion a rc relati v ely exte n iv e. As a r es ult ,
t he g reater part of the s ho ck losses for the co nfig uration s i
clue 10 lhe large a rea. of sig ni fi can tly st ron g sho ck out id e
the local region do wn st ream of t he win g . Thu s, in t he local
region ncar tbe win g, the diO'cr ences between t he s ho ck
10 es for the win g-boel.\' co mbin ation a nd t he comp a rable
bod~- hould r es ult in relatively small differences of th e total
los e for the t\\'o co nfi g uration s. A lso, b ecause of th e low
th icknes ratio and as pect ra tio of the win g a nd th e gradu al
cu rvat ure fo r t he co mp a rab le bod.\T, t he s ho ck-i ndUC l' d
cparatio nl o se for the e co nfi g uraLion s hould b e )' cla tive]."
sma ll , alth ough p robabh " not negli gible, and a n," differenc es
o[ t hese losses hou ld b e sm a ll. Th erefor e, t he drag ri se
for t he comb in at ion hould b e a pproximately lh e same a
t hat for the comparable body of revolu tion.
Thl' mea ureel increm ent o[ drag coeffi cienL for Llle
unswept-\\'ing-hocl~r co mbin atio n a rc the sam e a tho e for
t he compara ble body of revolu tion wi t hin he probable accu-
racy of the (tata (fi g. 3) . (Th e absol uLe elr ag coe ffi cien ts for
the co mparable co nfi g ur a lio ns diA'er om ewhat, p ri marily b e-
cause of differences ill kin fri ct ion .)
Th e exact agree menL of thc drag-ri e in cr ement £01' the
unswcpt-wi ng- body combinaLion wi t h t ho e for t he com -
pa rable boel." of r evoluti on s uggest t hat th e seco ndary
sepa ratio n losse , as well as lhe primar.v sho ck los es, are
l'ssentiall.\" th e sam e for t he two co nfigur ations. Thi ap-
parent ag reeme n t can logically be attribu ted to th e fa t
t haL th e r e1a tion sh ips b eb-vel'n t he sh ock s a ncl bonndar~"
la.n r [or the win g-body co mbin ation a nd th e com p a rable
bo d it's nrc !lp proxilllat c l~ ' t h(' sa ill e.
OM MITTEE FOR AERO AUTICS
Th e im il a ri ty o[ t hc (trag-rise ,-alne for t he un wept-
win g-bod~T combin ation and the comp a ra bl e body of
r evolu tion at a Mach number of 1.10 indicate that th e
perce pti ble deviations of the shock formations for t11 two
co nfig urations no ted at t hi Mach numb er (fi g. 2 (c) ) result
JI1 in sig ni ficant diA'e rence of Lhe shoc k 10 es .
DELTA WING AND C YLI ND RI C AL BODY
Shock phenomena.- \Yall J\(ach n umb er di t ribu tion
indi cate that, as for th e un wept-win g- body combination ,
the flow fi elds for t he delt a- win g- boclycombination ata dis-
tan ee from t he co nfi gu ration ar c ge nerally almost exa ctly
th e saill e as t ho e for the body o[ revolu t ion with the am
a xial distribution of cross-sect io nal a rea for an te L Mach
numbe rs . Th e sc hli eren pho tog rap hs prese nted i n fi a ure 4
in d icate that, i n t he field abo \-e the a ft parI of t he win g,
th e sho cks for t he win a - boely co mbin at ion a rc approximately
thl' sarn e as Lhose for t he co mparable bod.\". As is tbe ca ('
for the un swep t- win g- body combinatio n) the mo t pro-
Il o un ced devia tio n o f t ho shock patte rn [or t he com-
parab le cO Il(igu ratiolls pro bably occ ur behin d Lhe win g .
Drag Characteristics.- Th e I11l'a s urecl vari a ti o ll of t he drag
coefficiell t with Macil number for Lil t' delLa-w in g- body com-
binati on is l h e saml' as thaL (or the co mparabl e boel y of
revol ul ion within t he p robable aCC LH' ac~r of t he mea ure-
!nents (fig. 5) . Th i 1'e ul t was also found for Lhe Ull wepL-
\\'in g- body combina tioll.
S WEPT WIN G AND C YLJ , DRI CA L BODY
Shock phenomena.- V'- all J\/fach 11 umb er clistribu tion s
indicaLe t hat, a was t ru e for t he un s wept-win g- bocly com-
binatio n, the flow fi elds for the \\'ept-win g- body combin.a-
l ion at a di Lance from t he confi g uratio n a re al most exactly
t he a me a t hose fo r the comp arable body of revolu tion.
Tb e se h1icr en photogr aph of fi g ure 6 a nd l·cference 1
indicate t hat neal' t he sp eed o [ ound the \\'ept wing produ ce
a weak s ho ck at t he trailin g edge of the win g- bod~- jUllctur e
and a trong hock~e hillcl the trai li ng c'dge of t hL: jUllCtUl' .
A t a M ac h nu mber of 1.03, an additional \\~ea k sho ck i also
present b eLwee n t hese two hocks. Th e los es in t he t wo
weak hock a r c in ig ni ficant and m ay be neglec ted ill a com-
pari on of t h total hock 10 e Th e ide-view schlieI' n
phot ograph s prese nted in fi g ure 6 indic ate that Lhe m ain
s hock pr od uced by the win g appea l' to be approximately t he
ame a the s ho ck ca used by t he co mparable body in t he
region above the co mbin ation. Howev er, t h ho ck pro-
duced by the win g is gc ncrally omewhat r ear ward of that
procluced by lil e body. A t a Mach number o f 1.00, this
shock fo r th l' win g is ju st visible in t he chliel'en p hotograph.
Plan-v iew ehli er en s urveys not presen Led herein indicate
t hat ncar the wing t ip th e main shock produ ced by t he wing
i orne what d iffe ren t f rom th at eau cd by the comparable
body, parti cula rly aL a Mach number of 1.10 . (Th e s hock
in t his r egion i similar to that for t he ame wing on t he
cur ved body (ref. 1). )
Drag characteristics.- Th e drag-coefficient in cr em ents fo1'
th e wept-wing-c.dinclrical-bocly co mbinati o n arc app roxi-
Ill ntC'l~r 0.001 g rl'ator tb an tho e for t he comparnble hody o[
 A l' DY OF THE ZERO -LIFT DRAG R I SE OF WING-BODY OMBINATIO TS EAR 'I 'H E SPEED OF SOUND 17

0.95

.98
o CJ o
.024
IF ------c
- '----
y-- .if"
~

---
,
.020
I--<T

I V ro
.016
V
I 1.00

./
V I
.012 -
I--- V
fr
/ v0- l--- ----...'
~
.00 8 ---V L! '0

1.03

f-

.012
1----
&'- i=-=- - -I->
V ",/

I
vi
1: 10

/
;/
.004

o --~
~::/
//
./
~
-------... ---

84 .88 .92 .96 1. 00 1.0 4 1.08 1.12

Moo \
,
F'lUl ' R E 5.- Compari so n. of t he d rag ri se for th della-\\'i n!l: and ,,
L-76111
cy li nd rical-body comb ination " 'it h that for th' compa ra ble b ly f '-
r vo lution a nd the cy lindri cal body alone. G.- Compari sons of the hock phenomena for t he swept- win g
FI( ;, ' RE
a nd cylind ri cal-body c mbinatioll with those for t he comparabl e
j'cvolu tion aL M ac h numb ers up Lo ap proximaLel.v 1.02 (fig. bod." of revolution, ,'ide v ic" ',,.
7 ) . Thi difFere nc i a pproximately th c a m e a. Lhe total o f
thc pos ible ma.ximu m err or of the drag m ea urem e nt . curv cd-body combill atioll (fi g. ) a rc imilar to , but appar e ntly
H owever, i[ thi eli c repan c~- hown is a um ed Lo be l' aI, it tron O'er thall, those [0 1' the w e pt-win g-e~' l illdri cal-body
call logically b e attribll Lcd Lo differen ccs ill t he. hock forma- co nfig uratio n (fIg, 6) . The differ ence bctwee n the s ho c k
Lion s and a ociated b unclary-layc1' ep araLion . At highc r form aLion produ ccd by the s we pt-wing- c urve d-bocly CO Il-
~1ach numbc r , the clifl'e re ncc bctw ce n the drag in c re mC'nts n g uriLlion (fi g. and ref. 1) and tho t' for th (' co mparable
for th com parabl e co nfi g uraLion in cr ease prim a ril~- because bod~- of revolution a re al 0 im i.l ar to tile diffcrcllcc for lh c
of Lh e more pronoun ced d evia tion of the hock 1'01'm a tion . we p L-wi nO'-('yli ncl ri cal-bod~- co mbinaLi on .
T ho g reater clifrc['ences be t ween t he drag-ri se incrcment [or Drag oharact eristios .- omhinatioll of the wept win g and
this wcpt-wing-body combin a tion a nd t h e comparable c urved bocl~- l'e ull in a severo advel' e d rag inl l'fcren ce
bod.v of r evolution i ll com pariso n with tho e for the un s wept betwee n th e wing an d body ncar t he pccd o f Oll llcl (fig. 9).
wing may be attributed pr imarily to the g reater thickn ess Th e d rag-coe ffi cien t ri e for the wcpt wiug in co mbinaLio n
ratio a nd mail er ta per of Lhe wcpt wing. with thi b ody ncar the peed of ollncl i app roxima Lely
0.0 12 a compared with a yalu e of 0.004 for the \\-ing in con -
WEPT W I G AND C U R VED BODY
jUll c tion with thc (. entiall~T int el'fcl'(' l1 c('-f['ee c~Tli ncL ['i ca l
Shook phenomena.- Th e hock formation a illdicated ill body. ( ec fig, 7 alld 9.) (TII(" e cLif]'('1 (,IlCt' ill the cll'ag-
til e sid c-yi e\\' ch lit'l' cll photog ra ph for the wcpt-wi.n g- ri c ntl ll c 111 a)' be dliP in pfLr {. (0 til(' diA'cJ'{'IH't' ill lite
1 REPORT I 273- NATIONAL ADVI SORY COMMITTEE FOR AERO AUTI CS

0 .95

o o o
,98
.024

.n
.0 20 ,/'
l.rr" .:
/ J:r"'
.016

e-
1I 1.00

!.-if !--- P
>Y r :-- r----
/
V '-/ "0

.008

.004

.012
-E-
.008
/ - -
,-
/

/ [ .-- f--- ' I-

/' L-76112
I
I V- I-- t---
('0 111 pari so ns of the Sil OC K ph ellolll (,lIa for til(' : II'cpl-wing
FI r; I ' RE 8, -

o - _/
'/ / and curq'd-iJod,\' co m b in ati o n wilh th ose for the com parab le bod,\'
of revolul iOIl. f'ide \' it' \"" ,
.84 .88 .92 .96 1.00 1.04 I.08 1.12
GENE R ALIZATIO '

FI< ;I ' RJ-; 7 . - ('olllpa ri 8 () 11 ~

of til!' drag r i .. e for the S\\'ept-II'in g a lld cy lin-
d ri ca l-hod .v comb ina ti on with thai fo r the comparab le body of
r!,\'o ilili on and th e r .v l ind ri ca l bo dy alo n!' ,
maximum body diam ctc r as wcll as t h c la rgc \' a ri at io ll o r
th c curvatu rc of thc aftcrbody, )
Th e pron o unced drag- ri sc incrcmcnt for th c wc pt-\\'ill g
and c llrvecl-bod~' COil figu r at ion a rc a ppr ox im atcl~- 0.003
g reater than thosc fo r t il e comparable bod)- ncar the s pee d o f
'o uncl (fig, 9) , Th e max imu m drag ri se fo J' th e combination ,
a m cas ured at a ~VI ac h numbcr of 1. 03 , i a pproximatel~' 15
percC'llt g rC' a tC'r than that for t he co mparable bocl ~- of revolu-
t iOll, ThesC' eli A'C' rC' nces can be a t t ri b u ted to t hc same factor
whiC'h ca uscd t h e simil a r but mall cr cliA'ere ncc for t he
S\\'cpt-",i ng- c,\'li ndri cal- bocl)' co m b inat ion.
Of pa rti c ular impo r tance is th e fact that til e relativ e in-
n ea c in th c drag risc for the wept- wing- cUl'vecl-body
combination a compared wi tb t hat for t h e swept-wing-
c,dindrica l-bod,\- co nrLD' ura ti on i ap proximately t he ame as
th e rl'lntj\' C' inc rease for the compnrnbll' boetie of revolu tio n ,
Tit e re ul ts p rescll teel i 11 eli cate th at, Il eal' th e speed of SOLI nd,
t he s hock fo rm at io n a nd the associaLed drag-r ise c ha ractcr-
is tics fo r the va riou s \\'in g alld ce ll t ral- body combi nat ions
ill ve tigatcd a rc, to the rll' t order, the same as tho c for th e
boclie of r evolu tion with the same ax ial developments of
('['0 - ect iOllal arcas no rma l to th e airs t ream, The e bodies
of revolu t ion a r e imple axia l dcvelopme n ts of cl'oss-scctional
areas . Thel'efo l'c, on t h e basis of Lh e I'e LIl ts p re e n ted, iL
ma~- lo gicall .v be concluded th at, nC'ar th e peed of ound, the
7,C l'o-lift drag I'i e of a low-aspect -ratio thill-win g- body
comb ination i p l'im aril~· lepend ent 011 the axial developme nt
of er o 3-sec tional areas nor mal to t be air tl'eam, It follows
th a l the drag ri se for an)' s ll c h configuration is approxim ately
Lhe same a Lh at for an,\' other "'ith the same d evelopment
of C1'O, s- ec Lional area '
It may be assume 1 that t his con ept is al 0 valid for wings
alolle, wings or win g-body combination with moderate twi t
01'_ cambe r, 01' yawed config uratio ll s ; however , 110 di rect ly
 A STUDY .oF T H E ZER.o - LIFT DRAG RISE .oF W ING- B.oDY COMB! rATIONS 1 EAR 'fHE SPEED OF S.oUND 19
h er ein indicate that u ual variations of the shap e of thc body
bould have little effec t on the accuracy of a quan t itative
corr elation. Th e maglJ itude of t he section t hickn ess ratio ,
aspect ratio s, and tap er r atio for t he wings of con temp r ary
t ransonic and sup ersonic aircraft ge nerally lie b et w en the
values fO I" th e u nswept and wept wings used in t he pre ent
inves tigation. It m ay be a umed, t herefore , that Lhe
accuracies of quantitative correlation of t he drag-rise in cre-
o o o m ent for t hese real configll rat ion s woulcl be betwern Lhosr
.024 fo r t he models invC'stigaLecl .
~

= Because of th C' lack of knowl edge a Lo t he cffC' c;t of ([('tailed

020
V changes in t hC' axial developm en t of (' ro s -sec tion al a rea
on tllC drag-ri e eharac:tcri tics, quantitative COlT latio n as
/ pr ese nted h er ei n ar c not ge nerally feasibl e. However, it bas
/ r been possib le Lo cOlTelate qualita tively all L11 C' avai lable
..01 6 ----- -------=
r\ j r eli able d rag-ri e r e LIl ts for win g an d win g-body comb ina-
COO tions (r efs. 7 and , for example) b y u e of the available
..012
/ infor mation for t he effect of general change in body sba pe
d / on the transonic drag 1'1 e (refs. 2 and 9, for example ). I t

.008 - V
../:Y
/
;
/
/..0.........
---- --- --..,
appears t hat th e conce pt should b e generally useful in com -
paring th e approximate rela tive effects of variou s design
al terations .
A preliminary anal~7 i of til availa bl information defining
.004
the effe cts of nacelle position on t h e intel'fC'r el1 ce betwee n t he
.016 nacelle and the win g at transo nic p eeels (rcf. 10 ) il)dicated

/
-- - .
-- t hat this interfer ence can be correlated quali tatively, at
lea t, on t he ba is of the concept proposed. However ,
/
..012
-...... f urth er p ecific experimen tal comp ari on ar c r eq uired to
6 COO / / ............ defin e t h e exact applicability of t hi concep t to t he cor rela-
/
..0.08
/ / tion of s uch in terfer ence.
An ielea, imila r to thaL propo cd h er ein, wa pr e C' nt ed in
L /
/ / refer ence 11 for predicting th e critical peeds of Ivi nO'-body
/ / combinations .
.004

/
/ 'j
- -:. - :.----
.0
.84 .88 .92 .96
Moo
FI GUR E !:I .-Co mpari so ns of the d rag ri 0 for the wept- wing and
curv ed-bod.v co mbination wit h t hat fo r Lhe co mparabl e bod.\' o f
r evoll'tion and the curv ed body a lo no.
comparable exp erim en tal r esults ar e available to substan tiate
the e conj ecture. Linear theory (r ef. 4 ) and exp eriment
(r ef. 5) have indi cated that a similar r elation is valid for
slender non circular bodies at sup er son ic as well as at
tran onic speeds. A similar r elationship for t he wa ve drag
of wing-body combination i implicit in t he lin ear up er oni c
th eor y of r eference 6.
APPLICAT IONS OF TR ANSONIC DR AG -RISE CONCEP T
Correlation of drag-rise characteristics .- The accuracy of
u, quantitative correlation of th e clt'ag ri e of a conventional
wing-body combination by usin g th e propo ed con cep t
should b e lessened by in cl"ea in a- t he thi ckn es ratio , a p ect
ratio , OJ' tapel" r atio of t he wi ng . The efrects of enlar gi.ng
the e variable s hould beeolne OTeate l' as the M ach number i '
in cl'E'a ed beyond the peed of sound . 'I'll 1" ul t pre ented
/ ----- ----- Interpretation of variations of drag-rise characteristics.-
/ A'l.nalyse of the available dJ'aa--ri e characteri tic indica te
t hat variation in wing co nfig urations which r e ul t in less
rapid rates of levelopmen L of CrO s- ectional areas, as well
1.00 1..04 1.08 1.1 2
as redu ction of tb e r elativ magni t ucle of t he maximum
areas, cleer'ease the clraa-ri e increment near Lhe peed of
sounc! . For example, th e rate of development a nd maximum
valu e of t be cross- ectional areas for the wept wing of th e
present inve tigation ar Ie t han t ho e for t he un wep t
wing (table II ). A a r e ult, th e clt'ag ri e for the wep t
wing i 1 pronoun ced (fig. 3 a nd 7 ).
R eversing the un wept wing to for m the delta wing (fig. 1)
r edu ced th e rate of exp ansion of cross- ectional ar eas for the
forward par of the win g but in crea ed til rate of co n traction
of area for til r earwa rd par t (table II ). Th e e variation
r e ul tecl in increa e of t he cll'ag-l'i e increment for the cl el ta
wing (fig _3 and 5). On the ba i of t hi compari on, a well
a th e 1'e ult pre ente 1 in rcferenc 2, it may be a Slim ed
that, n ear the peed of ouncl, a givn rate of d ecrea in
cross-sectional a r a generally r e lIll in a gr ralcr drag ri e
than doe a similar in cr ease.
On t he ba i of the propo eel concC'pt, aclvC' I' e zero-lift
elm in terfer ence between wing a nd boclie ,a [or the swepL-
WJt1 body om bin ation inve tiga teel (fig. 9), ca n aeneraliy

_._ - - --~- ----~--

- - -- --- - --~ ---~ - - -- --
 20 REPORT 1273- NA' I'IONA L ADVI ORY COMMITTEE FOR AERO NAUTICS

be attribut ed ba s ically to g reater rates of cle velopm ent of

tile cross-scct ional a rcas for the combin ation comparcci with
those for the co mpon en t (Lable II ). Th e e mor e rapid
Y<lri at io n of a rca ge llcrall.,' rcsult in high er illdu ced velo ci-
tics a llci co nsiderably stro nger s ho k s in t he fields o f the
co mbin at ions. (For example , co mparc figs. 6 a nd .)
Obvio usly th e interfer e nce drags, as ociated with t h e in-
('I'eascd s hock 10 cs, are directly produced b y changes in thc
prcss llrc. on the boel.I' a nd wing. (For example, ce r ef. l. )
Th c faYoJ'ahlc cfl'ccLs of va ri ou s chan ge in boel)' s hap e on thc o o o
illtcJ'fcrl' I)('(' \)c tll'cc n th e win g a nd bod." , as hown in refcrcnc c
8, call h e attrib utcd to redu cLion in the raLe o f developm e nt. .024
o f th e ('1'0 s- edional area.
V ~
Reductions of the drag-rise increments of wing-body
.020
v ./
...-C
co mbinations.- On the ba is of Lhe con cept propo eel, it
would b c l'xpcc;tcd that indc n ting th o bod~- of a win g-body L
V
1/
combinati oll, 0 that the combin ation ha t h c sam e ax ial di s- .016
/
v---
tribution of cross- ec tional ar ca as thc origillal body alone ,
lI'olilcll'cs lllt in a hU'ge )' cduction O t· dim in atio n of Lhe dr ag
COo I
,.......-v
~

ri c a ociat ecl \I'ith th e win g. This typ e o f indc ntation was .012 .......... ~
u. cd 011 th e cylindrical body inves tigated in ombinalion
"'" Ir r-- r----.
with thc lI lls wept, d el ta, a nd wept wing. (Sec fig. l. ) l/ ro
. \ s s ho wn ill fi g ur 10, inden tin g Lhe body r educ ed th c .008

dra g-risc in crem ents a sociated wiLh th e un wcpL a nd delta

will gs by ap proximat ely 60 p er ce n t ncar t hc pced of ound.
.004
Thi s alteration climin ated t he draa rise as ociaLed with the
s ll'c pl win g at :\[ac h number up to 1.04. AL high er Mach .012
nUll] bel'S, t he efTec ts of the inden Lation g radually dec rca ed. -- I- - 1-_ .

8ven for these relatively unconventional config uration , th e

pi oposccl conce pt pr edicl ·orr ec ll y the q uali tati v o effects
.008
I
/' -- -- J.-- 1-_ l-

"'Coo I ,/
of d e ig n modifi cations on tb c drag-ri e char ac Leri tic neal'
t hc s pced of sound. .004
/
I l,..-- I..r- I---
Th c in completc efrec l 0(' inde ntin g th c bodies with t he I /"" I----
ull swept and della wings m a.r b e att ribut ed in part to local
L--:= ::::.- v j/ "'"
indu ccd no\\' a nd to Lh e di placcm e nt of the t rea m tubes 0
(0)
by the bou ndar y h1)' el' , w hic h were 11 glecte I ill t h e d e ign
of t he inde n Lations. For the wepL win g, Lhcse eHects ar e .84 .88 .92 .96 1.00 1.04 1.08 1.1 2
lcss importan t bccau 0 of the more 0Tadu al axial d evelop-
Jll C' llt of the ilid entaLion . },/Ii nol' modi fi catio n of t he inden - (a) L' nSI\'r pl II'i li p;.
taL io ns of th e bo d.I' Lo accounL for th esc [acLo rs houlcl furth er 1"1 (;[ ' 1110: 10.- TIl(' pff('C iS 011 t ranson i c d rag oblainrd b.l· in cl (' ll lillg thr
J educc t hc drag-rise in crcments associated with Lhe un wep L bocli(' ~ of thn'r \\'illp;-h oc!\' combin ati o ns.
and delt a wings . The redu ction of t he e n'ccts of these
i Ilclcn La lio n at s u pe rsoni c },/I ac h numb er a re a soeiatecl On thc ba i of this con ce pt i t wou ld b e cx pccted t h at the
lI'iLh th c changc in t hc naturc of t h c flow field at the hig hc r minimum tran sonic drag ri e fo r a ll airplanc cou ld be ob-
. pceds, as ([cscribed in th c di sc uss ion of t he s hock ph enomena tain ed by h a pill o ' th e fu sela gc so that thc d e l'elopment of
1'01' thc un s wl'pL Wi llg . (TOSs-sc clional a rca fol' lile airpl anc approacile thaL for a
_\L lif t coeffi cicnLs up to approximatcl.,- 0.3, t he inde nLa- low-drug hoel.\' o f revolution lI'ith the hig hcst fClls ibl fincncs
tioll s of til(' hodic rcs ult in drag rcduction s similar to those ratio .
s holl"l1. . \.l t hou g h Lhese inden ta tion s have no t comp l e teJ ~­ CONC LUSlO l S
clim illated t he n car-sonic drag-ri c in cr em cnL as oeiaLeel Co mpariso n of Lhe s ho ck ph e nomena an d elrag-ri e lIl crc-
with all thc \I"in gs inY(' Ligated, thc~- hav c at leas t g reatly m en ts for rcpre e n Lati v c win g and ce n lral-bod.,- com bina-
r rd uced t hl' incrcmcllts in cvcry ca c. tion with tbose for bodi cs of r e vo lu tion h a vill g th e ame
 A STUDY OF THE ZER - LIFT DRAG RISE OF WING-BODY COMB I NAT ION TE AR 'fHE SPEED OF OUND 21

o o <>
o o <>
.024
.024
? '---...
y--- i f
.020 ./
.020 V
1/ d
./
.016
/ 0" ___ c-- ............. t>
COO

.01 6
I l/ Coo ,....... V ,<'

/
/
V .012
-<>-
./
0 / V- I---
'"
.012
0
- ---- T

V
r I-
r--
"0
.008 lei ------ "

.008
.004

.012

.0 12
../
...... 1- -
- ' -- '~ .008
-
,

6Coo ....-
v"'"
/ ....-
I / .............
.008 r--- - .004
V ~<
I
/ I
r--...

/
I
f--
/
V
0 -- -- -- /

-< ::/ ---

/ /" V- I--- r--- (C)

.84 .88 .92 .96 1.00 1.04 1.08 1.12

./
/ / ---
o
(b)
-- /'

(e) 8wc I t wing.

.84 .88 .92 .96 1.00 1.04 1.08 1.1 2
M", " L(; L' RI, ' D.- Concluded.

(b) D elta win g.

lhe drag rise for any uch configuration i approxim alely lilt'
FlG URE lO.-Conl in u d. ame a lhat [ 01' an.r other with the ame clevelopmen t oJ
eros -sectional area .
axial developments of cr OSs- ctional area normal to tbe
Fill·ther resul t have indicated that indenting the bodies
air tream have indicated the followin g conclusion :
of t hr ee repre entaLive wing-body combination, so that t he
1. The shock phenomena and drag-ri e in cr eme nt m a -
axial developments of cro - ectional area for t hc combina-
m ed for the e r ep re entative win g and centr al-body combi-
tion wer e t be ame a for tbe original body alone, g reatl."
nation at zerO lif t ncar th e sp eed of sound arc e entiall y
r edu cd or eliminated the zc ro-lift drag-ri e in cremenl
the arne as t ho se for the comparable bodies of revolu tion.
a ociated with wi ng neal' t he peed of sound .
2. car til p eed of ourrd, tbe zero-lif t drag ri e of a Iow-
a p ect-ratio thin-wing- bod:r combination i primarily de- L ANGLEY AERONA TICAL LABORATORY
pendent on t he axial development of the cross-sectional ~ A'l'IONAL ADVI ORY O~!l\IITTEE FOR AEllOXAUTIC',
area normal to the air tr eam. Th er efore, it follow that L A 'G L EY FIELD, Y A., lugu t 1 1952.
22 REPORT ] 273- NATIONAL ADVI SORY COMM I'l"r EE FOR AERONAUTICS
REFEREN CES
I. \V hiLcomb, Ri chard T. , a nd "1\:('11 .1', Thom as C.: A St udy of t hc
Fl o\\' O\'o r a -J5 ° S,,'cptback Win g-Fusrlage Combination at
T nlnsoll ic :\[ac h ~umb(' l·s. NACA R:'I[ L52DO I , 1952.
2. Th om pso lI , J im R ogC'rs, and h::urbjun , :'Il a x C. : Drag :'Ilcas u remc n t.
at T ra nso ni c Sp('cd. of Two Bodi t's of Fi ne ness R <L t.io 9 vViLh
Dif-l'Pre nt Lo ca ti o ns o f :'Ii'ax imllll1 B ody Di a nwLe r. ~ A CA R:\[
LSA2Sb, 19'JS .
:1. BU S(, II HtIl II , Adolf: App lica ti o ll of Tr"nso ni c 'imil a rilv. N AC A
T N 2(jS7, ]\)52.
-I. C:rah,ull, E n1<'s l 1\' . : TIl(' Prl'ss ur(' on Il SI('lIciP[' B oel y of NOII-
l ' lIiform Cross-St'cliollal Shapl' ill Axi a l Su[)('rso nic F low. R t' p.
:'Jo. H:\ I- I:n.J6- A, Douglas Ai rcra ft. Co., I II C., July 20, 19-f9.
.'). 8tOIl(,.\' , \\'illi,Lrn K , .Jr., "nd PuLi a lld , Ll'o na rd IV.: So rn e Efl'ecls of
130d .1' C ros,",-S('cLio na l , 'hap<' , Ili ciudili g a SlI II Kt'n-Canop'y
D esign, 0 11 Dmg A8 hown by R oc ket-P o\\'('I'od-:'I lodl'l T e s l ~ at
:'I fac h Nu mbPrs From O. Lo 1.5. NACA R'd L52D07, J 952.
G. ll ay('s, I\' a llacc D.: L in t'a ri zt'd Suprrson ic Fl o\\' . R e p. No. AL-
222, No rth Anwri ca n Av iat ion , I nc., J lIIH' J , J9·+7 .
7. Nl' lso n, \V a n'cll H ., "nd \l cDl'v iU, J o hn B.: Th e Transo ni c Ch a r-
actcri ·tics of 22 R cc t a ngul a r , Symmctric,d Wing Models of
Vary in g As p l'cL H.ati o a nd Thick Jl Ps·. NACA T N 350 1, J 955.
(Supersed es NACA liM A5 J A12. )
S. P c ppe r, Willi am B.: Th e Effect on Zer o-Lif t Drag of a n Id e n ted
Fusclagc or a Thi ckened vVin g-RooL :'I[ od ifi ca t,io n to a -1-5 0
wl'ptback Win g-Body Co nfigumtion As D eLl'I'mi ned by FLig ht
T csLs at Tra nsonic Spcl'ds. NACA R:'I[ L51F15, 195 1.
!l. Th o mptio n, Ji m R ogl' rs: :'I lea s ure mc nt s of Lhl' D rag an d Press lirc
Di.·triblltion o n a B ody of Rp vo luti o ll Throughout T ra il itio n
Icro rn S ubsolli c to Supl' r ~o ni c Sp(,l'ds. NAC'A R:'I l U1 J 27 , 1950.
I!l. PpppC'r, IVil li alll B. , .]1' . , and Fl o n'm a ll , 'h('l'wood: Comp,triso n of
Ze ro- Lift Drags D te rmill cd by Fli ght T ril ls at T ra nsonic Speeds
of SynllnpLri ca ll y :'I founJ.('d :'JacC' ll l'sin Va ri o us Spa nwi .'·e P osi-
t iOlls 0 11 a _[5 0 S,\'ppl bac k \\ 'ill g ,wd Bod.v Co m binatio n . N AC A
IDI L51D06, J 95 l.
J I. R o biil son, Ru sse ll G ., and Wr ight , R ay Fl .: E s timation of Cr iti cal
Speeds of Ai rfoi ls a nd Strea mlin e B odi E' XACA A C R , ~ la r.
19-fO.
U. S GOVER NM ENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1956