Airfoil and its classification

Nomenclature
 Airfoil Definitions
• Chord Line: Straight line drawn from the leading edge to the trailing edge
• Chord Length (c): Length of the chord line Mean
• Camber Line: Curved line from the leading edge to the trailing edge,
which is equidistant between the upper and lower surfaces of the airfoil
Maximum
• Camber: Maximum distance between the chord line and the mean
camber line.
• Maximum Thickness: Maximum distance between the upper and lower
surfaces of the airfoil normal to the chord line. Span: Width of the airfoil.
• Angle of Attack: Angle between the chord line and the streamwise flow
direction.
• Zero Lift Angle of Attack: Angle of Attack that will
produce no lift. For our symmetric wedge this would be
an angle of attack of zero.
• Stall Angle of Attack: Angle of attack at which there is
maximum lift (or lift coefficient)
• Symmetric or Uncambered Airfoil: Upper and lower
surfaces are mirror images, which leads to the mean
camber line to be coincident with the chord line. A
symmetric airfoil will also have a just camber of zero.
• Cambered Airfoil: An asymmetric airfoil for which the
mean camber line will be above the chord line.
• Pitching Moment: Torque or moment created on the
wing due to net lift and drag forces. Tends to rotate the
leading edge either up or down.
• Center of Pressure: The moment reference center for which
the moment is zero. Depends on the angle of attack.
• Aerodynamic Center: The moment reference center for
which the moment does not vary with angle of attack.
• NACA Classification
Airfoils have been classified by the National Advisory
Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the forerunner of NASA,
and have been cataloged using a four digit code. Hence a
specific airfoil can be identified by NACA WXYZ
where
W: maximum camber as % of the chord length
X: Location of the maximum camber form the leading edge
along the chord line in tenths of chord length
Y&Z: Maximum thickness in % of the chord length
NACA Four-Digit Series:
• The first digit specifies the maximum camber (m)
in percentage of the chord (airfoil length)
• Second digit indicates the position of the
maximum camber (p) in tenths of chord,
• The last two numbers provide the maximum
thickness (t) of the airfoil in percentage of chord.
• For example, the NACA 2415 airfoil has a
maximum thickness of 15% with a camber of 2%
located 40% back from the airfoil leading edge
(or 0.4c).
NACA Five-Digit Series:
• The first digit, when multiplied by 3/2, yields the
design lift coefficient (cl) in tenths.
• The next two digits, when divided by 2, give the
position of the maximum camber (p) in tenths of
chord.
• The final two digits again indicate the maximum
thickness (t) in percentage of chord.
• For example, the NACA 23012 has a maximum
thickness of 12%, a design lift coefficient of 0.3,
and a maximum camber located 15% back from
the leading edge.
NACA 6-Series:
• One of the more common examples is the NACA
641-212, a=0.6.
• In this example, 6 denotes the series and indicates that
this family is designed for greater laminar flow than the
Four- or Five-Digit Series.
• The second digit, 4, is the location of the minimum
pressure in tenths of chord (0.4c).
• The subscript 1 indicates that low drag is maintained at lift
coefficients 0.1 above and below the design lift coefficient
(0.2) specified by the first digit after the dash in tenths.
• The final two digits specify the thickness in percentage of
chord, 12%.
NACA 7-Series:
An example is the NACA 747A315.
• The 7 denotes the series,
• The 4 provides the location of the minimum pressure on the
upper surface in tenths of chord (40%),
• The 7 provides the location of the minimum pressure on the
lower surface in tenths of chord (70%).
• The fourth character, a letter, indicates the thickness
distribution and mean line forms used.
• A series of standaradized forms derived from earlier families
are designated by different letters.
• Again, the fifth digit incidates the design lift coefficient in
tenths (0.3) and the final two integers are the airfoil thickness
in perecentage of chord (15%).