Lift And Drag Essay

The lift and drag characteristics of NACA 0012, 1408, 2412, and 4412 airfoils are characterized using a 6” by 6” subsonic wind tunnel equipped with a force balance. The axial and normal forces on the airfoil are measured at angles of attack ranging from -8° to 28° and used to determine lift and drag forces. Lift, drag, and drag polar curves are generated using experimental data. Lift coefficients are found to increase linearly with increasing angle of attack up to the critical angle of attack. Drag coefficients are found to increase quadratically with increasing angle of attack. Both lift and drag coefficients are found to increase with increasing camber. Experimental results for finite wingspan airfoils are compared to published section data for infinite wingspan airfoils, revealing significant differences. Using wind tunnel data, the NACA 1408 is chosen as the optimal airfoil for aircraft landing and racecar spoiler applications, while the NACA 2412 is chosen for an aircraft at cruise conditions.

Since then, countless experimental research has been conducted to determine the aerodynamic properties, such as lift and drag, of different airfoil shapes. This research has revealed that there is no singular wing shape that is optimal for every situation, but instead that certain shapes are ideal for particular applications. Nowadays, computational methods for determining aerodynamic properties of airfoils are widely utilized due to their ease of use and sufficient accuracy. However, experimental methods remain the most accurate in determining aerodynamic characteristics. Before we discuss experimental procedures, we will define some important aerodynamic