Airfoil moment performance details

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SUMMARY

This discussion focuses on obtaining moment coefficient data for various NACA airfoils as the angle of attack changes, specifically for testing a new type of pressure sensor. The user has found limited data from Anderson's "Intro to Flight" and NACA technical reports, which primarily cover tests with flaps. They require airfoil shapes that exhibit significant variation in moment coefficient without inducing flow separation, with angles of attack ranging from -10 to +20 degrees. Recommendations include utilizing resources such as the NASG site for polars, UIUC for lift and moment data, and a Java applet for airfoil analysis.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of NACA airfoil series and their characteristics
  • Familiarity with moment coefficient and its significance in aerodynamics
  • Basic knowledge of angle of attack and its effects on airflow
  • Experience with aerodynamic analysis tools, such as FEMLAB or Java applets
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the NASG site for airfoil polar data
  • Explore UIUC's lift and moment data publications
  • Utilize the Java applet at mh-aerotools.de for airfoil design and analysis
  • Investigate the impact of flow separation on moment coefficients in various airfoil shapes
USEFUL FOR

Aerodynamic engineers, researchers in fluid dynamics, and anyone involved in airfoil design and performance analysis will benefit from this discussion.

enigma
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I'm looking for either tables or graphs which show variations in moment coefficient (either about the 1/4 chord or the leading edge) as angle of attack changes.

I have details for a handful of NACA standard airfoils from Anderson's Intro to Flight book, but I'm looking for more.

Most of the information I've found on the NACA technical reports server only applies to tests with different types of flaps, which is not going to work for my needs.

Basically, I need to decide on an airfoil shape which I'm going to be using to test a new type of pressure sensor. The goal is to find a shape which results in as large a variation in moment coefficient as possible without having major flow separation as the angle of attack is varied. The specific angles of attack haven't been decided yet, but my guess is anywhere from +-10 to +-20 degrees.

It looks like the moments for NACA 4 and 5 series are fairly stable over a wide angle of attack range, and the 64- series are a bit better, but I only have one or two data points to compare.

Anyone know where this information can be found, short of designing each wing in FEMLAB and running simulations?
 
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Try the NASG site. They have polars for many airfoil shapes.

http://www.nasg.com/afdb/list-polar-e.phtml


UIUC also has lift and moment data (vols 1 to 3):

http://www.aae.uiuc.edu/m-selig/pub/lsat/

Airfoil comparison:

http://soaring.cnde.iastate.edu/calcs/frames.shtml

Check out this last one. It's a Java applet that let's you make airfoils and analyze parameters such as lift, drag, and moment.

http://www.mh-aerotools.de/airfoils/javafoil.htm

Click on 'The Applet' on the left side frame to start the applet. 'Polar' and 'moment' tabs are available and bring up a plot of Cm vs. angle of attack.
 
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