Can Plasticine Be Used as an Aerofoil?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the use of plasticine as a material for constructing aerofoils in an investigation of lift. Participants explore the feasibility and implications of using plasticine in various experimental setups related to aerofoil shapes.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Experimental/applied

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the suitability of plasticine as an aerofoil material for their IB coursework project.
  • Another participant expresses confusion regarding the use of plasticine, suggesting it may be too heavy for effective aerofoil applications.
  • A different participant shares their experience of using plasticine to model various aerofoil shapes and conducting experiments with a basic wind tunnel, but questions the acceptance of plasticine as a valid material for such experiments.
  • A later reply suggests that the original poster might find more specific answers in a dedicated aerospace engineering thread on the forum.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the appropriateness of plasticine as an aerofoil material. There are varying opinions on its weight and suitability for experiments, indicating ongoing uncertainty and debate.

Contextual Notes

Some limitations include the lack of clarity on the specific experimental conditions and the definitions of what constitutes an acceptable aerofoil material. The discussion does not resolve whether plasticine can be considered a valid choice for the experiments described.

Who May Find This Useful

Students and educators involved in physics or engineering projects related to aerodynamics, particularly those exploring materials for model construction and experimental design.

jiggy
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I am doing a project for my IB coursework investigating lift on aerofoils with different shapes. I was wondering if plasticine can be used as an aerofoil. Answer urgently needed!
 
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I'm a little confused as to what you mean as using plasticine for an airfoil, but the first thing that comes to mind is that it's much too heavy.. but that seems a bit obvious maybe be a bit clearer.

or perhaps you mean using plasticine just to represent the airfoil shape, in which case again seems obvious and would be fine..
 
I am designing aerofoils of different shapes such as camber , cuboid , sphere , etc. For modelling them , I have used plasticine instead of polystyrene I have done experiments using plasticine and have gotten results. but I am not too sure if plasticine is an accepted aerofoil to do the experiment with. my experiment is pretty low-tech using a very basic wind tunnel
 
Oh I see! well although I can't answer for sure, if you didn't know there's an aerospace engineering thread on this site and if you posted your question there I'm sure someone would have an answer for you. Good luck your project sounds very interesting!
 

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