Three-Dimensional Wall Effects In a freestream, recall that a lifting body can e modeled by a horseshoe vortex:

Consider a rectangular cross-section tunnel:

Flow is into page

wing

The image system for this looks like:

y y y
images

y y y
images y y y y

y y y
images y

y y y

y images

y y y y y y

actual tunnel y y images y y y y

images y images y y y

y y y

y images

y y y

y y y

y y y

y y y

y y y

Three-Dimensional Wall Effects

The effect of these images is: For fixed lift, such that is constant, an upwash exists due to images is effectively larger

effective freestream AOA

tunnel
AOA of model in tunnel

i correction due to upwash induced by images

Similarly, this creates decrease in induced drag relative to freestream flight: Recall,
C Di C L i C Di = C L i C Di = C Di
tunnel

+ C Di

Or, since we are interested in the total drag:

C D = C Dtunnel + C Di
Specific formulas derived in detailed analysis give that:

S i = ( )C L C
where S = reference area C = tunnel cross - sectional area

= factor which depends on tunnel & model geometry

Wright Brothers is an elliptic cross-section with dimensions 10 ft wide by 7 ft high.

b h

B
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Three-Dimensional Wall Effects

Define:

h B b k e B be effective span 0.9b

be

horseshoe model

caused because wing tip trailing vortices are inboard of tips a short distance downstream

actual trailing vortex

Values of for a wing with uniform loading in a closed elliptical jet

Boundary Correction Factor,

K = Effective span/Jet width

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