Wing Lift?

Ted Davies

Rationale (or Summary)

Wings have always been important; they move millions
of people every day. The research I am conduction shows
the importance of the design of a wing; many people take
the work of wings for granted. Actually designing the wing
takes years and years of perfection, and testing. They are
complex things, even though to the naked eye they seem so
simple. The design of a wing helps people get to places
around the world, safely, every day.

Investigative Question
Out of four simple wing designs
(symmetrical, semi symmetrical, flat bottomed,
and under-cambered), which one lifts the most
mass?

Hypothesis
If each wing is tested in the exact same conditions, then
the under camber wing will lift the most because evidence
shows that the high pressure air will collect in the roof of
the wing camber, subsequently giving the wing more lifting
ability.

Variables
My independent variable is: The design of the
wing
My dependant variable is: How much mass the
wing lifts

Control
I did not use any controls in my experiment

Materials Needed (in detail - metric units)

Foam board, measured in centimetres 2x (30.48 x 15.24 x 2.54)

Hot wire foam cutter
Fine tipped permanent marker
Wing outlines
Sewing pins
Hot glue gun
2x 3.048 meter pvc pipe, with 0.635 cm diameter
Wood blocks
Clamps
Large fan
Lots of cardboard
Packing tape
Box cutter
Straight edge
Right angle edge
Right angle brackets (4x)
Extension cord
Pencils

Procedure
1.

Building the Winds Tunnel

a.
Exit tunnel
i.
Draw up a stencil for the exit tunnel (half of this stencil will be used for the entrance tunnel
ii.
Pin stencil down onto the cardboard
iii.
Using a straightedge, trace around the stencil.
iv.
Remove the stencil
v.
Using the box cutter, carefully cut out the side of the exit tunnel
vi.
Repeat steps II-V four more times
vii.
Stand up two of the sides, so that they balance on each other
viii.
Using the packing tape. carefully tape the two sides together
ix.
Repeat steps VII-VIII, each time adding on one more side
b.
Fan holder (frame)
i.
Measure the sides of the fan
ii.
Cut cardboard to the size of the fan, with 3 sides being 7.62 cm wide and one side being 15.24 cm wide
iii.
Arrange the cardboard on the fan
iv.
Using the packing tape, tape the cardboard so that the frame is snug on the fan, but not too tight
v.
Remove fan from frame
vi.
Attach the fan holder to the exit tunnel
vii.
Attach a support to the underside of the exit tunnel
viii.
Place the fan back into the frame
c.
Entrance tunnel
i.
Cut template for exit tunnel in half, approximately down the centre of the template
ii.
Repeat steps AII-AV four times
iii.
Repeat steps AVII-AVIII four times, each time adding on a side
iv.
Place one right angle brace on the outside of the tunnel
v.
Tape down the right angle brace firmly
vi.
Repeat steps IV-V 3 times

Procedure (contd)
c.

2.

Centre Tunnel
i.
Obtain a box with the dimensions of about (in CM) 15.24 x 15.24 x 182.88
ii.
Cut a portion of the box out, so the new boxs dimensions are 15.24 x 15.24 x 50.8
iii.
Unfold the box so it is a flat sheet
iv.
With the PVC pipe, cut 81x 10.16 cm tubes
v.
With the wood blocks and clamps, place all 81 tubes inside so that the bottom ends are flush with each other
vi.
Carefully glue each pipe to the others by inserting several drops of glue into the holes between each tube
vii.
Once the glue is dry, remove the block of tubes
viii.
Place the block on the flat cardboard that will be the centre section
ix.
Make sure the block is 6 cm away from the end of the cardboard
x.
Using the packing tape, re-tape the centre section
xi.
Hot glue the block of tubes to the centre section
xii.
Cut holes in the side and top about 15.5 x 7 centimetres in dimension
xiii.
Cut the Lexan so that it overlaps each hole by about 2 cm
xiv.
Using the packing tape, tape each lexan slide to the windows
xv.
Around the top window, cut a flap that encompases the window, so that the window can be lifted out of the way with ease.
xvi.
Insert wood supports below the centre section
xvii.
Attach all 3 the sections together using lots of packing tape
Cutting the Wings
a.
Fine tune the foam cutter by using a right angle to adjust the wire angle
b.
Cut a 30.58 x 2.54 x 15.29 cm foam block into four equal blocks
c.
Tack down a wing template to the 15.29 cm section of one foam block
d.
Using a fine-tipped permanent marker, carefully trace around the wing
e.
Remove wing template
f.
Plug in the foam cutter
g.
Using extreme caution, move the block of foam so that the wire melts away the red line, revealing the wing (this took several tries)
h.
Repeat steps 2c-2g three more times, each time using a different wing template
i.
Find three common points on each wing, and mark them each with a marker

Procedure (contd)
3.

4.

Creating the wing mounts

a.
Using the common points in the wing, screw in 1 eye hook to each one
b.
Place the wing down on the floor of the centre section
c.
Using the marker, make a point under each eye
d.
Using the box cutter, cut holes about 1.5 cm in diameter where the holes
e.
Obtain 3x 25.4 cm threaded bars
f.
Using a block of wood about 2 x 6 x 6 cm, drill and countersink 3 holes about where each hole in the cardboard is
g.
Attach the threaded bars to the block of wood by inserting it through the holes, and use washers to fasten each bar to the block of wood
h.
Insert the threaded bars into the holes in the centre section
i.
Place gram scale underneath the block of wood
j.
Once inserted, screw down one nut onto each threaded bar, until theyre about 3 cm down from the top
Testing each wing
a.
With the eye-hooks attached to the wing, lower the wing onto the bars
b.
Level the wing by adjusting the bottom nuts that were screwed on in step 3j
c.
After leveling the wing, screw down 1 nut on top of each threaded bar
d.
Tighten the nuts so that the wing is firmly positioned on the threaded bars
e.
Turn on the scale and measure the mass of the whole weight chassis
f.
Press tare so that the scale now reads 0 (zero)
g.
Turn on fan to high, and record the highest weight shown on scale
h.
Turn off fan
i.
Repeat steps 4f-4h two more times
j.
Remove the top nuts securing the wing down
k.
Remove the wing
l.
Replace with a new wing
m.
Repeat steps 4b-4l 3 more times

Pictures
Picture credit to Dave Davies and myself

Data Table(s)/Charts
Symmetrical Wing

Semi-symmetrical
Wing

Flat bottom
Wing

Undercamber Wing

Test 1

22.0

22.0

18.0

2.0

Test 2

16.0

18.0

8.0

4.0

Test 3

18.0

18.0

12.0

4.0

Average

18.6

19.3

12.7

3.3

Graphs
.

Results
My results showed that the semi-symmetrical wing
lifted the most mass, averaging about 19.3 grams per test
The undercambered wing, surprisingly lifted the least mass,
averaging about 3.3 grams per test, which went against my
hypothesis. The symmetrical wing lifted the second most
mass, averaging at 18.3 grams per test. The flat-bottomed
wing lifted the second least mass, averaging 12.6 grams per
test.

Conclusion
I conclude that I proved my hypothesis wrong. The data showed the opposite of
what my hypothesis stated. The data I collected during experimentation clearly
showed that my hypothesis was incorrect.
I disproved my hypothesis, as the wing I thought would lift the most mass
actually lifted the least mass. In a way, there is a relationship between my two
variables. In a perfect wind tunnel, the Symmetrical wing lifts the least, and the
Undercamber wing lifts the most. Now, my wind tunnel was not perfect, nor
were the wings, so my results did vary from results that would come from a
wind tunnel, say, at NASA.

Considerations
If I were to do this experiment again, I would use a fan
with higher power, because I dont think the fan used wasn
t adequate. I would also explore making more accurate
wings, maybe using a 3D printer. For an even more indepth project, I could also implement the factor of wing
pitch, or for an even more complex project, add flaps into
the experimentation.

Application
My project, even though it has already been proven in
more ideal conditions, has some pretty serious impacts in
the aviation industry; as the wing is the most important
part of the airplane; so the design of the wing is extremely
crucial to the safety of the airplane.

Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my dad for helping me
through the whole process, and giving me
random tips and ideas.

Bibliography
"Beginner Series - Basic Aerodynamics." Flite Test. N.p., 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 08 Oct. 2014. <http://flitetest.com/articles/beginnerseries-basic-aerodynamics>.

"AIAA @ ASU - Outreach Project Wind Tunnel." AIAA ASU. N.p., Feb.-Mar. 2013. Web. 08 Oct. 2014. <http://aiaa.engineering.
asu.edu/?page_id=190>.

Mackowski, Mike. "Phoenix AIAA STEM Activities." Wind Tunnel. Phoenix AIAA Stem Activities, Web. 08 Oct. 2014. <http://stemaz.org/styled-2/>.

"Ch1-2." Ch1-2. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2014. <http://history.nasa.gov/SP-440/ch1-2.htm>.

"Incorrect Lift Theory." Nasa.gov. Ed. Tom Benson. NASA, 12 June 2014. Web. 02 Dec. 2014. <http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k12/airplane/wrong1.html>.