Aerodynamics

Lecture 6 Stream Function, Velocity Potential and Laplace Equation

Do chapter from the Cengel book that covers the stream function and velocity
potential in both Cartesian and Polar coordinates.

Lecture 1 Introduction and Airfoil Chracaterisitics

Camber:
The camber of an airfoil is the characteristic curve of its upper or lower surface. The
camber determines the airfoil's thickness. But, more important, the camber determines the
amount of lift that a wing produces as air flows around it. A high-speed, low-lift airfoil has
very little camber. A low-speed, high-lift airfoil, like that on the Cessna 150, has a very
pronounced camber.
You may also encounter the terms upper camber and lower camber. Upper camber refers to
the curve of the upper surface of the airfoil, while lower camber refers to the curve of the
lower surface of the airfoil. In the great majority of airfoils, upper and lower cambers differ
from one another.
Reflex camber line just means negative camber line?
5-digit numbering system for airfoil is wrong in lectures? NEED TO RESOLVE THIS
ISSUE

NACA 2415:
NACA2415 has a maximum camber of 2%c located at a distance 40%c
from the leading edge, and it is 15% thick.
Flight phases: take-off, climb, cruise, descent landing
Lift, drag and moment coefficients are functions of angle of attack,
Reynolds number and Mach number:

Note however that Cm is insensitive to AoA except at high AoA

For symmetric airfoil, the quarter-chord point is both the centre of
pressure and the aerodynamic centre.
For a cambered airfoil, the quarter-chord point is the theoretical location of
the aerodynamic centre. The centre of pressure is further down the chord.
Apect ratio equations:
AR= b/c = b^2/S

which implies S=b*c

Lecture 2 Airfoil Pressure Distribution

Asdf
Did read Anderson chapters but need to read the actual lectures notes for
lecture 2.

Lecture 3 Centre of Pressure and Aerodynamic Centre

The centre of pressure of an airfoil is a point where the total sum of the
pressure field acts on the airfoil, causing the resultant aerodynamic force,
R', to act through this point. The aerodynamic moment at this point is 0.

The aerodynamic centre of an airfoil is a point where the aerodynamic

moment and thus the moment coefficient is independent of the angle of
attack or the lift coefficient.
For (symmetric or cambered) thin airfoils in inviscid, incompressible flow,
the theoretical location of the aerodynamic centre is at the quarter-chord
point.
For thin symmetric airfoils in inviscid, incompressible flow, the quarter
chord point is also the location of the centre of pressure.
Location of AC:
The AC position moves forward due to thickness and viscosity, but moves
rearwards due to compressibility effects.
Location of CP:
Location of CP tends to be behind AC. CP moves forward as the angle of
attack increases. Location of CP relative the CG position affects the
stability of the aircraft.
Lecture 4 Aerodynamic Forces and Moments
Remember that N' and A' are the normal and axial forces per unit span.
That is what the prime signifies.
Ina wind tunnel test, the drag force acting on the airfoil can be obtained
by measuring the velocity distribution across the wake region using a Pitot
rake.
Lecture 5 Introduction to Inviscid Flow Theory
Look at the first few slides for this lecture to see slides on Streamlines,
Governing Equations, and Forces on Fluid Element.
Lecture 6 Stream Function, Velocity Potential and Laplace's
Equation
The stream function is only applicable for incompressible, 2-D flows
(rotational and irrotational).
The velocity potential is valid for 3-D irrotational flows (compressible or
incompressible).
For 2-D incompressible, irrotational flows, the potential lines and
streamlines are mutually perpendicular.
For source/sink flow, is the source strength, or the volume flow rate
(volume flowing per unit area).

The stagnation point analysis and the dividing streamline are important as
the dividing streamline separates the flow into two regions: internal flow
and external flow. For a nonlifting cylinder for example, the dividing
streamline that passes through the stagnation point separates the flow
inside the cylinder that comes from the doublet (internal flow) and the
flow outside the cylinder that comes from the freestream (external flow).
This is an important concept because the flow inside the cylinder can be
replaced by a solid body, and the external flow will not know the
difference.
Definition of circulation: the circulation is simply the line integral (taken
clockwise) of the velocity around any curve in the flow enclosing the
body/airfoil.

Lecture 7 Flow over a nonlifting & lifting cylinder and the KuttaJoukowski theorem
body/airfoil.
Lecture 8 The classical thin aerofoil theory and Kutta condition
body/airfoil.

Vortex sheet definition:

Consider a sequence of flows where a single vortex of strength is
repeatedly subdivided into smaller vortices which are evenly distributed
along a line segment of length l. The limit of this subdivision process is a
vortex sheet of length = /l. Another way of thinking about this is to
imagine an infinite number of vortices placed side by side to form a vortex
sheet, where the strength of each individual vortex is infinitesimally small.

A vortex sheet represents an asymptotic model of shear-free layer in

which the transition region between the two fluid streams is approximated
by a surface across which the tangential velocity component is
discontinuous.
For a cambered airfoil, the quarter-chord point is the location of the
aerodynamic centre (i.e. where the moment is independent of the angle of
attack) but not the centre of pressure.
For a cambered airfoil, the lift slope is 2*pi the same as that for a
symmetric airfoil. However, the lift coefficient is different because of the
additional integral term which represents the zero-lift angle of attack.
Have a brief look at Kelvin theorem and the starting vortex
Read summary page 406.
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