BASIC

AERODYNAMIC
PRINCIPLES

THE EQUATION OF CONTINUITY

Simply states that MASS CAN
NEITHER BE CREATED OR
DESTROYED
Therefore, air mass flow is constant.

A.V.

= Constant

At speeds below .4 M density can to thought to be

insignificant so;

= Constant
A

BERNOULLIS THEOREM
A gas in steady motion possesses
4 types of energy;
1.

Potential energy due to height

2.

Heat energy

3.

Pressure energy

4.

Kinetic energy du to motion.

BERNOULLIS THEOREM
States THE TOTAL ENERGY OF
AN IDEAL STREAMLINED FLUID
IS CONSTANT
At speeds below .4 M it can be
further simplified by assuming no
transfer of heat energy and no
change in altitude.

For practical purposes, in the

streamlined flow around a wing at low
speed ;
Pressure + Kinetic
energy
energy
p

1 V2
2

= Constant

Constant

In words static pressure + dynamic

pressure will be constant.

Therefore an increase in dynamic

pressure will result in a decrease in
static pressure.

AEROFOIL TERMINOLOGY

ESSENTIAL
DEFINITIONS

FREE STREAM FLOW

Air in a region where pressure,
temperature and relative velocity are
unaffected by the passage of the
aircraft through it. Sometimes called
the RAF (Relative Air Flow)

TOTAL REACTION (TR)

The resultant of all the
aerodynamic forces acting on the
wing or aerofoil section

LIFT

That component of the TR which is

perpendicular to the flight path or
RAF

DRAG

The component of the TR which is

tangential to the flight path i. e
parallel to the RAF

CHORD LINE

A straight line joining the centres

of curvature of the leading and
trailing edges of an aerofoil

CHORD (c)
The distance between the leading
and trailing edge measured along the
chord line.

CHORD (c)

WING AREA (S)

Area of the wing projected on a
plane perpendicular to the normal
axis

MEAN LINE OR CAMBER LINE

A line joining the leading and
trailing edges of an aerofoil
equidistant from the upper and
lower surfaces.

MEAN LINE OR CAMBER LINE

ANGLE OF ATTACK ()
The angle between the chord line
and the flight path or RAF.
Sometimes referred to as incidence.

(Riggers) ANGLE OF INCIDENCE

The angle at which an aerofoil is
attached to the fuselage. The angle
between the mean chord line and the
longitudinal fuselage datum.

THICKNESS/CHORD RATIO (t/c)

The maximum thickness or depth
of an aerofoil section expressed as a
percentage of chord length.

CENTRE OF PRESSURE (CP)

The point, usually on the chord
line, through which the TR may be
considered to act.

STREAMLINE

The path traced by a particle in a

steady fluid flow

ASPECT RATIO (AR)

SPAN
CHORD

=ASPECT RATIO

SPAN2
AREA

=ASPECT RATIO

WING LOADING
The weight per unit area of the
wing.

WEIGHT
WING AREA

= W
S

LOAD FACTOR (g or n)

TOTAL LIFT
WEIGHT

SUMMARY