FearlessFreep
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2002
- Posts
- 330
I am certainly no expert in the science of aerodynamics or fluid dynamics.
I do know that ther are a few important aspects that must be taken into consideration; mostly Reynolds Numbers, boundary layer and seperation of flow. When you are working in the smaller scale a lot of funny looking devices can actually produce Bernoullian lift instead of just the Newtonian lift that one would think was the only producer of lift. If there is no seperation of flow a camber can be effected with just a flat surface with a small angle of attack.
The diamond shaped airfoil on the F-104 has to do with supersonic flow.
Absolutely symmetrical airfoils operate because a small angle of attack is applied in level flight to cause a difference of pressure between the upper and lower surfaces. If the angle of attack is zero there is absolutely no difference in pressure so no lift is produced.
This is all what I have been taught or been exposed to by research or conversation. I offer no guarantees to it's accuracy.
The thing to do is get a serious aeronautical engineer discuss all of this.
It is all interesting conversation though.
I do know that ther are a few important aspects that must be taken into consideration; mostly Reynolds Numbers, boundary layer and seperation of flow. When you are working in the smaller scale a lot of funny looking devices can actually produce Bernoullian lift instead of just the Newtonian lift that one would think was the only producer of lift. If there is no seperation of flow a camber can be effected with just a flat surface with a small angle of attack.
The diamond shaped airfoil on the F-104 has to do with supersonic flow.
Absolutely symmetrical airfoils operate because a small angle of attack is applied in level flight to cause a difference of pressure between the upper and lower surfaces. If the angle of attack is zero there is absolutely no difference in pressure so no lift is produced.
This is all what I have been taught or been exposed to by research or conversation. I offer no guarantees to it's accuracy.
The thing to do is get a serious aeronautical engineer discuss all of this.
It is all interesting conversation though.
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