NACA Airfoils

6-Feb-08 AE 315 Lesson 10: Airfoil nomenclature and properties 1

Definitions: Airfoil Geometry

Mean camber line

Chord line

Chord

x=0 x=c
Leading edge Trailing edge

NACA Nomenclature

NACA 2421
1stDigit: Maximum camber is 2% of 2D airfoil
chord length, c (or 3D wing mean chord length, c).
2nd Digit: Location of maximum camber is at
4/10ths (or 40%) of the chord line, from the LE.
3rd & 4th Digits: Maximum thickness is 21% of c
(or c).
0.21 m
0.40 m
0.02 m

c=1m

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 Lift-Curve Slope Terminology
cl c 3
l

4
α Sample NACA Data

[1] αl=0 – Angle of attack (α) where the lift coefficient (cl) = 0, ∴ no lift is produced;
αl=0 = 0 for a symmetric airfoil; αl=0 < 0 for a positively cambered airfoil.
[2] clα– Lift-curve slope (dcl/dα); ‘rise’ of cl over ‘run’ of α for a linear portion of
the plot; ≈ 0.11/deg for a 2D (thin) airfoil (sometimes called a0)
[3] clmax – Maximum cl the airfoil can produce prior to stall
[4] αstall – Stall angle of attack; α at clmax; maximum α prior to stall

DATA SHOWN ON NACA CHARTS (2421)

Airfoil Shape

Data point symbols for various Reynolds numbers (R)

Location of aerodynamic center (a.c.)

Fill in the blanks:

think – pair - share

NACA 6716
1st Digit: Maximum camber is _% of 2D airfoil
chord length, c
2nd Digit: Location of maximum camber is at __
/10ths of the chord line, from the LE.
3rd & 4th Digits: Maximum thickness is _% of c).
NACA 6716
0.14
0.09
y/c

0.04
-0.01
-0.06
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1

x/c

2
 Definitions: Symmetrical Airfoil

If an airfoil is symmetrical, then the chord line is the line of symmetry.

The part of the airfoil above the chord line will be the mirror image
of the part below it.

Fill in the blank:

If max thickness is 15% of chord – What is NACA 4-digit description?

Wing Geometry

)
(b
an
Sp

Planform Area (S)

Chord (c) S=b*c

Angle of Attack,
Airfoil Forces and Moments

Lift Aerodynamic Force

Moment
+

V∞ α Drag

Relative
wind

Angle of attack (α) : angle between relative wind and

chord line
Note: 1) lift is perpendicular to freestream velocity
2) drag is parallel to freestream velocity
3) moment is positive nose-up

3
 Pressure & Shear Distribution Change with a
Change in Angle of Attack
Aerodynamic Force Vector
– Sum of Pressure and Shear forces
– Lift (perpendicular to flow) results
mostly from pressure forces
– Drag (parallel to flow) contains shear Lift Total Aerodynamic Force
and pressure forces
(Sum of Pressure and Shear)

Pressure

Vfree stream

Drag

Shear
Figure 3.10 , Page 75

Center of Pressure
Lift Aerodynamic Force

Moment = 0
+

V∞ α Drag

Center of Pressure: the point on the airfoil where the total

moment due to aerodynamic forces is zero (for a given α and V∞ )

Increasing angle of attack causes the center of pressure to move forward

while decreasing angle of attack moves the center of pressure backwards.

Aerodynamic Center
y

Mac
x
+

V∞ α

Aerodynamic Center : The point on the airfoil where the

moment is independent of angle of attack. Fixed for
•subsonic flight ≈ c/4
•supersonic flight ≈ c/2.
The moment has a
•negative value for positively cambered airfoils
•zero for symmetric airfoils.

4
 Force and Moment Coefficients

l
Lift: cl ≡
q∞ S
d Note: nondimensional
Drag: cd ≡
q∞ S coefficients!
m
Moment: cm ≡
q ∞ Sc

Coefficients for NACA airfoils are found from charts

in Appendix B.

Why are these coefficients a function of angle of attack

and Reynolds number?

DATA SHOWN ON NACA CHARTS (2421)

Airfoil Shape

Data point symbols for various Reynolds numbers (R)

Location of aerodynamic center (a.c.)

DATA SHOWN ON NACA CHARTS (2421)

Lift Curve :
cl plotted against α

5
DATA SHOWN ON NACA CHARTS (2421)

Drag Polar:
cd plotted against cl

DATA SHOWN ON NACA CHARTS (2421)

Pitching moment coefficient at the quarter-chord

point (cmc/4) plotted against α

DATA SHOWN ON NACA CHARTS (2421)

Pitching moment coefficient at the aerodynamic

center (cmac) plotted against cl

6
 Daily quiz

Given: NACA 2421 Airfoil

Reynolds Number = 5.9x106
Angle of Attack = 12°
Find: cl =
clα = (∆ cl / ∆α) =
cd =
cm c/4 =
cm a.c.=
clmax =
αstall =
αl=0 =

Example Problem (NACA 2421)

cl ≈ 1.3

cl α = 0.6/6° = 0.1/°

Cm c/4 ≈ -0.025

Reynolds Number

Example Problem (NACA 2421)

cd ≈ 0.018

cl ≈ 1.3

Cm a.c. ≈ -0.04

Reynolds Number

7
 Example Problem (NACA 2421)

clmax ≈ 1.4

αl=0 ≈ -2°

αstall ≈ 15°

Reynolds Number

Example Problem
We just found:
cl = 1.3 ; cd = 0.018 ; cmac = -0.04

To calculate the lift, drag and pitching moment on the airfoil we need to know the
dynamic pressure, the chord, and the planform area.

Given that we are at sea level on a standard day with V∞ = 100 ft/sec,

q = ½ ρ∞ V∞2 = ½ (0.002377 slug/ft3) (100 ft/sec)2 = 11.885 lb/ft2

If c = 4 ft and S = 200 ft2,

l = cl ⋅ q ⋅ S = (1.3) ⋅ (11.885 lb/ft2) ⋅ (200 ft2) = 3090 lb

d = cd ⋅ q ⋅ S = (0.018) ⋅ (11.885 lb/ft2) ⋅ (200 ft2) = 42.8 lb
mac = cmac ⋅ q ⋅ S ⋅ c
= (-0.04) ⋅ (11.885 lb/ft2) ⋅ (200 ft2) ⋅ (4 ft) = - 380 ft-lb

Changes to Lift Curves

1. Camber cl
cl Positive camber

Zero Camber (symmetric)

Negative camber
α
c
2. 2D vs 3D cl Airfoil C = lα
wings CL Lα 57 . 3 c
(2-D)
1+ lα
cl α
Wing π eAR
CL α (3-D)
α C =C (α − α )
Lα Lα L=0
6-Feb-08 AE 315 Lesson 10: Airfoil nomenclature and properties 24

8
 Changes to Lift Curves

3. Flaps cl Without flaps

With flaps

α
4. Boundary Layer Control (BLC) or increasing Reynolds Number
cl
Without BLC

With BLC

α
6-Feb-08 AE 315 Lesson 10: Airfoil nomenclature and properties 25

3-D Effects on Lift

c l and CL
Airfoil

cl α

CL α

Wing

Notice the slope is decreased for the wing and the

zero lift angle of attack is unchanged.
6-Feb-08 AE 315 Lesson 10: Airfoil nomenclature and properties 26