Effect of Different Parameters on

Airflow over past an Airfoil

1
Objective
• To have a basic idea about airfoils.
• Purpose of airfoil.
• Important terms in airfoil.
1. Lift
2. Drag
3. Coefficient of pressure
• Parameters affecting Lift, Drag, Coefficient of pressure and Flow
separation.
1. Angle of attack
2. Reynolds number
3. Tip distance to Chord ratio
Airfoil
• A streamlined surface designed in such a way that air flowing around
it produces useful motion.
Terms used in airfoil.
A fluid flowing past the surface of a body exerts a force on it.
Lift is the component of this force that is perpendicular to the oncoming flow
direction.
It contrasts with the drag force, which is the component of the force parallel
to the flow direction.
Pressure Coefficient Cp:
Cp is the difference between local static pressure and free-stream (at ∞) static
pressure, nondimensionalized by the free-stream dynamic pressure. At any point in
the flow where the local pressure coefficient Cp is defined as

𝐶p = 𝑃 − 𝑃 ∞
1/2 𝜌∞𝑈2∞

Some other terms:

Setup Arrangement
Airfoil Model

• In this presentation we are going to discus about NACA2415 aerofoil

by varying angle of attack from 0⁰ to 12⁰ at low Reynolds number
flight regimes (0.5 *105 to 3 *105).
Parametric effects

1. Angle Of Attack
2. Combine effect of Angle 0f Attack And Reynolds Number

Cp distributions over the NACA2415 aerofoil (a) Re = 1*105, (b) Re = 2*105, (c) Re = 3*105
(d) α= 8⁰
Comparison of schematic of separation-induced transition process with the experimental photograph
obtained oil-flow visualization over the NACA2415 aerofoil at α= 4⁰ at Re = 3*105
The photographs of oil-flow visualization experiments over the
NACA2415 aerofoil
for α= 4⁰ (a) Re = 1*105, (b) Re = 2*105, (c) Re = 3*105
for α= 8⁰ (d) Re = 1*105, (e) Re = 2*105, (f) Re = 3*105
for α= 12⁰ (a) Re = 1*105, (b) Re = 2*105, (c) Re = 3*105
for α= 15⁰ (d) Re = 1*105, (e) Re = 2*105, (f) Re = 3*105
Velocity Distribution On Airfoil

Region near to the trailing edge is known as flow separation zone.

Higher the projection area , higher the chances that an airfoil behave like a bluff body and creates the bigger
the wake region behind it.
Conclusion
1. Even though increasing angle of attack increases the generation of
lift upto a certain limit , the drag associated with it also increases
drastically afterwards.
2. For the same angle of attack higher the Reynolds number lesser the
transition area.
3. For the same Reynolds number higher the angle of attack the
transition area will be closer to the leading edge.
4. As we increase the angle of attack the chances of flow separation
also increases.
References
1. An experimental study on aerodynamics of NACA2415 aerofoil at
low Re numbers. M. Serdar Genc ,Ilyas Karasu, H. Hakan Acıkel
2. Geometrical effects on the airfoil flow separation and transition.
Wei Zhang , Wan Cheng, Wei Gao, Adnan Qamar