Potential Flow over an Airfoil Specified by Numerical Data File
Potential Flow over an Airfoil Specified by Numerical Data File
For flow visualization, the surface pressure coefficient is plotted for potential flow over a selected airfoil in a data file. The airfoils in this collection represent a small sample of the over 1500 airfoil data files posted on the UIUC (University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign) Airfoil Data Site. You can vary the angle of attack () of the uniform onset flow with the airfoil. A panel method using straightline vortex panels of linearly varying strength and external Neumann boundary conditions provide the potential-flow solution.
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The default graphic is a plot of the surface pressure coefficient. The plot includes values for the lift coefficient (), pitching moment coefficient about the leading edge (), and location of the center of pressure (). The yellow dot on the graph shows the location of the center of pressure.
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Alternatively, you can chose to display a flow visualization graphic showing a stream plot of the velocity field. This is an important check on the plausibility of the potential-flow solution.
This Demonstration is a companion to the Demonstration "Potential Flow over a NACA Four Digit Airfoil", where the airfoil geometry is specified by algebraic equations.