Research on the Aerodynamic Performance of an Airfoil

Abstract

Airfoils provide lift force for planes and keep planes flying in the atmosphere. Different airfoils have distinct performance characteristics based on their shapes, influencing the flying condition of planes and people’s safety. Therefore, an airfoil’s shape must be carefully studied and deliberated on because it’s an engineer’s professional duty to protect people’s safety with engineering knowledge. In this paper, physical and mathematical models are applied to analyze the shape and corresponding characteristics of an airfoil. Models, including Bernoulli’s Equation and Ideal gas Law, are applied, which are fundamental engineering models. Professional computational tools, including Matlab, are also utilized for the accuracy of data and plots and convenience in data analysis. As aeronautics technology keeps developing, more challenges will arise. Based on the data of existing airfoils, this paper also brings some considerations for the future of airfoil designs which are going to need to satisfy more flying conditions and types of aircraft.