The physical foundations of unsteady thin-airfoil theory are explored in the general framework of viscous flows. The thin-airfoil lift formula is derived by using the simple lift formula that contains the vortex lift and the lift associated with the fluid acceleration. From a broader perspective, the thin-airfoil lift formula could be applicable even when the flow around an airfoil is moderately separated, from which the classical von Kármán–Sears lift formula can be recovered as a reduced case. The quantitative relationship between boundary layer and lift generation is discussed. Direct numerical simulations of low-Reynolds-number flows over a flapping flat-plate airfoil are conducted to examine the accuracy and limitations of the thin-airfoil lift formula.
Unsteady Thin-Airfoil Theory Revisited: Application of a Simple Lift Formula
AIAA Journal ; 53 , 6 ; 1492-1502
2014-10-31
11 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
Unsteady Thin-Airfoil Theory Revisited: Application of a Simple Lift Formula
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