Flight Investigation at High Speeds of Flow Conditions Over an Airplane Wing as Indicated by Surface Tufts
Author: Clotaire Wood
Publisher:
Published: 1945
Total Pages: 28
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Summary: Flight tests were made at high speeds with a P-47D airplane to determine the flow characteristics, as indicated by wool tufts, on a section of the upper surface of the wing. The behavior of the tufts, which were distributed over a section of the wing from 39.5 to 52.5 percent semispan, was determined from motion pictures. The tests were made in straight flight and in turns under conditions in which airplane lift coefficients from 0.10 to 0.54 and airplane Mach numbers from 0.58 to 0.78 were obtained. The results of the tests indicated that the flow remained smooth over the test panel until the critical Mach number of the panel was exceeded by 0.08 at a lift coefficient of 0.10 and by 0.05 at a lift coefficient of 0.50. Beyond these Mach numbers, the tufts indicated unsteadiness of flow and, finally, local separation when the Mach number exceeded the critical value by 0.13 at a lift coefficient of 0.10 and by 0.10 at a lift coefficient of 0.50. The region of separated flow originated in the neighborhood of 30 percent chord at high lift coefficients and 45 percent chord at low lift coefficients. Separation appeared to extend over not more than 15 percent chord.
