lifting foils with ailerons

[dalebirrell]

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how you would go about finding or modelling lift coefficient data for a standard NACA foil with a trailing edge flap or aileron?

Cheers,

Dale Birrell

[tspeer]

Summary of Airfoil Data, Fig 68, pg 237 in the PDF.

Another approach would be to use XFOIL to compute the section characteristics with the flap deflected, provided it is a plain flap (no gap).

[tspeer]

The above will give you the section data. You will need to use something like a vortex lattice code (e.g., AVL) to get the effect of differentially deflected flaps on the 3D lift and drag, especially when strut interference is included. The effect on induced drag will probably dwarf the change in section profile drag.

[DaveJ]

accually you would be surprised on how much extra lift you get for less drag with flaps. I remember reading a book called mechanics of flight where it gave a table with the % increased for lift compaired to the % increase in drag for several of the common type flags systems. The flag system that was used on the carrier based fighter planes during WWII where the split type and even with that type of system it still gave a 30% increase in lift with only a 10% increase in draft, it changed my whole concept of flaps from that day onwards.

[dalebirrell]

thanks very much Tom