Experimental Study of a Joukowski Airfoil
Published:
Experimental Study and Analysis of a Joukowski Airfoil
The flow characteristics over a two dimensional model of a Joukowski airfoil are studied experimentally in a low speed wind tunnel. This experiment is conducted to measure the pressure coefficients in different chord-wise locations on the upper and lower surfaces of the airfoil. Experiments were carried out by varying the angle of attack, from -6 to 16 degrees. The pressure distribution on the upper surface changes significantly at higher angles of attack (due to stall). The upper surface suction causes an adverse pressure gradient especially for higher angles of attack, resulting in rapid decay of kinetic energy over the upper surface, leading to a thicker wake and higher turbulence level. The test covered a range of Reynolds number from 300,000 to 600,000. Further, the lift and drag forces are measured using an external balance. The tests are conducted in a closed loop wind tunnel with no flow visualization possibility. The external load cell was calibrated to reduce the systematic errors in the measurement of lift and drag.
