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NACA-RM-A8A21 · The effectiveness at high speeds of a 10-percent-chord plain trailing-edge flap on the NACA 65-210 airfoil section

NASA (NTRS) · 1948

Open the PDFPublic domain · NASA (NTRS)Technical Reports

Overview

This report contains the results of a high-speed wind-tunnel investigation of the effectiveness of a 10-percent-chord plain flap on the NACA 65-210 airfoil section. The results include an indication of the lift-producing characteristics and the effectiveness of the 10-percent-chord flap. From a…

Pages
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28

Key points

  • A high-speed wind-tunnel investigation was conducted to assess the effectiveness of a 10-percent-chord plain flap on the NACA 65-210 airfoil section.
  • The lift increment for a given deflection of the 10-percent-chord flap does not fall below 50 percent of its low-speed value across the tested Mach number range.
  • The effectiveness of the 10-percent-chord flap decreases gradually with increasing Mach number, with a significant reduction observed at supercritical speeds.
  • Comparative analysis shows that while the 10-percent-chord flap experiences less severe effectiveness losses at high speeds compared to a 20-percent-chord flap, the latter remains more effective overall.
  • The study indicates that reliable estimates of airplane control characteristics at high Mach numbers require experimental data, as current analytical methods are insufficient.
Frequently asked questions
What was the main focus of the investigation?

The investigation focused on determining the effectiveness of a 10-percent-chord plain flap on the NACA 65-210 airfoil section at high speeds.

How does the effectiveness of the 10-percent-chord flap change with speed?

The effectiveness of the 10-percent-chord flap decreases gradually with increasing Mach number, particularly at supercritical speeds.

What were the findings regarding lift increment?

The findings indicate that the lift increment for a given deflection of the 10-percent-chord flap does not fall below 50 percent of its low-speed value within the tested Mach number range.

How does the 10-percent-chord flap compare to the 20-percent-chord flap?

While the 10-percent-chord flap experiences less severe effectiveness losses at high speeds, the 20-percent-chord flap remains more effective throughout the entire Mach number range.

What is necessary for accurate predictions of control effectiveness at high speeds?

Reliable estimates of airplane control characteristics at high Mach numbers can only be made from pertinent experimental data, as current analytical methods are not sufficient.

Document

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RESEARCH .MEMORANDUM

THE EFFECTIVENESS AT HIGH SPEEDS OF A 10-PERCENT-CHORD PLAIN TRAILING-EDGE FLAP ON T H E NACA 65-210 AIRFOIL SECTION By Richard J. Ilk A m e s Aeronautical Laboratory Moffett Field, Calif.

CLASSiFICATfON CAWCELL€

NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

FOR AERONAUTICS

WASHINGTON June 14, 1948 TIIE: EFFECTIVENESS AT HIGH SPEEDS OF A IO-PEBCENT-CHORD PLAIN TRAILING-EEGE FLAP ON ' T H E NACA 65-210 AIRFOIL SECTION By Riahard J . I U S SuMEdaRY A high-speed wind-tunnel investigation h8s been made to determine the effectiveness of a 10-peroent-chord plain f l a p on the YACA 65-210 a i r f o i l sectton. For f l a p defleotionsranging f'rm approximately - 1 2 ' to 12O, section drag and l i f t forces were measured o'ver a range of Xach numbers from 0 . 3 t o 8bout 0.875 f o r angles of attack from -2O t o 8'0 Incraents i n e e c t i o n l i f t coeffioient are presented aa 822 indi- catLon o f the lift-producingcharacteristics of the plainflap. Kore signifioantly, values of the section flap-effeotiveness parsmeter are given as a measure of the effectiveness of the flap.

The t e s t results indicate that at no apeed within the Fnvestigated range does t h e l i f t increment f o r a given deflection of the 10-peroent- chord f l a p f a l l below 5 0 peroent o f its low-speed value, A aomparison o f the effectivenesa of the IO-percent-ohord f l a p with that of a 20- psrcent-chord f l a p indicateta that a reduction in flap-chord ratio from 0.20 to 0 . 1 0 lessens the severity of the effeotivmesa losaes at super- c r i t i c a l speeds. The 20-percent-ohord flap, hornever, remains more effective throughout the entire 'ddach nunber range of the present investi- gation.

Numerous wind-tunnel and f l i g h t t e s t s have indioated that conwm- tional airplane control surfaces experience a considerable loss i n ePfectiveness at high subsonic speeds. Although analytical methods appear reasonably accurate in predicting the low-speed effeotiveness of flap-type controls, reliable estimates of airplane oontrol oharacteristics at high Mach n m b e r s can only be made fra pertinent experhental data.

k t present, the availableexperimental data a r e Fnsufficient to allow quantitative estimates o f the high-speed variation-in control effectiveness with Machnumber to be made for arbitrary airfoil control-surface canbi- nations.

UNCLASSIFIED

2 NACA W N O . - 1 The prose& i w e e t i g a t i a a -8 undertaken t o provide Infonutian rn the oontrol effeotiveness of I p l a i n trailing-edge oantrol aurfaoe on a mpresentativm thin U C A d s s r i e r a i r f o i l . Roa a oamprrlsan of the variation in f l a p offeotirsnssu with &oh number for the 10-peroent-ohord flap of the pres& report- with riaoihr data previ- ously obtained fn the Am08 1- by S g f o o t high-speed r i n d tuptul for a ZO=perosnt-ohord flap on the U C A 6S-210 a i r f o i l , I t warn hoped that mame oonolusions regardkg the effeot of flap-ohord ratio on high- s p e d oontrol dmraoterirtior aould be made. The prseent rrulysia has not omsidered the effeotu of differenoes i n rig5dity whlohwould axirt on the l i f t i n g surfaoer of an aotual airplane.

SPMBOIB a i r f o i l section drag ooefficisnrt "d M , free-stream Maoh number airfoil seation angle of attaak, degrees 6f f l a p defleotion, degrees . A a & 8 f section flap-effectivsness parameter, absolutevalue o f the r a t i o of equivalent ohange in aection angle of attaok to ohango in flap-defleotion angle at a oonstant motion l i f t ooeffioiallt All tests were oonduotsd in the Ames 1- by *foot high-speed wind tunnel which is 8. low-turbulence, "dimensional-flow, cloesd- throat tunnel.

Seven models of 6-inoh ohord were oonstructed of s o l i d aluninum alloy to represent various deflections of a 10-percent-chord plain trailing-edge flap of true a i r f o i l oontour employed on the NACA 65-210 airfoil seotion. The actual flapdeflections in degrees were - 1 1 . 8 , 4 . 8 , 0 , 1 . 7 , 4.0, 6.9, and 10.6. The ordinates for the NACA 65-210 airfoil are given i n t a b l e I and a sketch of a typical profile is shown i n figure 1.

RESULTS AM) DISCUSSION !&e seotion drag and lift ohara&erietios of the XACA 65410 airfoil Kith a 10-percent-ohord p l a i n flap at mious defleotion angles a r e preeentad as I % funotion of I4d.1 nuniber in f3gures 2 and 3 , respeotively. The variation of imremgnt in s e o t i m lfft w e f f i o i e n t w i t h flap defleotfon is s h c n r r n in figure 4 for mrious W h n~.anbers and o m s t a n t angles of atfmk. L i f t laoremsntrs for oon8tm-b flap defleotfons hum been oross-pIott;ed for t h e same airfoil angles o f attaok g i n in figure 4 and are presented i n figure 5 as E A funotion of Maoh number.

The data of both figures 4 and 6 indicate that the liFt inorementa o f the IO-peroent+hord flap inorease .Rfith &wh ntmiber, reaohing a 4 MCA RM Nor - 1 maximLMl at a &oh nunfber dependent upon a f r f o i l angle of attaok and magnitude of the flap-defleotion angle. A t any bfach rider in the range f r a m 0 . 3 t o 0 . 8 7 S s the inorement in lift aoeffioienf produoed by the 10-percmt-ohord f l a p is nemer less than M) p e r o a t of i t s low-speed value for a gfven defleation.

For a p l a h trailfng-gdge flap, the oontrol effeotivensrs be evaluated f’rarrr data whidh clanonstrate the variation with lrfaoh number of theflap-effeotiveness parameter. This flap-effeotiveness parameter Aa&f is equal t o t h e absolutevalue of t h e ohetnge in seoticm angle of aftaok per unit ohange in f l a p defleotion at a oonertmt lifi uoeffioient. For the presentreport, uumss of seoticm angle of attack as a Function of f l a p defleution at oonstant lif’t coeffiuientwere plotted for v a r i o u s & a h nmnbers. The absolute value of the average slope of eaoh m, f r o m 6 f a-100 t o 6s 100, m s talcem as the f l a p e f f s o t i m e s s for 8 given lift ooeffioient and &oh number. The effeoti~eness paramster varies s l i g h t l y w-ith f l a p deflection and usually deweases as the deflestian angle iPare8ses.

The effeativmerrs of the 10-percent-chord plain flap operating at moderate lift aoefficients r a r i e s appreoiably over a rmge of Maoh numbers frcun 0 . 3 t o 0.876. (See fig. 6 0 ) A t the l m e t speeds the values of Aa a / A & for the lO-peraent-ahord flap are a p p r o d m t e l y 85 peroept of the theorstioal d u e (referenoe 2) for thin airfoils. The nap effeotivenese Beoresees graduklly with an inarease in &oh m b e r from 0.3 t o approxhmtely 0.776, after lihiah a more marked d m ~ e a 8 8 is exhibited. The large& reduction In f l a p effeati.crenese, over the M a & nurnber range frm 0.3 t o 0 0 8 7 6 ~ i13 hdioated from zero lift ooeffioientwhere the effectiveness kas deoreased t o about 65 peroent of its law-speed Value. The variation betmen the experimental and thsoretioal

values of Aa dA& be a t t r i b u t e dt o the lnfluenoe o f viseositys

the effects of mhioh are not oonsidered fn - & e t 2 1 e o r y . S h o e the

rate o f inorease in boundary-layer’ thiokiess w i t h flap defleotion is usually greater than the rate of inorease in boundary-layer thiokness w i t h angle of attaok (referenoe 2), the slope bot/66f is deoreased more by visaoeity than i a bq$arb.

Fram a amparison of the variation in flap eff’eoti-v-emse with Idach number for a lO-peroent-hrd and a 20-percent-uhord plain flap on the NACA 66-210 a i r f o f l eeotfon (flg. 7 ) * it oan be Been that the loss in flap effewtiveness at the highest Haoh number is oonsiderably less aevere for the smaller-ohordflap.Despite the abrupt effeotimness lossee experienaed by the 20-percent-ahord flap at superoritical apeeds, huwever, this flap contirmee t o Fram an aaalysia of the lift-cmn%rol dmraoteristios of 8 IO-proent-ohord plain flap on t h e =A 65=210 afrfofl and f r c a n a oompariscm o f =e effeotianeee of this devi08 with that o f a 20-psroent-ohord flap, also emnplaged op the X M A 654210 seotion, the fol’Lopping oonolueions are indioatedt I . For a g i m defleofiOn8 the W% inorement produced by the lO-pemnt-ehord plafn flap at Hemh numbers up to Or876 is never less than 50 peroent of i t a 1 ” e d wlue.

2. Although the effeoWvenesa loasss at superoritioal glpeeda me considerably less aewre for the lO-peroent-chord flap than for the 20-peraent-ehord flap, the larger-ohord flap retains greater effectiveness throughout the Ma& mniber range * o m 0.8 to at least; (3.8750 6 NACA RM No0 'A8A21 TABLE I ORDINATES FOR THE M C A 66-210 A I R F O I L SECTIOH [Statione and ordinatesgiron in peroent of airfoil ohordl

T

Station e566

. 822

1mS31 2 &92 6 . I 0 2 7.606 IO0106 1s 0 101 200091 2s 0079 300064 35 . a 9 40.052 46,016 ,6OoOOO 6 4 . 9 8 6 5 9 . 9 7 3 6 4 . 9 6 4 69 0967 740956 790956 840962 89 e972 940986 1 0 0 . 0 0 0 LoEo radiuar 0 . 6 8 7 ilope of radius through L . E . : 0.0842 Enlarged view of flap f i g u r e f r Typid profile of the NACA 65-210 airfoil secfion with IO-percenf-chord plain flaps o f true airfoil contour.

8 NACA R h ! NO. A 8 A Z 1

. /8

.

./6 . / 4 Mach number, M (0) 6f = -//.8* figure 2 .-The voriafion of secfion drag coefficient wifh Mach number for fhe NACA 6.5-210 ofrfoi/ wifh o 10-percenf-chord plain flop.

. / 6 .14 .04 .02 .6 .7, .8 .9 .3 .4 .5 " 0 " .3 . 4 .5 .6 .7 .8 .9 Mach number, M 12 NACA FUd N O . A8A21 " 0 .3 .4 .5 .6 . 7 .8 .9 LO Mach number, M (e) G f =4.0" Figure 2 r Gonfinued. NAGA 65-210 airfoi/ with a /O-percenf-chord p/ain flop.

c (g) 6, = 1 0 . 6 O Figure 2 : Concluded. NAGA 65-210 airfo// with a lo-percent-chord plain flap.

.

16' NACA R X NO. A8A21

Figure 3 .- Continued NACA 65-210 airfoil with a /O-percenf -chord

plain flap, 18 NACA RM NO. A8A21 ..

(dl 6f'/.7"

Flgure 3 .- Confinued, NACA 65-210 airfoil with a IO-percenr- chord

plain flap.

HACA FIB NO* A81521 19 NACA RM R o ~ A8A21 .

NACA RM NO. A81121 21 -16 -12 -8 -4 0 4 8 1 2 1 6 -16 -I2 -8 -4 0 4 8 I2 1 6 Flq deflection, 6f, deg. nap defle&m,, gf, deg.

5 2

Figure 4.-The wuriition of increment in section lift coefficient with flap deflection at various Mach numbers 21 for the NACA 65-210 airfoil wifh a IO-percent-chord plain flap.

I 1 I I c -I2 *8 -4 0 4 8 I2 I6 H a p deflecfion, 6f, deg.

Iu W I .

(b) for 9 =0.2, Gf =O s

r3 P a s Figure5 .-The variafion of increment in sectfon lift coefficient with Mach number af various flap deflections ~ for fhe NACA 65-210 airfoil with a IO-percent-chord pfahflap.

1 L .- 0 .3 .4 .5 . 6 .? .8 .9 L O M& nmber, M figure 5.-Concfuded. NACA 65-210 airfoil with a IO-percent-chordplainflap.

Mach nmber, M Figure 6.- The variution of flap effectiveness wifh Mach number at various /iff coefficients for the NACA 65-210 airfoi1 with a IO-percent-chord pluh flap.

Mach number, M Figure 7. -Comparison of thevariationin flap effectiveness wifh Mach number at lift coefficients of 0 ond 0.2 for the NACA 65-210 airfoil wifh /O-percent- and 20- percent -chord plain flaps.

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Source & rights

Source: ntrs.nasa.gov. Public-domain U.S. Government work (17 USC §105) — freely reproducible.

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Document details

Doc number
·
NACA-RM-A8A21
Publisher
·
NASA (NTRS)
Year
·
1948
Pages
·
28
File size
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878 KB