Auld & Srinivas, 1998-2012 : www.aerodynamics4students.

com
Thin Aerofoil Theory.
A simle solution !or "eneral two-dimensional aero!oil sections can #e o#tained #y ne"lectin" t$ic%ness
e!!ects and usin" a mean-line only section model. &or incomressi#le, inviscid !low, an aero!oil section can
#e modelled #y a distri#ution o! vortices alon" t$e mean line. '$is is a standard otential !low modellin"
tec$ni(ue w$ic$ will "ive (uic% and reasona#le estimates o! li!t coe!!icient and moment coe!!icient. )owever,
as it models inviscid !low, t$ere will #e no estimate o! dra" coe!!icient.

'$e vorte* distri#ution alon" t$e mean line !orms a continuous vorticity s$eet. So rat$er t$an considerin" t$e
stren"t$ o! oint vortices, we consider t$e stren"t$ o! t$e distri#ution er unit len"t$, y( s) '$e
distri#ution !unction is assumed to ta%e t$e !ollowin" !orm.
y( 0)=2V

(
A
0
tan(
0
2
)+

n=1

A
n
sin(n 0)
)
'$is !unction is +lauert,s aro*imation and is #ased on -ou%ows%i trans!ormation results .A0 term/ w$ic$
mainly covers t$e e!!ect o! an"le o! attac%, lus a &ourier series variation .A1 terms/ to account !or cam#er. 0t
automatically o#eys t$e 1utta condition wit$ 2ero vorticity at t$e trailin" ed"e. 0t is #ased on a maed
an"ular osition . 0 /rat$er t$an an e*act sur!ace location .s/ to allow !or ease o! inte"ration. '$e main"
#etween .s/ and . 0 / is s$own #elow,
'$e vorticity distri#ution is t$us "iven as a !unction o! t$e an"ular varia#le . 0 / w$ic$ is related to
c$ordwise osition .x/ as !ollows,
x=
c
2
+
c
2
cos(0)
w$ere c is t$e c$ord len"t$. 3ote t$at c$ordwise osition .x/ is used instead o! distance alon" t$e mean line
.s/ !or simlicity and is valid in cases w$ere t$e cam#er $ei"$t is not too lar"e. &or tyical aero!oils wit$
small cam#er, t$e di!!erence #etween t$ese two distances is ne"li"i#le. 4it$ no cam#er t$is model #ecomes
e(uivalent to t$e -ou%ows%i main" o! a cylinder to a !lat late aero!oil.
'$e ma"nitude o! t$e vorte* s$eet stren"t$ must #e calculated to comlete t$e mat$ematical model.
&or t$in cam#ered late models, a #oundary condition o! 2ero !low normal to t$e sur!ace is alied in order
to create an e(uation t$at can #e solved !or t$e re(uired coe!!icients .A0,A1,A2,...../ to determine t$e
necessary stren"t$ o! t$e vorte* s$eet.
+iven an aero!oil "eometry, !reestream velocity and an"le o! incidence, t$e ma"nitude o! t$e coe!!icients
.A0,A1,A2,..../ is to #e !ound #y solvin" t$e #oundary condition e(uation, alon" t$e sur!ace. 0n t$is case t$e
condition o! !low velocity normal to t$e sur!ace can #e more easily !ormulated in terms o! $ori2ontal and
vertical velocity comonents.
0! V
n
=0 t$en
v
u
=
dy
c
dx
.
'$e ratio o! vertical .v/ to $ori2ontal .u/ velocity at t$e sur!ace .mean line/ must e(ual t$e sur!ace "radient
.dyc/dx/.
'$e !low $ori2ontal and vertical velocities are made u o! !reestream and vorte* induced comonents.
v=V

sin(o)+v
i
and u=V

cos( o)+u
i
w$ere ui and vi are t$e $ori2ontal and vertical velocities induced #y t$e vorte* s$eet. 5ot$ o! t$ese
comonents will #e muc$ less t$an t$e !reestream velocity. Also due to t$e 6!latness7 o! t$e section vi will #e
muc$ lar"er t$an ui, so !or small an"les o! incidence, t$e $ori2ontal vorte* induced comonent can #e
ne"lected. 0! t$ese small an"le assumtions are made !or t$e incidence, t$e #oundary condition e(uation
#ecomes ,
V

sin(o)+v
i
V

cos( o)
=
dy
c
dx
o+
v
i
V

'$e velocity induced vertically .vi/ at any oint on t$e mean line can #e !ound #y summin" u t$e e!!ects o!
small individual se"ments .ds/ o! t$e vorticity distri#ution.
v
i
=
1
2

0
c
1
sx
y( s) . ds
w$ere w$ere x is t$e location at w$ic$ t$e induced velocity is #ein" calculated and s is t$e c$ordwise
location o! t$e vorte* element. 8n inte"ration a!ter su#sitution !or s,x and y t$is "ives,
v
i
=V

(
A
0
+

n=1

A
n
cos( n0)
)
.
Su#stitutin" t$is result !or induced velocity into t$e #oundary condition e(uation "ives ,
dy
c
dx
= oA
0

n=1

A
n
cos( n0) .
'$e solution !or coe!!icients .A0,A1,A2,.../ can now #e o#tained !rom t$is e(uation. '$e solution is #ased on
+lauert,s inte"ral met$od. '$e e(uation is summed .inte"rated/ alon" t$e c$ord line to !ind initially coe!!icient
A0. 0t is t$en scaled #y cosine multiles and a"ain summed alon" t$e c$ord. 9ac$ scaled inte"ration will yield
one $i"$er order coe!!icient.

#oundary condition.d 0 alon" c$ord line roduces,

A
0
=o+
1

0
dy
c
dx
. d 0
'$e reversed inte"ral limits result !rom t$e inverted nature o! t$e relations$i #etween x and 0 due to t$e
main". 0nvertin" t$e limits "ives,
A
0
=o
1

dy
c
dx
. d 0 .
And similarly inte"ratin" t$e #oundary condition multilied #y cos( n0) alon" t$e c$ord len"t$ "ives,
A
n
=
2

0
dy
c
dx
cos(n0). d 0
or reversin" t$e limits,
A
n
=
2

dy
c
dx
cos( n0).d 0 .
8nce t$e vorticity coe!!icients are !ound, t$e li!t o! a small element o! t$e vorte* line can #e redicted !rom
t$e 1utta--ou%ows%i law. '$e comlete li!t is t$en !ound #y summin" all elements o! li!t !rom leadin" to
trailin" ed"e.
li!t=pV

d I=pV

0
c
y(s). ds
5ecause o! t$e symmetry o! t$e vorticity !unction only t$e !irst two coe!!icients .A0,A1/ will $ave a contri#ution
to t$is inte"ration. '$us li!t coe!!icient er unit san can #e !ound as !ollows ,
C
l
=
li!t
1/ 2pV

2
c1
=
2
V

0
1
y( s)
ds
c
C
l
=2
(
A
0
+
A
1
2
)
.
5y summin" elements o! vorte* li!t w$ic$ are multilied #y a moment arm #ased on t$eir distance !rom t$e
1:4 c$ord oint, t$e itc$in" moment coe!!icient a#out t$is oint can #e !ound.
C
m1/ 4c
=

4
( A
1
+A
2
)
3ote: ;any u#lications use an alternate main" o!
x
c
=(1
1
2
cos0) so t$at 0=0 at t$e leadin"
ed"e. '$is will reverse t$e si"n o! coe!!icient A2 . '$is alternate main" in some cases ma%es it easier to
er!orm t$e
dy
c
dx
. cos(n0) inte"ration.
<e!erence
=Aerodynamics for Engineering Students" E.L.Houghton & .!.Car"enter# $th E%# Ed&ard Arnold#
London# 1''(.
Software
'$e !ollowin" ro"ram accets AS>00 data !iles w$ic$ consist o! a list 2-? aero!oil section coordinates.
'$e !ormat o! t$ese aero!oil inut data !iles is t$e same as t$at roduced #y t$e 3A>A Section
"eneration ro"ram. '$ere is an initial $eader line, !ollowed #y a line "ivin" t$e num#er o! data oints
used to descri#e t$e aero!oil and t$en airs o! sur!ace coordinate oints .x,y/. '$e order o! sur!ace
oints is anti-cloc%wise, startin" at t$e trailin" ed"e, "oin" #ac% over t$e uer sur!ace around t$e nose
and t$en !orward alon" t$e underside #ac% to t$e trailin" ed"e. &rom t$e sur!ace coordinate data !ile,
t$e ro"ram calculates a set o! mean-line coordinate oints to use as t$e mat$ematical t$in-aero!oil
model.
&or a "iven an"le o! incidence, coe!!icients A0,A1,A2,.... are calculated usin" t$e a#ove e(uations. Since
t$e mean-line model is a set o! strai"$t line se"ments connectin" data oints, all inte"ration is done
numerically. '$e ro"ram can t$en redict >l versus an"le and >m.1:4c/ !or t$e seci!ied aero!oil section.
'$e result is a t$in-aero!oil, inviscid !low aro*imation and t$ere!ore $as no viscous #oundary layer
e!!ects. 0n articular, no stall rediction is ossi#le and t$e redicted dra" coe!!icient is 2ero.
'$in-Aero!oil Analysis @ro"ram
<eturn to 'a#le o! >ontents