Effects of Angle of Attack on Airfoil Velocity Profile

Abstract

Corrosive effects of high-speed air as wind pressing against an airplane wing lead to wing degradation and failure at a much faster rate than the aging of an idle wing. For this reason, the velocity profile of a NACA 0012 airfoil cross-section subjected to high velocity wind was developed and analyzed.

In this analysis, the effects of angle of attack on the overall wind velocity profile of an airplane moving in one direction were assessed. The highest steady-state wind velocity was found to occur at the airfoil edge region between the airfoil tip and the location positioned at the aforementioned angle of attack. This means that a ten-degree angle of attack produced the highest velocity at the airfoil section from the airfoil tip to ten degrees from the tip, a section of area larger than the maximum velocity area for a four-degree angle of attack. The magnitude of the maximum corresponding airfoil velocity was also directly related to the angle of attack.

In conclusion, in order to minimize the corrosive effects of high-speed wind on airplane wings, the wind angle of attack on the airfoil should be minimized as much as possible. This could be achieved by altering the wing shape to a less-round edge or installing a mechanism that can easily adjust wing position according to wind direction.