PROPERTIES & TYPES OF AEROFOIL

TERMINOLOGY

Illustrative
figures

(Nomenclature)

Aero-foil
(AIRFOIL)
TYPES

(Major
Classification)

1 digit series
4 digit series
5 digit series

6 digit series
7 digit series
8 digit series

# of DIGITS
8/7/2014

Chord

Camber

Upper camber
Surface,

Leading
edge

Trailing
edge

Lower
Mean
camber
Camber line
Surface,

FFA W3 xxxx (Swedish Defense Research)

e.g. Notation, W3 241, W3 - 245

Aspect
ratio

Thickness

Ratio of (span/mean chord) of wing

AERODYNAMIC
PROPERTIES
Force Components

NACA xx-xxxx (American Aeronautics Institute)

e.g. Notation
16-123, : 1- series
2413, 0014 : 4 series
12456 : 5 series
612- 435 : 6 series
713A445 : 7 series

NREL (National Renewable Energy Labs)

e.g. S-series, Uses thick flat back airfoils for low lift
application
DELFT University, (Netherlands)
Notation, e.g. DU, 91-W1-251, 91-W2-250, 93-W-210
Risoe-DTU (Denmark)- Notation e.g. B1-18, B1-24,

Lift
Drag

Lift & Drag are

ORTHOGONAL

Pressure

Upper
surface

Lower
1
surface

Continued

Modal Analysis

Description Matter

STRUCTURAL
PROPERTIES

.
= =

= =

Edge
(Vertical)
BEND STIFFNESS
TORSION
STIFFNESS

STRENGTH & STIFFNESS

Flat

Out of plane
orientation

In plane
orientation

STRENGTH

(tensile, compressive, shear)

Principal Areas of
Application

Experiences tension &

compression stiffness
along the orthonormal
axes during the operation
& displace or deform in
plane due to external
loads

Structure experiences
shear along the
orthonormal axes during
operation. They result in
deformation or deflection
of the structure or object
in contact

Operating Speed Range3

Sub sonic & Transonic
Super sonic
Hypersonic
Other Commercial uses

8/7/2014 Note: 1. I - (Moment of inertia)mass, area

E- Elastic modulus,

The structure experiences

tension & compression
stiffness, along
orthonormal axes & often
displace or deform out of
the plane due to external
load operation

Mathematical expressed as GJ2

> 1 plane of
orientation

It is a method in which mode shapes

& order determine the control &
stability behavior of the blade(wing)
system & system as whole during
design, testing & real operating
conditions.

The harmonics of system natural

frequencies for a set of damping
conditions tell about the normal &
safe operation limits of state of the
system.

Bending & Torsion shear is governed by

2nd or 3rd order ordinary differential
equation

Mathematically expressed as EI1

Flap (Lateral)

FLAP (Lateral) & EDGE (Vertical)

First order

Second
order

First order

Second
order

TORSION
First order

Second
order

Application
Commercial aviation, Passenger aircraft, Helicopter, Glider,
Cargo aircrafts, Sail planes. Wind turbines
Defense jet aircraft, Combat aircraft (helicopter)
Spacecraft, Rockets.
Power plant gas turbines (electric power)

2. J Polar moment of inertia

G Rigidity/Torsion modulus

3. Reynolds number is used as the criteria

for differentiating the speed range

Continued
PLAN FORM & SECTIONAL VIEW OF A TYPICAL BLADE

Blade section airfoil with nomenclature

Blade spar, shear webs are shown

Structural Twist angle

on airfoil

Wind turbine blade plan with its

material layers & root section joint
(bearing slot holes)
8/7/2014

Aero plane wing section with its

components, flap, slat, & aileron
3