INSTITUTE OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY

ISLAMABAD

205202- AERODYNAMICS LAB

EXPERIMENT NO. 02

FLIGHT DEMONSTRATION OF A MODEL TO UNDERSTAND DIFFERENT

PHASES OF FLIGHT

Submitted by Group Members:

1. Chaudhry Awais Ahmed 180101009

2. Ayesha Farooq 180101054
3. Faryal Batool 180101014
4. Syed Tauseef Haider 180101040
5. Wajeeha Haider 180101036

BE-17(A) Aero

Submitted to:

Lec Mr. Nadeem Khan & Lab Incharge Mr. Shoukat Zaman

Date: 03-03-2020

DEPARTMENT OF
AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS
Abstract:
The sole purpose of this experiment is to introduce us to the flight demonstration wind tunnel
and with different prospects of flight which include lift, drag, angle of attack, coefficients of lift
and drag, stall angle etc. The basic idea about these prospects is also mentioned in the
proceedings. Also a graphical relationship between lift and angle of attack would be established
from this particular experiment. As we keep on increasing the angle of attack for a particular
airfoil, the coefficient of lift keeps on increasing until it reaches a certain maximum value and
then drops drastically due to stall phenomenon. This particular phenomenon will also be
demonstrated in the experiment and it is also required to check the stalling angle for a particular
airfoil placed inside the wind tunnel.

Objectives:
The major objectives of the experiment include:
 Understanding the different phases of flight in the flight demonstration wind tunnel such
as take-off, level flight, stalling and landing.
 Grasping a clear concept and to understand different prospects of flight such as lift, drag,
angle of attack, coefficients of lift and drag and stall angle.
 Investigating a relationship between coefficient of lift and angle of attack for a particular
airfoil
.
Apparatus:

Flight Demonstration Wind Tunnel:

For studying the effects of aerodynamic forces on aircraft suspended in air, we use flight
demonstration wind tunnel. It consists of a tubular passage with a model of aircraft suspended
in the middle. The aircraft model is allowed to move in an arc shaped slot inside tubular
passage. The aircraft model is instrumented with suitable sensors to measure aerodynamic
forces, pressure distribution, or other aerodynamic-related characteristics and readings of these
aerodynamic variables are shown on a small display present inside the wind tunnel.
We are provided with two levers to control actions of the aircraft model. One lever present on
right side is pushed in order to increase the airspeed and the other lever is used to control
elevators of our model. When we pull the left lever, the angle of elevator changes, due to which
flight and orientation of model also changes. We are provided with angles written on left lever,
so that we know what angle we are giving to the elevator, and angle of attitude is displayed on
device mounted inside wind tunnel. The angle of attack is 2.5 plus attitude angle. There are some
limitations for measurement of angle of attack of model. In our apparatus we had -5 degrees of
angle of attack as our lower limit and around 14 degrees as our upper limit, after which the
aircraft model starts to stall and lift no more increases with increase in angle of attack. We are
also provided with tufts mounted on wings of our model so that we can visualize the direction of
air flowing past the model under consideration. We performs experiments in flight demonstration
using similar aircraft model as those of aircrafts used on real ground and use the results we get in
our wind tunnel on our real aircrafts.
Theory:

For an aerodynamic system, any force acting on it is due to two reasons:

1. The Pressure Distribution

2. The Shear Distribution
We know this already, and therefore, the reason of conducting this experiment is to demonstrate
the relationship between two aerodynamic variables: Lift vs Angle of Attack.

However, before we get on to verify this relationship and check against the already standard
existing relation, we need to know what really the aerodynamic forces are, and talk a little about
their nature as well.

Lift:
To overcome the weight force, airplanes generate an opposing force called lift. Lift is generated
by the motion of the airplane through the air and is an aerodynamic force. Lift is
directed perpendicular to the flight direction. The magnitude of the lift depends on
several factors including the shape, size, and velocity of the aircraft. As with weight, each part of
the aircraft contributes to the aircraft’s lift force. Most of the lift is generated by the wings.

Aircraft lift is assumed to act through a single point called the center of pressure. The center of
pressure is defined just like the center of gravity but using the pressure distribution around the
body instead of the weight distribution. There is also a mathematical expression that relates
different aspects of an airplane motion and body, and hence, produces a theoretical value for lift
force.
Drag:
Drag is the aerodynamic force that opposes an aircraft's motion through the air. Drag is generated
by every part of the airplane. Drag is a mechanical force. It is generated by the interaction and
contact of a solid body with a fluid (liquid or gas). For drag to be generated, the solid body must
be in contact with the fluid. If there is no fluid, there is no drag. Drag is generated by
the difference in velocity between the solid object and the fluid. There must be motion between
the object and the fluid. If there is no motion, there is no drag. It makes no difference whether the
object moves through a static fluid or whether the fluid moves past a static solid object. The
equation that gives the theoretical value of drag is as follows:

Angle of Attack, Stall, and Stall Angle:

As a wing moves through the air, the wing is inclined to the flight direction at some angle. The
angle between the chord line and the flight direction is called the angle of attack and has a large
effect on the lift generated by a wing. When an airplane takes off, the pilot applies as
much thrust as possible to make the airplane roll along the runway. But just before lifting off, the
pilot "rotates" the aircraft. The nose of the airplane rises, increasing the angle of attack and
producing the increased lift needed for take-off. At some point, the wing reaches its critical angle
of attack, and at higher angles of attack, the amount of lift generated drops dramatically. This is
because the flow of air separates from the wing, forming turbulent eddies that destroy the ability
of the wing to generate lift.
Procedure:
1. Prior to conducting this experiment make sure that the model aircraft suspended in the test
section is set at an attitude of -5 degrees which is its balancing point.
2. After the initial set up of model, make sure to increase the velocity of the air gradually up to
28 knots otherwise instant increase in velocity may cause the aircraft to strike the test section
boundaries due to increased ram pressure over its upper surface.
3. Now keep the air velocity and pressure constant at 28 knots and 12mm of water respectively
and change the attitude of model with an increment of 2 degrees.
4. Note the corresponding attitude angle reading from the digital display inside the test section.
5. For calculating angle of attack, add the initial angle of incidence of model aircraft which is
2.5 degrees to the attitude angle.
6. In this experiment lieu of noting lift, note the value of altitude for accuracy.
7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 for until stalling angle reaches.
8. After all the calculations are completed, plot a graph between angle of attack and altitude
with angle of attack on x axes and altitude on y axis.
9. Evince the stall points on the graph.

Observations and Calculations:

Angle of Attack = Angle of Attitude + 2.5

Sr No. Tail Plane Attitude Angle of Attack Altitude

Angle (Degrees) (Degrees) (mm)
1. 1 -5 -2.5 135

2. 3 -5 -2.5 150

3. 5 -5 -2.5 168

4. 7 -2.2 0.3 192

5. 9 1.9 4.4 201

6. 11 5.9 8.4 203

7. 13 7.6 10.1 203

8. 15 9.4 11.9 204

9. 17 10.8 13.3 204

10. 19 12.6 15.1 204

Graph of Angle of Attack vs Altitude:

By basic fitting tool:

Result:
The altitude of the aircraft model increases with the increase in angle of attack. The altitude
becomes constant (or can also decrease) as the angle of attack approaches the stall angle.

Observations:
The aircraft model was initially at negative angle of attack. When the air velocity was gradually
increased, pressure on the upper surface of model was higher than the lower surface causing the
model to become horizontal.

The threads on the surface of wing were demonstrating the phenomenon of flow separation. The
disturbance of threads indicated that the flow on surface of the wing was separated.

The altitude increased up to a certain height by increasing the angle of attack. When the angle of
attack approached the stall angle, the altitude became constant.

Conclusion:
The lift increases by increasing the angle of attack. There is a limit for increasing the angle of
attack in aircrafts. If that limit is crossed, the aircraft will stall which is the condition in which an
airfoil has stopped producing lift. This occurs typically at 15 0 – 200. At the stall, the airflow
across the upper cambered surface ceases to flow smoothly and in contact with the upper surface
and becomes turbulent, thus greatly reducing lift and increasing drag.

References:
 Lecture notes and practical demonstration
 Fundamentals of Aerodynamics. John D Anderson.
 https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Stall
 https://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/FoilSim/Manual/stall.htm
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stall_(fluid_dynamics)