Airplane Flaps Demonstration
Format
SOECS Senior Project Demonstration
Faculty Mentor Name
Kyle Watson
Faculty Mentor Department
Mechanical Engineering
Abstract/Artist Statement
The Airplane Flaps Demonstration project consists of two parts: an adjustable airfoil with a movable flap and instrumentation to measure the lift acting on the airfoil. The purpose of the design is to provide visual demonstration of the forces that produce lift on an airplane wing. The angle of attack and flap angle can be changed with a controller to demonstrate how different angles affect the forces on the airfoil. The instrumentation to measure the lift was created because the existing equipment in the university’s wind tunnel could only measure drag and the instrumentation that can measure both lift and drag is currently not operating and costly to replace. The new lift instrumentation needed to be small enough so the airfoil can fit in the viewing area of the wind tunnel, be stable at significant wind speeds, and have a minimal blockage ratio when combined with the airfoil. Initial testing has shown that the wind speed must be kept around 4.5 m/s so the servo can function correctly. Initial testing also shows that, as predicted, changes in the angle of attack and/or flap angle correspond to respective changes in lift and drag.
Location
School of Engineering & Computer Science
Start Date
6-5-2017 2:30 PM
End Date
6-5-2017 4:00 PM
Airplane Flaps Demonstration
School of Engineering & Computer Science
The Airplane Flaps Demonstration project consists of two parts: an adjustable airfoil with a movable flap and instrumentation to measure the lift acting on the airfoil. The purpose of the design is to provide visual demonstration of the forces that produce lift on an airplane wing. The angle of attack and flap angle can be changed with a controller to demonstrate how different angles affect the forces on the airfoil. The instrumentation to measure the lift was created because the existing equipment in the university’s wind tunnel could only measure drag and the instrumentation that can measure both lift and drag is currently not operating and costly to replace. The new lift instrumentation needed to be small enough so the airfoil can fit in the viewing area of the wind tunnel, be stable at significant wind speeds, and have a minimal blockage ratio when combined with the airfoil. Initial testing has shown that the wind speed must be kept around 4.5 m/s so the servo can function correctly. Initial testing also shows that, as predicted, changes in the angle of attack and/or flap angle correspond to respective changes in lift and drag.