POF Flashcards
What is the ratio of a wing’s span and mean chord known as?
Aspect ratio
What is an aircraft’s angle of incidence? (rigging angle)
The angle between the chord line of the wing where the wing is mounted to the fuselage, and a reference axis along the fuselage (directional of minimum drag OR longitudinal axis).
Applying Bernoulli’s Principle what happens to the local air pressure when the airflow speeds up over a wing’s surface?
The pressure on the surfaces of the wing will be lower above than below, this pressure difference results in an upwards lifting force.
What happens to the streamlines when the AoA of an aerofoil increases beyond the critical angle?
The lift coefficient decreases.
Streamlines become chaotic resulting in turbulent flow and a dramatic loss of lift.
In the lift equation what features of the aerofoil does CL take account of?
- Angle of Attack
- The aerofoil section (incl camber & LE radius)
- Wing plan form (aspect ratio)
- Wing surface condition
As temperature increases what happens to air density hence lift?
Air density reduces hence lift reduces.
What is the main variable that influences CL?
v
Free stream velocity
Lift proportional to v2
What will happen to the CL and the critical AoA with increased camber?
CL increases
critical AoA decreases
Once boundary separation occurs at a high AoA what will the aircraft experience?
Stall
dramatic loss of lift
typically 15degrees
With a swept wing, which part of the wing is likely to stall first?
The wing tip.
How can wing tip stall be prevented/minimised by design?
Washout (lower angle of incidence at tip)
Wing fences (redirect sideways flow rearwards)
Notches
Vortex generators
Modified aerofoil sections
Stall strips
What does wing span-wise flow refer to?
A bi-product of the pressure differential between upper and lower surfaces of a wing, the flow near the wing tips tends to curl around the tips from high to low. This generates ‘span-wise’ flow from tip to root across upper surface and root to tip across the lower surface.
What does span-wise flow cause?
Trailing vorteces are created at each wing tip.
Increased pressure differential at higher AoAs increases ‘leakage’ at wing tip causing the vortex to become detached and move inboard. This can result in a marked decrease in response from outboard ailerons.
What is the purpose of winglets on modern aircraft?
Reduce span-wise flow hence reducing wing tip vortex generation.
What does the deployement of flaps do to the CL CD and stall speed (VS)?
Extending flaps:
increases the camber therefore increasing CL,
increases CD
and reduces stalling speed.
How can the energy in the boundary layer over the flaps be increased to delay the onset of separation?
Vortex generators
Blow flaps
Leading edge lift devices: fixed slot, movable slat, LE flap.
What are the two components of total drag?
Lift dependent drag
Zero lift drag
What are the three types of zero lift (parasitic) drag?
Form drag
Skin friction drag
Interference drag
What is the main cause of lift induced drag?
Wing tip vortices
Span wise flow combines with chord wise flow = change of speed and direction.
As an aircraft accelerates what happens to zero lift drag and lift dependent drag?
Increase in IAS
Zero lift drag increases
Lift dependent drag decreases
Why is positive stability desirable in an aircraft?
Positive stability indicates a return towards the position prior to disturbance.
What is the main aircraft feature that provides directional static stability?
A suitably sized tail fin and its distance from the cg.
(yawing left & right)
To guarantee positive longitudinal stability what should be kept within the design limits?
The position of the cg.
(nose pitch up & down)
How might lateral stability be achieved?
Design to increase lift in down going wing
Increase counteracting forces produced by dihedral, wing sweep and general config of wing, fuselage and fin.
(disturbance in roll)
What causes Dutch Roll?
Strong lateral stability in relation to directional stability (ie poor yawing damping), with yaw leading to bigger roll divergence.
How can Dutch Roll be countered?
Yaw damping systems automatically apply rudder to minimise out of phase yaw and roll.
Increase Dutch Roll tendances:
Aircraft wings placed well above cg
Swept wings
Dihedral wings
What is the definition of VX?
Best angle of Climb
VX
(greatest altitude gain for shortest horizontal distance)
What is the definition of VY?
Best Rate of Climb
VY
(greatet altitude in shortest time)
What speed is coincident with the point where excess thrust is greatest?
VMD =minimum drag
and VX = best angle of climb (for a jet)
What speed is coincident with the point where excess power is greatest?
VY = Best rate of climb
Is VX higher in a prop or jet aircraft?
VX is higher in a jet aircraft.
How are VX and VY changed by altitude?
- increasing altitude increases Vx and decreases VY*
- ???*
How do EAS, CAS, TAS and Mach numbers vary with altitude?
When TAS is constant, altitude increasing:
EAS decreases (CAS corrected for compressibility)
- *CAS decreases** (IAS corrected for pos. and instrument error)
- *Mach increases** (TAS / speed of sound)
How is the absolute ceiling found?
The altitude at which climb performance falls close to zero and a steady climb can no longer be maintained.
The point at which VX and VY coincide.