• Welcome aboard HomebuiltAirplanes.com, your destination for connecting with a thriving community of more than 10,000 active members, all passionate about home-built aviation. Dive into our comprehensive repository of knowledge, exchange technical insights, arrange get-togethers, and trade aircrafts/parts with like-minded enthusiasts. Unearth a wide-ranging collection of general and kit plane aviation subjects, enriched with engaging imagery, in-depth technical manuals, and rare archives.

    For a nominal fee of $99.99/year or $12.99/month, you can immerse yourself in this dynamic community and unparalleled treasure-trove of aviation knowledge.

    Embark on your journey now!

    Click Here to Become a Premium Member and Experience Homebuilt Airplanes to the Fullest!

Is there a "not-so-bad" place for an airfoil discontinuity?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Vigilant1

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2011
Messages
10,705
Location
US
When considering the practicalities of building a wing skin, there will sometimes be lap joints, sheet overlaps, etc that cause small variances with the perfect airfoil (as defined by coordinates, formula, etc). Where is it best to put these small-but-present imperfections? Does the location differ for laminar sections vs turbulent sections?
My first guess would be that a location on the LE very near the stagnation point wouldn't be a bad spot, but the stagnation point will move with AoA. Locations aft of about 0.75 chord are likely to be turbulent no matter what and a small pip won't affect the situation much. Maybe locations on top of the wing from 0.2 chord to 0.6 chord would be a poor choice, increasing chance of an earlier stall and causing turbulent flow earlier than we'd get it otherwise. Again, just my rough guessing here.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top