And here is the point of this article. Adverse pressure gradients tend to promote transition to turbulence. Strong adverse pressure gradients tend to cause the flow to separate. Turbulent flows lead to higher profile drag coefficients on streamlined bodies than laminar flows. Conclusion I used VisualFoil to examine the airfoils over a range of angles of attack.
Computer programs are useful tools that can be used to compare the performance of airfoils.
Software can help the airplane designer to pick the best airfoil for the project. The graphs and airfoil analysis in this article were done using VisualFoil. Click here for more information. Test and experiment with wing sections on your computer. Turn your PC into a Wind Tunnel with the VisualFoil Lite Software Package.