54

CHAPTER 3

ANALYSIS OF NACA 4 SERIES AIRFOILS

The baseline characteristics and analysis of NACA 4 series airfoils

are presented in this chapter in detail. The correlations for coefficient of lift
and drag have been developed and compared with the existing results.
The effects of Reynolds number on coefficient of lift and drag for various
airfoils are predicted and presented. The basics of NACA airfoils, the
developed correlations and the effect of Reynolds number are discussed in the
next subsequent sections.

3.1 NACA AIRFOILS

The selection of blade profiles for wind rotors was based on NACA
(National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics). The standard practices of
lettering and numbering adopted by NACA for profiles of airfoils are
followed. In general, airfoils are specified by maximum camber height in terms
of percentage of the chord in terms of percentage of chord. For example,
NACA 4412, the first number used on profiles refers to height (gradient
height) on y-axis as percentage ratio based on the fact that the profile is
situated at the center of a coordinate system. Whereas, the second digit refers
to its location on x-axis as percentage ratio and last two digits indicate the
thickness of blade profile as percentage ratio (Dreese 2000). In the above
example, the first digit 4 indicates the maximum height of the camber is
expressed as a percentage of the airfoil length (i.e.) 4 percentage, the next
digit 4 represents the horizontal location of the maximum camber in terms
 55

of a chord length (40%), the last two digits 12 expresses the maximum
thickness of the airfoil expressed as a percentage of the airfoil chord length.
The airfoil with camber, camber line, leading edge, trailing edge and chord
length are shown in Figure 3.1.

Figure 3.1 Airfoil geometry

The aim of this study is to present the aerodynamic characteristics

of the blade sections which are the most crucial parameter of a wind turbine
blade. Some of the NACA profiles are selected for analysis and Reynolds
number, Angle of attack, Chord length, Sliding rate, Coefficient of lift and
drag have been taken into concern.

3.2 CORRELATIONS FOR COEFFICIENT OF LIFT AND DRAG

The coefficient of lift (C l) and co efficient of drag (Cd) for any

airfoil is based on the following parameters.

Geometry of the airfoil like maximum camber height,

maximum camber position and thickness.

Angle of attack (AOA)

Wind velocity ( )
 56

Research studies have been conducted to evaluate different airfoils

and found out the coefficient of lift and drag for various airfoils and published
their findings. Jacobs et al. (1935) conducted wide range of experiments by
varying the airfoil geometrical parameters and angle of attack and wind
velocity for various NACA airfoils and published the results of coefficient of
lift and drag for 68 airfoils. They conducted experiments in a variable density
wind tunnel by keeping a constant velocity of 68.4 ft/s. They have plotted the
graph for various angles of attack with the values of ratio for a large
group of related airfoils. They have confined their experimental work with the
angle of attack ranging from -8 o to 10o and due consideration has been given
for the viscous effects and the phenomenon of stall at higher angle of attack.
They have varied the horizontal camber position from 0% to 60% in steps of
20%, vertical camber position from 0% to 7% with a step of 1%, the thickness
0% to 21% in steps of 3%.

The predictions for coefficient of lift and drag for the airfoils with
parameters other than the above are difficult and need an experimental set-up.
Hence, it involves higher cost and time and for study of numerical and
simulation with various parameters, the above practical results finds limited
applications. Hence there is a need for developing the correlations capable of
giving the coefficient of lift and drag for any NACA 4 series by specifying the
angle of attack and wind velocity.

The correlations are developed with above objective using the

experimental results published by Jacobs et al. (1935) and checked for various
NACA profiles and further modified suitably for giving better results for any
airfoils. The coefficient of lift and drag for various NACA profiles have been
taken from the published work of Jacobs et al. (1935) for various angle of
attack and velocity by interpolation and extrapolation. The sample of results
thus obtained for the NACA 4410 is given in Table A1.1 in Appendix 1.
 57

The correlation for coefficient of lift and drag depends upon the airfoil
geometry, angle of attack and wind velocity. The linest function method ( )
(y=m1 x1+m2 x2+m3 x3+b) is used to develop the correlation.

The correlation to find coefficient of lift and drag can be written as

shown below.

= [( 4 )+( )+( )+ ] (3.1)

Where

4XXX - Airfoil geometry in usual notation

AOA - Angle of attack in degrees

- Wind velocity in m/s

C1, C2, C3 & C4 - Constants to be evaluated

Using a best fit straight line regression method, the constant C 1, C2,
C3 & C4 are obtained for coefficient of lift and drag separately using the
function available in M.S. Excel software as Linest, substituted in the
equation (3.1) and presented below in equations (3.2) and (3.3).

C = {( 0.01374 4XXX) + (0.046252 AOA) + (0.000433 )+

61.26981} (3.2)

C = {( 0.00012571 4XXX) + (0.001441 AOA) + ( 0.00037 )+

0.573138} (3.3)
 58

The statistical measures for the correlation (3.2) is given below

R2 (Coefficient of determination) is 0.755
Standard error for C1 is 0.000539, C2 is 0.000508, C3 is 0.000601
C4 is 2.65and Cl is 0.2037

The statistical measures for the correlation (3.3) is given below

R2 (Coefficient of determination) is 0.823
Standard error for C1 is 1.36e-5, C2 is 1.29e-5, C3 is 1.52e-5
C4 is 0.067and Cd is 0.0051

In order to improve the R2 value, the correlations are modified by

refining the constants C1, C2, C3 & C4 for coefficient of lift and drag
separately. The correlations are applied to various airfoils that are grouped as
shown below.

I Group - NACA4401 to NACA4410

II Group - NACA4411 to NACA4420

III Group - NACA4421 to NACA4430

IV Group - NACA4431 to NACA4440

The procedure followed in the modifications of constants

(C1, C2, C3 & C4) for predicting coefficient of lift and drag are separately
discussed in the following subsections 3.2.1 and 3.2.2.

3.2.1 Modified Correlation for Coefficient of Lift

The correlation used to evaluate the coefficient of lift in equation

(3.2) is considered and modified to yield results closer to the experimental
 59

results by identifying the terms C1 and C2 as these two parameters are directly
related to the geometry of the airfoil. The other two terms C 3 & C4 are
assumed to be constant. The term C3 is associated with wind velocity and not
directly related to the geometry of the profile. Further, the term C 4 is an
independent constant. In the equation (3.2) the values of C 3 and C4 and are
taken as 0.000433 and 61.26981 respectively in the modified correlation.
However any profile may be considered for evaluating the constants, NACA
4415 is chosen to evaluate the modified values of C1 and C2. The modified
values are substituted in equation (3.2) for the coefficient of lift of NACA
4415 with an angle of attack as 0o and -8o.

By substituting 0 angle of attack in the equation (3.2) the term C 2

becomes zero and the term C1 can be arrived by equating the coefficient of lift
as 0.3 which is the experimental result derived from Jacobs et al. (1935) for
the wind velocity 21.1831 m/s.

{( 4415) + ( 0) + (0.000433 21.1831) + 61.26981} = 0.3

0.013811

The modified value of C2 is evaluated by substituting the angle of

attack as -8o and experimental coefficient of lift as -0.3, the modified value of
C1 in the equation (3.2) as shown below.

{( 0.013811 4415) + [ ( 8)] + (0.000433 21.1831)

+ 61.26981} = 0.3

= 0.080575

By substituting the modified constants and in equation (3.2),

the revised correlation for coefficient of lift is obtained as in equation (3.4).

= {( 0.013811 4 ) + (0.080575 )
+ (0.000433 ) + 61.26981} (3.4)
 60

The revised correlation (3.4) is applied to NACA 4412 airfoil

which belongs to the Group II as mentioned above and the coefficient of lift is
verified. The variation of the coefficient of lift with respect to angle of attack
for NACA 4412 is shown in Figure 3.2.

1.5 NACA 4412

Wind velocity 21.18 m/s
1.0

0.5 Cl (wind tunnel)

Cl (Correlation)
0.0
-10 -5 0 5 10 15
-0.5
Angle of attack (Degree)

Figure 3.2 Validation of coefficient of lift of NACA 4412

It is evident from the Table 3.1 and Figure 3.2 that the revised
correlation with modified constants yields much closer results. The
correlation can be applied to any profile coming under the Group II (NACA
4411 to NACA 4420).

The above procedure was adopted for other Groups and the revised
correlation with modified constants. In Group I, the values corresponding to
NACA 4406 is used to obtain the modified constants and the revised correlation
is shown in the equation (3.5). The modified constants are given below.

C1 = -0.01384, C2 = 0.075075

The above constants are substituted in equation (3.2) with the

values corresponding to NACA 4409 series airfoil and the results
are compared with the experimental values and presented Figure 3.3.
 61

NACA 4409
1.2
Wind velocity 21.18 m/s
1.0
0.8
0.6
Cl (wind tunnel)
0.4
Cl (Correlation)
0.2
0.0
-10 -5 -0.2 0 5 10 15

-0.4
Angle of attack (Degree)

Figure 3.3 Validation of coefficient of lift of NACA 4409

= {( 0.01384 4 ) + (0.075075 ) + (0.000433 )+

61.26981} (3.5)

The above correlation is suitable of predicting coefficient of lift for

any profile in Group I (NACA 4401- NACA 4410).

From the equations (3.5) and (3.4) corresponding to Group I and II,
the modified constants C1 and C2 are given in Table 3.1.

Table 3.1 Modified constants C1 and C2

Group C1 C2
Group I -0.01384 0.075075
Group II -0.013811 0.080575

The difference between the constants C1 of Group I and II is

2.9 x 10 -5 . Similarly, the difference between the constant C 2 of Group I and
Group II is 0.55 x 10 -2. The constants corresponding to Group III can be
obtained by adding the difference with the value of constant corresponding to
 62

Group II and the corresponding revised correlation for Group III is given in
equation (3.6).

0.013811 + 2.9 10 = 0.01378

= 0.080575 + 0.55 10 = 0.86075

= {( .013788 4 ) + (0.86075 ) + (0.000433 )+

61.26981} (3.6)

The above constants are used in finding the coefficient of lift for
the airfoil NACA 4421 (Group III) and it is compared with the experimental
data for validation and the results are given in Figure 3.4. In the same way,
the constants corresponding to Group IV can also be evaluated.

NACA 4421
1.5
Wind velocity 21.18 m/s

1.0

0.5 Cl (wind tunnel)

Cl (Correlation)
0.0
-10 -5 0 5 10 15

-0.5 Angle of attack (Degree)

Figure 3.4 Validation of coefficient of lift of NACA 4421

Thus the general correlation with modified constants of C 1 and C2

can be written as shown in the equation (3.7).

= {( (2.3 10 ) + ( 0.01384 4 )+

( (0.55 10 )) + (0.075075 )+

(0.000433 ) + 61.26981} (3.7)

 63

Values of M in equation (3.7) for various Groups of airfoils are

shown in Table 3.2.

Table 3.2 Values of M for NACA airfoils

M 0 1 2 3
NACA Airfoil 4401-4410 4411-4420 4421-4430 4431-4440

By substituting the values of M in equation (3.7) the value of

for various airfoils is obtained. The R2 value for the correlation (3.7) is
identified as 0.92. Hence, the above correlation proved the goodness of the fit
with experimental results.

The correlation developed is also useful in predicting power

coefficient of wind turbine systems and in reducing the time and cost. For the
airfoil shapes not having experimental results, the above correlation will be
useful in determining the coefficient of lift and other useful parameters.

3.2.2 Modified Correlation for Coefficient of Drag

Similar to the correlation for coefficient of lift, the correlation for

finding coefficient of drag is also developed and modified further to yield
closer results to the experimental values. In this section, the step by step
procedure adopted for developing correlation for finding coefficient of drag is
illustrated.

Let us consider the basic correlation in equation (3.3). The terms C 1

and C2 are modified as detailed in the section 3.2.1 by keeping other two
terms C3 & C4 constant and their values are -0.00037 and 0.573138
respectively. As discussed in the previous section, in the modification of
correlation for finding coefficient of drag, NACA 4415 is considered. The
 64

modified terms C1 and C2 are calculated by substituting the AOA and wind
velocity. The AOA varied from -8 o to 100 and the wind velocity is fixed as
21.1831 m/s. While substituting AOA as 0 in the equation (3.3) the term C 2
becomes zero and the term C1 can be arrived by equating the coefficient of
drag as 0.018 which is the experimental result for the above wind velocity.

(( 4415) + ( 0) + ( 0.00037 21.1831 ) + (0.573138) = 0.018

1 0.000123986

The modified term 2 is evaluated by substituting the value of term

1 in the equation (3.3). As the AOA varied from -8o to 100 in the
experimental result, 2 is separately calculated for negative angle of attack
(-8o to 0o) and positive angle of attack (0 o to 100). The value of 2 is
determined by selecting angle of attack as -5o with the corresponding
experimental coefficient of drag.

(( 0.000123986 4415) + ( 5) + ( 0.00037 20.9095) +

(0.573138) = 0.01775
0.00025015

The value of above is substituted in equation (3.3) and the

correlation for coefficient of drag for negative angle of attack (( ( )) is
derived and is shown in equation (3.8). The term C2 is the same for all
selected group of airfoils as the coefficient of drag ( ) remains the same for
negative values of angle of attack (-8 to 0).
 65

( ) = {( 0.000123986 4 ) + ( 0.00025015 )

+ ( 0.00037 ) + 0.573138} (3.8)

In a similar way, the modified value of term C2 is determined for

the positive angle of attack (0 to 10) by considering angle of attack as 6
with corresponding experimental coefficient of drag ( ) as 0.0373.

( 0.000123986 4415) + ( 6) + ( 0.00037 20.9095) + (0.573138)

= 0.0373

= 0.00446

By substituting the term C1 and C2, the correlation of coefficient of

drag for the positive angle of attack ( ( ) )is developed and shown in
equation (3.9).

( ) = {( 0.000123986 4 ) + (0.00446 )+
( 0.00037 ) + 0.573138 } (3.9)

The revised correlations (3.8) and (3.9) are applied to NACA

4412 airfoil of Group II, the coefficient of drag is found out. The graph
showing the variation of the coefficient of drag with respect to angle of attack
is shown in Figure 3.5.
 66

0.08 NACA 4412

Wind velocity 21.18 m/s
0.07
0.06
0.05
0.04
0.03
Cd (Wind tunnel)
0.02
Cd (Correlation)
0.01
0.00
-10 -5 0 5 10 15
Angle of attack (Degree)

Figure 3.5 Validation of coefficient of drag of NACA 4412

As it is seen in the case of coefficient of lift, the revised correlation

for coefficient of drag also yields closer values with experimental values for
various AOA that is illustrated using the Figure 3.5. The above correlation
can be applied to any profile of Group II (NACA 4411 to NACA 4420).

In order to validate the consistency of the correlation for different

airfoils of other groups, the above correlation is applied for the airfoil of
group I with the same procedure. The NACA 4406 is used to obtain
the modified constants and revised correlation and it is shown in the
equation (3.10).

The term C1 and the terms C2 for both negative and positive angle
of attack is also found out and given below. The term C1 is same for both
negative and positive angle of attack for an airfoil group.

0.000124155 0.00025015

0.000124155 = 0.00433
 67

The modified terms C1 and C2 are substituted in equation (3.3) and

revised correlation for Coefficient of drag for negative and positive angle of
attack are shown in equation (3.10) and (3.11) respectively.

) = {( 0.000124155 4 ) + ( 0.00025015 )+
( 0.00037 ) + 0.573138} (3.10)

(+ ) = {( 0.000124155 4 ) + (0.00433 )+
( 0.00037 ) + 0.573138} (3.11)

The above equations (3.10) and (3.11) are applied to NACA 4409
airfoil and analyzed. The results are illustrated graphically in Figure 3.6.

0.07 NACA 4409

Wind velocity 21.18 m/s
0.06

0.05

0.04

0.03
Cd (Wind tunnel)
0.02
Cd (Correlation)
0.01

0.00
-10 -5 0 5 10 15
Angle of attack (Degree)

Figure 3.6 Validation of coefficient of drag of NACA 4409

The above revised correlations (3.10) and (3.11) are suitable for
predicting coefficient of drag of any profile in Group I. The values of terms
C1 and C2 for Group I and II are given in the Table 3.3.
 68

Table 3.3 Values of C1 and C2 of Group I & II

C1 for AOA C2 for AOA C2 for AOA

Group
(-8o to 10o) (-8o to 0o) (0o to 10o)

Group I -0.000124155 -0.00025015 0.00433

Group II -0.000123986 -0.00025015 0.00446

As described in the previous section, the difference between the

constants is added to predict the constants of other preceding groups. The
difference between the term C1 of Group I and II is 1.69 x 10-7. Similarly, the
difference between the term C2 for negative angle of attack of Group I and II
is zero. Further, the difference between the constant C 2 for positive angle of
attack of Group I and II is 1.3 x 10 -4. The terms C1 and C2 corresponding to
Group III is obtained by adding the difference between the terms which
belongs to Group I and II with the term corresponding to Group II as shown
below.

= 0.000123986 + 1.69 10 0.000123817 (AOA -8o to 10o)

0.00025015 + 0 = 0.00025015 (AOA -8o to 0o)

= 0.0446 + 1.3 10 = 0.00459 (AOA 0o to 10o)

The revised correlation for negative and positive angle of attack is

given in equations (3.12) and (3.13) respectively.

( ) = {( 0.000123817 4 ) + ( 0.00025015 )+
( 0.00037 ) + 0.573138} (3.12)

( ) = {( 0.000123817 4 ) + (0.00459 )+
( 0.00037 ) + 0.573138} (3.13)
 69

The above constants are used in finding the coefficient of drag for
the airfoil NACA 4421 (Group III) and it is compared with the experimental
values for validation. The values are graphical illustrated in Figure 3.7.

0.08 NACA 4421

0.07 Wind velocity 21.18 m/s

0.06
0.05
0.04
0.03
Cd (Wind tunnel)
0.02
Cd (Correlation)
0.01
0.00
-10 -5 0 5 10 15

Angle of attack (Degree)

Figure 3.7 Validation of coefficient of drag of NACA 4421

In the same way, the constants corresponding to Group IV are also

be evaluated. The generalized correlation for predicting the coefficient of drag
for any profile belonging to any group is formulated and given in the
equations (3.14) and (3.15). The value of M is given in the Table 3.7 for
various Groups.

( ) = {( (1.69 10 ) + ( 0.000124155 4 )+
( 0.0002501 ) + ( 0.00037 ) + 0.573138} (3.14)

( ) = {( (1.69 10 ) + ( 0.000124155 4 )+
( (1.3 10 )) + (0.00433 )+
( 0.00037 ) + 0.573138} (3.15)
 70

The R2 value for the correlation (3.14) is found as 0.93 and for
correlation (3.15) is 0.91. Hence the above correlations are confirmed with the
experimental results.

The above correlations developed for coefficient of lift and drag are
being used to analyze the effect of Reynolds number on lift and drag forces of
airfoils and discussed elaborately in the forthcoming subsections of this
chapter. The same correlations have also been used in optimization of power
coefficient using genetic algorithm and it is presented in chapter 5.

3.3 EFFECT OF REYNOLDS NUMBER ON LIFT AND DRAG

In this section, the effect of Reynolds number (Re) on coefficient of

lift (Cl) and drag (Cd) has been analyzed. This study is useful in determining
the characteristics of blade profile and cross section that will be used in
optimizing the design and thereby reduces the manufacturing cost. Further,
the ratio of lift and drag (sliding rate) which is a function of C l and Cd has
been evaluated with respect to R e. The Re is varied from 100000 to 200000 in
steps of 25000. The various airfoils of NACA series are considered for
analysis. The modified correlations developed in the previous section are used
to evaluate Cl and Cd.

In general, the rotor diameter varies from 2 to 100m and chord

length varies from 0.1 to 5m depending on the power generation. Piggott
(2000) predicted that R e varied with respect to chord length (c), wind velocity
(v) and the geometry of the airfoil. He suggested the following equation
(3.16) relating the above parameters.

= 68500 (3.16)
 71

Where, the constant 68500 is proposed by him to represent the ratio

of air density and viscosity. The chord length is a significant factor for blade
profile. It is the length between the leading edge and the trailing edge.
Further, he proposed the following equation (3.17) to predict the chord length
(c) using rotor diameter (D), tip speed ratio ( ) and number of blades (N).

= (3.17)

In the above equation the tip speed ratio ( ) is calculated using the
following equation (3.18).

= (3.18)

The velocity triangle as discussed by Lee and Flay (1999) for an

airfoil is shown in Figure 3.8 that indicates the lift and drag forces, AOA ( ),
pitch angle ( ), air inflow angle ( ) wind velocity (v), velocity of rotor ( r)
and relative velocity (W).

Figure 3.8 Blade velocity diagram

 72

From the tip speed ratio, the rotor linear velocity ( r) can be
calculated and using the above velocity triangle, wind inflow angle ( ) can
be determined using the following equation (3.19).

tan =v/ r (3.19)

The angle of attack ( ) can be found out as and are known.

The lift and drag forces are calculated by the following equations
(3.20) and (3.21).

( )= (3.20)

( )= (3.21)

Where - Density of air, kg/m3

c - Chord length, m

r - Radius of the blade element, m

W - Relative velocity of air in m/s = v + ( r)

The Sliding rate ( ) is defined as the ratio between the Lift (L)
and Drag (D). In the above equation (3.20) and (3.21) as other parameters for
a particular airfoil are the same, the sliding rate can also be taken as ratio
between coefficient of lift and drag and is given as the equation (3.22).

= Cl/Cd (3.22)

In this work, the NACA series airfoils of NACA 4410, NACA

4412, NACA 4414, NACA 4416, NACA 4418 and NACA 4420 are
considered for analysis. For the airfoil NACA 4410, the sliding rate has been
evaluated for the angle of attack from 0 o to 10o at Re=100000 and it is
 73

presented in the Table 3.4. The coefficient of lift and drag has also been
evaluated using modified correlations and used in predicting sliding rate.

Table 3.4 Sliding rate for various AOA

NACA 4410, Re 100000

S.NO AOA (Degree) Cl Cd L/D
1 0 0.573 0.0100 57.30
2 1 0.699 0.0105 66.57
3 2 0.802 0.0106 75.66
4 3 0.878 0.0111 79.10
5 4 0.946 0.0116 81.55
6 5 1.007 0.0120 83.92
7 6 1.060 0.0131 80.92
8 7 1.106 0.0143 77.34
9 8 1.145 0.0156 73.40
10 9 1.178 0.0171 68.89
11 10 1.204 0.0189 63.70

The above values have been shown in Figure 3.9 as a graph to show
the variation of sliding rate with respect to AOA. From the Figure 3.9 it is
noticed that at 5o of AOA, the sliding rate attains the maximum value of 83.92
and hence the power output is optimum at the conditions specified above.
 74

Figure 3.9 Variation of L/D ratio for various angle of attack

The same procedure is adopted for predicting optimum sliding rate

for various airfoils by varying angle of attack from 0 o to 10o, Reynolds
number in the range of 100000 to 200000 in steps of 25000. The results are
shown as graph in Figures 3.10(a) to 3.10(e)

Figure 3.10(a) Variation of sliding rate for various angle of attack at

Re =100000
 75

For Reynolds number 100000, the optimum angle of attack at the

highest sliding rate for various NACA airfoils are depicted in Figure 3.10(a)
as 5o that yielded optimum power output.

75

70

65

60

55
NACA 4410
50
NACA 4412
45 NACA 4414
40 NACA 4416
NACA 4418
35
NACA 4420
30
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Angle of Attack (Degree)

Figure 3.10(b) Variation of sliding rate for various angle of attack at

Re =125000

The optimum sliding rate for NACA 4410 and NACA 4412 is
arrived at 4o of angle of attack, where as for other airfoils it is at 5 o of angle of
attack for the Reynolds number 125000.
 76

80
75
70
65
60
NACA 4410
55
NACA 4412
50
NACA 4414
45 NACA 4416
40 NACA 4418
35 NACA 4420
30
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Angle of Attack (Degree)

Figure 3.10(c) Variation of sliding rate for various angle of attack at

Re =150000

Various NACA airfoils yield the optimum sliding rate at 5 o of angle

of attack for Reynolds number 150000.

80
75
70
65
60 NACA 4410
55 NACA 4412

50 NACA 4414
NACA 4416
45
NACA 4418
40
NACA 4420
35
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Angle of Attack (Degree)

Figure 3.10(d) Variation of sliding rate for various angle of attack at

Re =175000

The airfoils NACA 4410, NACA 4412, NACA 4414, and

NACA 4416 have optimum sliding rate at 5o of angle of attack whereas
 77

NACA 4418 and NACA 4420 have optimum sliding rate at 6o of angle of
attack for Reynolds number 175000.

85
80
75
70
65
NACA 4410
60 NACA 4412
55 NACA 4414
50 NACA 4416
45 NACA 4418
NACA 4420
40
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Angle of Attack (Degree)

Figure 3.10(e) Variation of sliding rate for various angle of attack at

Re =200000

The optimum sliding rate for NACA 4420 is at 6o angle of attack,

other profiles achieved optimum sliding rate at 5 o of angle of attack for
Reynolds number 200000. The optimum angle of attack for various NACA
airfoils with respect to Reynolds number is presented in Table 3.5.
 78

Table 3.5 Optimum angle of attack with respect to Reynolds number

Optimum Angle of attack (Degree)

Reynolds
NACA NACA NACA NACA NACA NACA
number
4410 4412 4414 4416 4418 4420
100000 5 5 5 5 5 5
125000 4 4 5 5 5 5
150000 5 5 5 5 5 5
175000 5 5 5 5 6 6
200000 5 5 5 5 5 6

From the above table, it is inferred that the optimum angle of attack
varies from 4o to 6o for different airfoils corresponding to optimum sliding
rate for various Reynolds numbers.

The variation of coefficient of lift (C l) at various angles of attack

for different airfoils are found out at Reynolds number of 100000 and
presented in Table 3.6. The flow around the airfoil is attached to certain limit
of angle of attack and beyond which the flow is separated from the surface of
the airfoil. Hence, the coefficient of lift increases for all airfoils as the angle
of attack increases and then started decreasing after attaining the maximum
value. This optimum coefficient of lift is attained at 14o to 15o for various
airfoils. The results are shown graphically to show the variation of coefficient
of lift with respect to angle of attack in Figure 3.11.
 79

Table 3.6 Variation of coefficient of lift with respect to angle of attack

Angle of Coefficient of lift (Cl) at Re =100000

attack NACA NACA NACA NACA NACA NACA
(Degree) 4410 4412 4414 4416 4418 4420
-5 -0.071 -0.069 -0.067 -0.065 -0.063 -0.061
-4 0.047 0.050 0.054 0.058 0.062 0.066
-3 0.165 0.170 0.175 0.181 0.187 0.193
-2 0.282 0.290 0.297 0.304 0.312 0.319
-1 0.400 0.409 0.418 0.428 0.437 0.446
0 0.518 0.529 0.540 0.551 0.562 0.573
1 0.635 0.648 0.661 0.674 0.686 0.699
2 0.753 0.767 0.782 0.796 0.799 0.798
3 0.870 0.886 0.891 0.893 0.880 0.873
4 0.987 0.985 0.979 0.975 0.952 0.940
5 1.100 1.074 1.058 1.048 1.016 0.999
6 1.202 1.154 1.129 1.113 1.073 1.051
7 1.293 1.225 1.191 1.170 1.122 1.096
8 1.372 1.287 1.246 1.220 1.164 1.134
9 1.441 1.341 1.293 1.262 1.200 1.166
10 1.498 1.386 1.331 1.296 1.229 1.192
11 1.545 1.422 1.363 1.324 1.252 1.212
12 1.581 1.450 1.386 1.345 1.269 1.226
13 1.606 1.470 1.403 1.358 1.279 1.234
14 1.619 1.481 1.412 1.365 1.284 1.237
15 1.621 1.484 1.413 1.365 1.283 1.235
16 1.611 1.477 1.407 1.358 1.276 1.228
 80

1.8

1.6

1.4

1.2
NACA 4412
1
NACA 4414
0.8 NACA 4416
0.6 NACA 4418
0.4 NACA 4420

0.2 NACA 4410

0
-10 -5 -0.2 0 5 10 15 20

Angle of Attack (Degree)

Figure 3.11 Variation of coefficient of lift with angle of attack

The airfoil with lower thickness (NACA 4410) have maximum

coefficient of lift than others at higher angle of attack. The coefficient of lift
for various airfoils is very close to each other for angle of attack from -5 o to 5o
and started deviating to a larger extent as the angle of attack increases. It
attains the maximum value for the airfoils of NACA 4410, NACA 4412, and
NACA 4414 at 15o and for airfoils of NACA 4416, NACA 4418 and NACA
4420 is at 14o of angle of attack.

3.4 SUMMARY

The baseline characteristics and analysis of NACA 4 series airfoils

are presented in this chapter. The correlations for coefficient of lift and drag
of NACA 4 series airfoils have been developed and compared with the
experimental results. The effects of Reynolds number on coefficient of lift
and drag for various NACA airfoils are predicted using the correlations and
 81

presented. The NACA airfoils have higher Lift/Drag ratio at the angle of
attack from 4o to 6o for Reynolds number in the range of 100000 to 200000.
The variation of coefficient of lift (C l) at various angles of attack for different
airfoils is found out at Reynolds number of 100000. It is found that the airfoil
with lower thickness (NACA 4410) have maximum coefficient of lift than
others at higher angle of attack. The coefficient of lift for various airfoils is
very close to each other for smaller angle of attack and the variations are more
as the angle of attack increases.