An EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF ASPECT RATIO ON THE AIRFOIL PERFORMANCE.pdf

In this experiment, the effect of aspect ratio on the airfoil performance are investigated. The objective of this experiment is to find the effect of this ratio on the airfoil performance for same wingspan but different chord. Three samples of different aspect ratios such as AR=1.83, AR=2.2 and AR=2.75 of asymmetrical airfoils type NACA 2412, were tested in this experiment, with different attack angles from 0 to 20 degrees, at constant wind speed of about 25 m/s. . The test conducted in subsonic wind tunnel of 1m×1m rectangular test section, its maximum wind speed is about 43 m/s. The results of this experiment clarify that the Aspect Ratio (AR) has an important effect on the aerodynamic performance of the airfoils. Finally, the results show that the optimal performance was achieved at AR=1.83 with angles of attack ranging from 6 degree to 12 degree with wind speed of 25m/s.