Study of the Moment of Drag and Lift on Different Air-foil Shapes and Thickness During Wind Tunnel Application: A Review

¹ Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, 360001, Nigeria
² Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Technology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa

^* Corresponding author: ip.okokpujie@abuad.edu.ng

Abstract

An experimental facility called a wind tunnel is used in aerodynamics to investigate how air behaves when it passes through solid things like wings or automobile bodies. Researchers can evaluate an object’s aerodynamic characteristics under many circumstances by producing a controlled airflow, including as variations in velocity, attack angle, or atmospheric pressure. The emergency of 3D computer simulation of the performance parameters of an airfoil which is characterised by optimisation and digital technology, are combined for easier determination of the aerodynamic characteristics of a chosen airfoil for better and effective lift and drag coefficient through computational simulations using software like ANSYS etc. The aim is to study the effect of lift and drag on different air-foil shapes and thicknesses at different angles of attack using experimental and wind tunnel applications for better validation. The study also reviewed work that cut across the effect of the different airfoil shapes and thickness in a wind tunnel experiment, drag force, lift force and numerical methods employed for wind tunnel experiment. This technological advancement is not without its difficulties and challenges, also discussed as possible solutions. The study further suggested integrating emerging technologies by using cutting-edge tools like machine learning and artificial intelligence to speed up the design and analysis of airfoil collaborations between academics and industry to ensure that airfoils foster design. Foster meets industrial standards and enables practical implementations.