Laminar Airfoil Design
As discussed in the section on boundary
layers, laminar flow may be useful for reducing skin friction drag,
increasing maximum lift, or reducing heat transfer. It may be achieved without
too much work at low Reynolds numbers by maintaining a smooth surface and using
an airfoil with a favorable pressure gradient. The section below shows how the
pressures may be tailored to achieve long runs of laminar flow on upper and/or
lower surfaces.
Again, the Stratford-like pressure recovery is helpful
in achieving the maximum run of favorable gradient on either upper or lower
surfaces.
