AS3520 – BLOW DOWN WIND TUNNEL

Aero Lab II – Gas Dynamics Lab

C R Rakesh
AE11B026
 AS3520 – Aero Lab II
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Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Blow Down Wind Tunnel 7 Feb 2014

By C R Rakesh, AE11B026

Aim: To measure the pressure at various points in a double wedge airfoil kept
in a supersonic flow using a blow down wind tunnel. Using the above
data, calculate the following at various angles of attack:
 Lift Coefficient Cl
 Drag Coefficient Cd
 Slip stream angle

Apparatus Required:
1. Supersonic Blow-down wind tunnel
2. Double wedge airfoil
3. Scani Valve
4. Digital Data Acquisition System

Experimental Setup:

The apparatus was setup according the following experimental setup. A

double wedged airfoil is places inside a supersonic, intermittent wind tunnel.

Figure 1 - Experimental Setup

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The airfoil is attached to the wind tunnel wall by means of a rotating disc.
The angle of attack of the airfoil can be changed by rotating the disc in the
required direction. In this experiment, the angles of attack are measured in
multiples of 5°, i.e., 0°, ±5°, ±10°.

Eight static pressure ports are located along the length of the airfoil as
shown in figure 1. Using the pressure readings from these ports, we can find
the lift coefficient, drag coefficient and the slipstream angle.

Theory:

In order to find out the flow parameters in a supersonic flow around a

double-wedged airfoil, we need to know about oblique shocks and expansion
fans. Oblique shocks form when there is a concave surface in front of the flow
and the flow is forced to turn towards itself. Consider a horizontal flow of Mach
number M towards a wedge of angle 𝜃, then an oblique shock is formed with
angle 𝛽 with respect to the horizontal. Across an oblique shock, 𝑀 ↓ and
𝑝, 𝑇 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜌 ↑. The angle 𝛽 is described by the following equation known as the
𝜃 − 𝛽 − 𝑀 relation:

𝑀2 sin2 𝛽 − 1 (1)
|𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 = 2𝑐𝑜𝑡𝛽 [ 2 ]|
𝑀 (𝛾 + 𝑐𝑜𝑠2𝛽) + 2

In order to find the flow properties downstream of an oblique shock, we

consider the flow perpendicular to the mach line formed by the oblique shock.
At this orientation, the flow is like a normal shock where the upstream mach
number is:
𝑀𝑛1 = 𝑀1 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛽 (2)
Applying normal shock equations for M=Mn1, we get the downstream
normal component of Mach number as Mn2. Then the downstream mach
number is:
𝑀𝑛2 (3)
𝑀2 =
sin(𝛽 − 𝜃)
Flow properties like P, 𝜌, T follow the normal shock relations.

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But, when the flow encounters a convex surface, the flow turns away
from itself and forms an expansion fan in the process. Across an expansion fan,
𝑀 ↑ and 𝑝, 𝑇 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜌 ↓. The expansion fan angles are related by the Prandtl-
Meyer equation:

𝜃2 − 𝜃1 = 𝜈(𝑀2 ) − 𝜈(𝑀1 ), 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 (4)

(5)
𝛾+1 𝛾−1 2
𝜈(𝑀) = (√( ) tan−1 √ (𝑀 − 1)) − tan−1 √𝑀2 − 1
𝛾−1 𝛾+1

In order to find the upstream Mach number use, the following

isentropic relation:

𝛾
𝑃0 𝛾 − 1 2 𝛾−1 (6)
= (1 + 𝑀 )
𝑃 2

We measure only the gauge pressure from the Scani valve system, but
the equations are in terms of absolute pressure. Hence, the formula is:

𝑃𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 = 𝑃𝑔𝑎𝑢𝑔𝑒 + 𝑃𝑎𝑡𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 (7)

In order to calculate Cl and Cd, we integrate the pressure forces:

Figure 2 - Forces on a diamond shaped airfoil

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From Figure 2, the forces on the airfoil are:

𝑐 (8)
𝐹𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑎𝑙 = (𝑃𝑡,𝑙 sin 𝜖 − 𝑃𝑡,𝑟 sin 𝜖 + 𝑃𝑏,𝑙 sin 𝜖 − 𝑃𝑏,𝑟 sin 𝜖) ∗
2 cos 𝜖
𝑐 (9)
𝐹𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 = (−𝑃𝑡,𝑙 cos 𝜖 − 𝑃𝑡,𝑟 cos 𝜖 + 𝑃𝑏,𝑙 cos 𝜖 + 𝑃𝑏,𝑟 cos 𝜖) ∗
2 cos 𝜖

𝐷𝑟𝑎𝑔 𝐷 = 𝐹𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑎𝑙 cos(𝛼) + 𝐹𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 sin(𝛼) (10)

𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑡 𝐿 = −𝐹𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑎𝑙 sin(𝛼) + 𝐹𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 cos(𝛼) (11)

2𝐿 (12)
𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐶𝑙 =
𝜌𝑉 2 𝑐 ∗ (1)
2𝐷 (13)
𝐷𝑟𝑎𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐶𝑑 =
𝜌𝑉 2 𝑐 ∗ (1)

Theoretically, the pressures at the top and bottom surfaces of the airfoil
can be found by applying equations (1) – (6) at each of the four surfaces using
the upstream conditions from equation (6). Using this, we can calculate the
pressure forces, apply them in equations (8) – (13) and get Cl and Cd.

Slipstream angle: A slip is the line separating the flows of different

entropy downstream of the airfoil, such that the pressures across it is the same.
The flow from the bottom-right and top-right surfaces of the diamond airfoil
will have different temperatures due to the different angles at which the flow
turns on the top and bottom surfaces (as the angle of attack is non-zero).

But since the flows from the bottom and top surface merge downstream
of the airfoil, the pressures will be the same and the temperatures (and hence
entropy) won’t be the same. The angle which the slip line makes with the
horizontal (or any reference line) is called the slipstream angle.

The slipstream angle is found out iteratively by guessing a value of 𝜃, i.e.,

flow-turning-angle at the right-vertex of the airfoil, applying equations (1) –
(6) appropriately to get pressures downstream and then checking if the
pressure at the top-surface-downstream conditions and bottom-surface-
downstream conditions are the same (or within a tolerance level).

AE11B026
 Angle of Attack (deg) Zero Error Port 1 Port 2 Port 3 Port 4 Port 5 Port 6 Port 7 Port 8 Port 9 (Static Pressure)
Observation:

10 -0.049 2.088 -6.274 -1.479 -5.994 -5.122 -9.518 -5.066 -9.162 -9.882

-10 -0.049 -5.132 -0.292 -5.421 -3.208 -9.408 -4.078 -9.166 -4.273 -9.867

-10 -0.051 -4.96 -0.153 -5.337 -3.067 -9.288 -4.138 -9.09 -4.27 -9.737

0 -0.051 -8.636 -8.266 -9.111 -8.313 -6.87 -6.997 -6.993 -7.049 -7.832

5 -0.05 -7.172 -9.467 -7.0837 -9.513 -6.57 -7.274 -6.62 -7.089 -9.874

0 -0.05 -8.638 -8.281 -9.174 -8.446 -6.951 -6.938 -7.058 -7.153 -9.896
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5 -0.05 -7.136 -9.446 -7.806 -9.484 -6.63 -7.351 -6.661 -7.205 -9.887

10 -0.052 2.052 -6.398 -1.444 -5.885 -5.116 -9.435 -5.006 -9.177 -9.874

10 -0.049 2.088 -6.274 -1.479 -5.994 -5.122 -9.518 -5.066 -9.162 -9.882

Table 1 - Observations
-10 -0.049 -5.132 -0.292 -5.421 -3.208 -9.408 -4.078 -9.166 -4.273 -9.867

-10 -0.049 -5.159 -0.259 -5.431 -7.149 -9.403 -4.012 -9.165 -4.109 -9.852

-5 -0.05 -9.92 -6.791 -9.973 -6.694 -7.15 -6.812 -7.246 -6.942 -9.851

-5 -0.051 -9.905 -6.744 -9.954 -6.815 -7.252 -6.817 -7.277 -6.981 -9.836

-10 -0.051 -4.973 -0.265 -5.388 -3.179 -9.239 -4.037 -9.05 -4.164 -9.789
All pressures in (psi). 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑟 = 38.66 𝑝𝑠𝑖 (𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒)𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑃𝑎𝑡𝑚 = 14.66 𝑝𝑠𝑖
Indian Institute of Technology Madras
AS3520 – Aero Lab II

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Procedure:
1. Set up the apparatus as per Figure 1
2. Set the angle of attack of the airfoil to 0° and start the wind tunnel
3. Note down the pressure readings at ports 1-8.
4. Also note down the Static pressure, reservoir pressure. Note that the
pressure readings are gauge pressures and hence use the equation (7) to
get the absolute pressure.
5. Repeat the experiment for angles of attack {0°, ±5°, ±10°}
6. Calculate Cl, Cd and slipstream angle as per equations (12) and (13)

Calculations:
Experimental: From Table 1, we get the pressure values. Consider angle of
attack 𝜶 = 𝟓°, we have:
𝑃𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟,𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡 = 5.9 ∗ 104 𝑃𝑎, 𝑃𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟,𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 = 6.63 ∗ 104 𝑃𝑎
𝑃𝑏𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑚,𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡 = 1.035 ∗ 105 𝑃𝑎, 𝑃𝑏𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑚,𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 = 3.7 ∗ 104 𝑃𝑎

Using (6), where 𝑃0 = 2.67 ∗ 105 𝑃𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑃𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 = 3.33 ∗ 104 𝑃𝑎, we have
→ 𝑀𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑢𝑝𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑀 = 2.0138

𝑘𝑔
From isentropic relations, we have 𝜌 = 0.2775 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑇 = 418.63 𝐾.
𝑚3
→ 𝑉 = 825.91 𝑚/𝑠

For the given airfoil, from Figure 2, we have:

𝒕
𝑐 = 0.08 𝑚, 𝑡 = 0.01 𝑚, ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝝐 = 𝐭𝐚𝐧−𝟏 ( ) = 𝟕. 𝟏𝟐𝟓°
𝒄

Using equations (8) – (13), we have:

𝑪𝒍,𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟔𝟓𝟔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒅,𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 = −𝟎. 𝟎𝟎𝟕𝟑

Theoretical: From Figure 1, we see that the different regions within the airfoil
are 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 which have Mach numbers M1, M2, M3, M4, M5 respectively.
The flow turns by different angles when moving from one region to another.
The angle by which the flow turns is denoted by 𝜃𝑖−𝑗 where the flow turns from
region ‘i’ to region ‘j’.

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From Figure 1, we see that the values of 𝜃 are:

𝜃1−2 = 𝛼 − 𝜖, 𝜃2−3 = 2𝜖, 𝜃1−4 = −𝛼 − 𝜖, 𝜃4−5 = 2𝜖

If 𝜃𝑖−𝑗 > 0, it means that the flow is turning away from itself and hence
an expansion fan will occur between ‘i’ and ‘j’. We use equations (4), (5) and
isentropic relations to get Pj.

If 𝜃𝑖−𝑗 < 0, it means that the flow is turning towards itself and hence an
oblique shock will occur between ‘i’ and ‘j’. We use equations (1), (2), (3),
isentropic relations, normal-shock relations to get Pj.

The aerodynamic coefficients Cl and Cd are then calculated using

formulae (8) – (13). The slipstream angle is calculated as per the algorithm
mentioned in the “theory” section. The required results are:

Angle of
Slip-stream
attack Cl, exp Cd,exp Cl, theo Cd, theo
angle (deg)
(deg)
10 0.0719 0.0525 0.4188 0.1133 0.2432
-10 0.0619 0.0188 -0.4194 0.1135 -0.2428
-10 0.0566 0.0204 -0.4247 0.1149 -0.2395
0 -0.0220 -0.0131 0.0000 0.0426 0.0000
5 0.0656 -0.0073 0.2062 0.0548 0.0606
0 -0.0213 -0.0147 0.0000 0.0359 0.0000
5 0.0506 -0.0093 0.2060 0.0548 0.0607
10 0.0722 0.0522 0.4192 0.1135 0.2430
10 0.0719 0.0525 0.4188 0.1133 0.2432
-10 0.0619 0.0188 -0.4194 0.1135 -0.2428
-10 0.1335 -0.0035 -0.4200 0.1137 -0.2424
-5 -0.1055 -0.0027 -0.2067 0.0550 -0.0605
-5 -0.1017 -0.0027 -0.2070 0.0550 -0.0604
-10 0.0615 0.0183 -0.4226 0.1144 -0.2408
Table 2 - Results

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On an average, the variation of the aerodynamic properties with angle of attack

is shown below:

Angle of attack Slip-stream angle

Cl, exp Cd,exp Cl, theo Cd, theo
(deg) (deg)
-10 0.0785 0.0136 -0.4209 0.1139 -0.2419
-5 -0.1036 -0.0027 -0.2068 0.0550 -0.0604
0 -0.0216 -0.0139 0.0000 0.0393 0.0000
5 0.0581 -0.0083 0.2061 0.0548 0.0606
10 0.0720 0.0524 0.4190 0.1134 0.2431
Table 3 - Aerodynamic Properties of Diamond Airfoil

Figure 3 - Lift coefficient vs angle of attack

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Figure 4 - Drag coefficient vs angle of attack

Figure 5 - Slipstream angle vs angle of attack

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Results:
1. The values of lift co-efficient and drag co-efficient was calculated both
experimentally and theoretically. They are listed in Table 2.
2. At zero angle of attack, the lift obtained = 0, but there is a finite drag (Cd,avg
= 0.0393). The slipstream angle = 0°.
3. The very large deviation from the theoretical expectation can be
explained by pressure losses in the flow, unsteadiness.
4. The negative values of drag coefficient obtained experimentally can be
due to flow separation.

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