I recently got the polar curve of an aircraft with the method of Anderson. But this method is too old.
Does someone know a recent method for the polar curve without using CFD?
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
3
-
2$\begingroup$ Did you try Makino-san's method? If you want more precision, you need to invest a lot more work, and the best methods are not necessarily the newest ones. $\endgroup$– Peter KämpfApr 7, 2015 at 20:32
-
4$\begingroup$ What do you mean, "too old?" Last I checked, algorithms aren't exactly perishable. $\endgroup$– cpastApr 7, 2015 at 22:32
-
$\begingroup$ Really? How about Newton? $\endgroup$– rbpApr 9, 2015 at 22:46
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
Here are some other methods (excluding CFD and computational ones) for building up a polar curve:
- Wind tunnel testing, one of the earliest methods, still one of the most applied and explored one.
- Flight testing ("dynamically scaled" model or a 1:1 real prototype)
- Empirical methods (e.g. Hoerner's books on "Lift" and "Drag")
- Reverse calculations; i.e. if the performance charts AND the engine deck (force model) is published or known, then the flight performance chapter of the aircraft operations manual could be used, at least to a certain confidence level, to guess about the polar curve for different configurations and conditions.
- If you know a few speeds of best endurance/best range glide, you could get an idea of the CL/CD at those speeds, and if you know the mass of the aircraft, the polar curve can be plotted.
- Asking the manufacturer certainly could help (if not a model of commercial competition)
