This "turning" of the air in the vicinity of the airfoil creates curved streamlines which results in lower pressure on one side and higher pressure on the other. Most foil shapes require a positive angle of attack to generate lift, but cambered airfoils can generate lift at zero angle of attack. This force is known as aerodynamic force and can be resolved into two components: Lift and drag. When oriented at a suitable angle, the airfoil deflects the oncoming air, resulting in a force on the airfoil in the direction opposite to the deflection. The lift on an airfoil is primarily the result of its angle of attack and shape. Foils of similar function designed with water as the working fluid are called hydrofoils. Subsonic flight airfoils have a characteristic shape with a rounded leading edge, followed by a sharp trailing edge, often with asymmetric camber. The component parallel to the direction of motion is called drag. The component of this force perpendicular to the direction of motion is called lift. The lift force can be related directly to the average top/bottom velocity difference without computing the pressure by using the concept of circulation and the Kutta–Joukowski theorem.įreebase (1.00 / 2 votes) Rate this definition:Īn airfoil or aerofoil is the shape of a wing or blade or sail as seen in cross-section.Īn airfoil-shaped body moved through a fluid produces an aerodynamic force. This pressure difference is accompanied by a velocity difference, via Bernoulli's principle, so the resulting flowfield about the airfoil has a higher average velocity on the upper surface than on the lower surface. This "turning" of the air in the vicinity of the airfoil creates curved streamlines, resulting in lower pressure on one side and higher pressure on the other. This force is known as aerodynamic force and can be resolved into two components: lift and drag. When oriented at a suitable angle, the airfoil deflects the oncoming air (for fixed-wing aircraft, a downward force), resulting in a force on the airfoil in the direction opposite to the deflection. The lift on an airfoil is primarily the result of its angle of attack. Subsonic flight airfoils have a characteristic shape with a rounded leading edge, followed by a sharp trailing edge, often with a symmetric curvature of upper and lower surfaces.
Send us feedback.Wikipedia (0.00 / 0 votes) Rate this definition:Īn airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of a wing, blade (of a propeller, rotor, or turbine), or sail (as seen in cross-section).Īn airfoil-shaped body moving through a fluid produces an aerodynamic force. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aspect ratio.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. 2021 In dazzlingly crisp images, boxed in to a narrow aspect ratio and threaded together in increasingly jagged, unnerving rhythms, the tight, taut storyline proceeds inexorably toward its awful pivot point and beyond. 2022 Coen and his director of photography, Bruno Delbonnel, brilliantly evoke the look of older films with a stark black-and-white palette and a nearly square aspect ratio. 2021 Resolution comes in at 1,366 by 768 pixels, with a 16:9 aspect ratio. 2022 As with any aspect ratio, there are specific benefits to this ultrawide frame.Įric Ravenscraft, Wired, 27 Dec. 2022 The company's 21:9 Toshiba U845W laptop promised a superior experience for watching movies (at least ones made in the same aspect ratio) and multitasking. 2022 The display features a 4:3 aspect ratio and 2.5K resolution in this mode.Ĭhris Smith, BGR, 6 Jan. 2022 The aspect ratio changes into a square format and the lensing feels reminiscent of 19th century wet plate collodion photography. Recent Examples on the Web Acer announced three new Chromebooks, including the Spin 513 with a 3:2 aspect ratio and the new 8-core MediaTek Kompanio 1380 processor.