Aerodynamics are essential in aircraft design
Aerodynamics is the area of fluid mechanics that is dedicated to analyzing the movement of gases - especially air - and the interactions that they establish with the bodies that move in them.
Interactions between gases and bodies
In this framework, aerodynamics studies the forces that affect the elements that move in gases. It is important to keep in mind that when there is a body in the fluid, there is a change in the velocities and pressures of the gas particles, which gives rise to resistance and lift forces .
Knowledge of aerodynamics is usually applied to the movement of an aircraft through the air . As an adjective, in fact, aerodynamic and aerodynamics refer to the appropriate design to minimize air resistance .
A force known as resistance acts on every body that moves through the air. This force has the opposite direction with respect to speed: that is why it makes it difficult for the body to advance.
aerodynamic profile
It should be noted that the aerodynamic profile of a body is defined according to its shape, when this allows it to take advantage of the forces that originate from changes in pressure and air speed. An airplane , for example, must have an aerodynamic profile suitable for flight.
Another name by which this concept belonging to aeronautics is known is wing profile , although among its professionals it is also common to simply speak of profile . The aerodynamic profile is one of the most relevant points when designing surfaces such as wings , blades (curved blades of a rotodynamic fluid machine, such as a compressor or turbine) or rotor blades or propellers such as which we find in stabilizers and helicopters.
According to the objective of the designers, the profile can vary in its thickness, in its curvature, in its degree of symmetry and can also have different values from the beginning to the end of the wing. It is necessary to highlight that not only aircraft have an aerodynamic profile , but this concept can be applied to many bodies that have a shape capable of:
* oppose a certain degree of resistance while moving through a fluid. This point has a direct impact on the difficulty you have in moving through said medium;
* produce dynamic forces of variable intensity on itself that combine with its own advancement through the fluid in which it is located.
wind tunnel
An aerodynamic tunnel , on the other hand, is one that is used to subject a body to the influence of controlled air currents . In general, scale models are used in order to know the aerodynamic behavior of the object.
Just like the previous concept, this one is also known by another name: wind tunnel . It is a research resource that is very useful for studying how air affects the objects around which it moves. This is carried out in the context of simulation experiments, so that any necessary adjustments can be made before moving on to real-world practice .
Birds: source of inspiration for aerodynamics
Normally, the object remains still in the wind tunnel while the flow of gas or air is generated around it. Its most common application includes spacecraft, airplanes, automobiles, missiles, bridges, and buildings .
The first related experiments date back to the beginning of the 18th century, when the British engineer Benjamin Robins invented a device that allowed resistance to be tested in the field of aviation. Other fundamental names in the evolution of the wind tunnel throughout history are George Cayley , Francis Herbert Wenham and Konstantín Tsiolkovsky .