Wing Redesign

Table of Contents

Task Description

This task involves some research into methods of manufacturing and design for that specific type of manufacturing. We intend to keep the general shape of the airfoil from Eclipse V1 to V2. Airfoil information for Eclipse V1 can be found here: https://uwarg-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/x/oYJjm. Majority of the constraints from this doc carry over to the new wing. The goal for this new wing is to have it better scaled for the aircraft based on learnings from the attempted maiden flight. We want to get away from using monokote and balsa wood to fabricate the wing and switch to a composite based airfoil. This is part of the research task to find a suitable manufacturing method.

Previous wing was a NACA 6412

Check out NACA airfoil generator to generate plots of different airfoil shapes: NACA 4 digit airfoil generator (NACA 2412 AIRFOIL) (airfoiltools.com)

Other resources:

How To Read NACA airfoils (4 digit, 5 digit, 6 digit) (youtube.com)

Constraints

Assignees

Key Terms

@Nathaniel Li put this here for clarity.

• Chord: imaginary straight line joining the leading edge (usually left) and trailing edge (usually right) of airfoil

• LE: leading edge

• TE: trailing edge

• CL: lift coefficient, determined from type of airfoil and angle of attack

• CD: drag coefficient

• AoA: angle of attack, angle at which chord meets relative wind

• CM: pitching moment coefficient

  • Clockwise (pitch up) positive, counterclockwise (pitch down) negative

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Airfoil Diagram

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AoA Diagram

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Pitching Moment at Aerodynamic Center

Reference Information

Summary of How To Read NACA airfoils (4 digit, 5 digit, 6 digit)

4 digit - Ex. NACA 2412

• First digit 2: max camber of airfoil

  • 2% of chord (or 0.02c)

• Second digit 4: location of max camber

  • 40% of chord (or 0.4c)

• Third and fourth digit 12: thickness of chord

  • 12% of chord (or 0.12c)

• Chord is straight line from leading edge (LE) to trailing edge (TE) going from left to right

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  Ex. NACA 2412

  • In this case 0.4c is the location of max camber

  • t = 0.12c is the thickness

5 digit - Ex. NACA 46015

• First digit 4: design lift coefficient (CL)

  • Multiply by 3/2 and divide by 10 to get CL

  • Ex. 4 x 3/2 = 6 → 6 / 10 = 0.6 → CL = 0.6

• Second and third digit 60: location of max camber

  • Multiply by 1/2 and divide by 10

  • Ex. 60 / 2 = 30 → 30 / 10 = 0.3 → 30% of chord from LE (or 0.3c)

• Fourth and fifth digit 15: thickness in %

  • Ex. 15% of chord length (or 0.15c)

6 series - Ex. NACA 64-320

• First digit 6: series #

• Second digit 4: location of min pressure

  • 40% of chord (or 0.4c from LE)

  • When airfoil is at zero lift condition

• Third digit 3: CL

  • No factor multiplication → CL = 0.3

• Fourth and fifth digit 20: thickness in %

  • 20% of chord length (or 0.2c)Author: @Nathaniel Li Updating Date: Jun 11, 2024

Research of Various NACA Airfoils

• Other NACA airfoils include: 16-series, 7-series, 8-series

• Quick summary based upon course content from Stanfords AA200 Applied Aerodynamics course

  • AA200 Applied Aerodynamics course content

  • NACA airfoil series pdf

Based on the research so far any of the NACA 4 digit airfoil that meets the requirement below will be a good starting point for us to investigate further.

• Camber % 4 to 6

• chord from 9" to 12"

• thickness % 10 to 14

Manufacturing Methods

Research to be done but here are a few methods to take a look at:

• Vacuum Bagging – Composite fabric is laid over a foam or mold core, then vacuum bagged to tightly compress the wing skin for a strong, lightweight structure.

• Resin Infusion – A dry wing layup (over foam or mold) is sealed and infused with resin via vacuum, creating uniform, high-strength wings with minimal weight.

• Wet Layup – Carbon or fiberglass is manually wetted with resin and applied over a foam wing core or mold; accessible but less precise.

• Prepreg Layup – Pre-impregnated composite sheets are laid into wing molds and oven-cured for precision, stiffness, and low weight.

• Foam Core Sandwiching – A shaped foam wing core is wrapped in carbon or fiberglass skins and cured (often under vacuum) for stiffness and structural integrity.

• Bladder Molding – Used for hollow wings with internal structures; a bladder expands inside the composite layup in a mold, pressing it into shape during cure.

• Hot Wire Cutting + Skinning – Foam wings are cut to airfoil shape with a hot wire, then skinned in fiberglass or carbon cloth for a fast and light DIY wing solution.

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Example wing with CF tubes for leading edge