Factors affecting lift produced by airfoil?

Question

What are some of the factors affecting how much lift a given airfoil design or wing will produce?

ex. wing surface area, airspeed, angle of attack

Answer 1

As an aircraft moves through the air, the wing is inclined to the flight direction at some angle. The angle between the chord line of the airfoil and the flight direction is called the angle of attack. Angle of attack has a large effect on the lift generated by a wing. During takes off, the pilot applies as much thrust as possible to make the airplane roll along launch rail. But just before lifting off, the pilot "rotates" the aircraft. The nose of the airplane rises, increasing the angle of attack and producing the increased lift needed for takeoff.

The amount of lift generated by a wing depends on how much the flow is turned, which depends on the shape of the object. The lift is, in general, a very complex function of the shape.the greater the air flow turning, the greater the lift.
It is important to note that the acceleration of the air does not just involve the air molecules "bouncing off" the lower surface of the wing. Rather, air molecules closely follow both the top and bottom surfaces, and so the airflow is deflected downward. The acceleration of the air during the creation of lift has also been described as a "turning" of the airflow.
When the air is bent around the top of the wing, it pulls on the air above it accelerating that air down, otherwise there would be voids in the air left above the wing. Air is pulled from above to prevent voids. This pulling causes the pressure to become lower above the wing. It is the acceleration of the air above the wing in the downward direction that gives lift.


The amount of lift generated by an object depends on the size of the object. Lift is an aerodynamic force and therefore depends on the pressure variation of the air around the body as it moves through the air. The total aerodynamic force is equal to the pressure times the surface area around the body. Lift is the component of this force perpendicular to the flight direction. Like the other aerodynamic force, drag, the lift is directly proportional to the area of the object. Doubling the area doubles the lift.


The greater the angle of attack, the greater the vertical velocity. Likewise, for the same angle of attack, the greater the speed of the wing the greater the vertical velocity. Both the increase in the speed and the increase of the angle of attack increase the length of the vertical arrow. It is this vertical velocity that gives the wing lift.

Answer 2

You have already mentioned some. Some others would be airfoil camber, temperature hence density of air, turbulence present in the air (although that is not something to do with the airfoil's design).

Answer 3

shape of the wing including ice