Airfoils Geometry?

Question

Hello,

I am a mechanical engineering student, and I want to make an airfoil for my machining workshop. I want to know where I can find the data about airfoils geometry and profile?(also if any optimal design exsit, please introduce me)

Thank you,
Best Regards

Answer 1

An optimal airfoil does not exist (if existed all airplanes, helicopters, etc...would use that!!) but there are airfoils for different purpose, for different airspeed,ecc, you only need to chose the best for what you want to do with that....
Airfoils for gliders are different from airfoils used in jet axial compressor and turbines, and in helicopter blades....
there are a lot of airfoils, and NACA 4-5-6 digits are only a little part of the ammount of different airfolis......there are also Clark, Coanda, DAE, Defiant, Eppler, Eiffel, Worthmann, Gottingen, Onera, RAF, Selig, Vertol, .......

In the link below you can find a lot, all with a file.dat(with coordinates) and usually a gif image of the airfoils...good work

Answer 2

I'm not an engineer but my dad is and my cousin is an aeronautical engineer. These days they would use the most sophisticated computers and they do have wind tunnels. They can build a small scale model and put it through a wind tunnel recording its lift, drag and some other things before they finally build first plane which may need some adjustments.

Answer 3

Check this NASA site.

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/foil2.html

Answer 4

You need to search for NACA Airfoils.

The links below might be of help.