Question

When comparing the lift curve of a 3-D wing with an airfoil of the same NACA 2412 profile, the wing will have a _______________ stall angle-of-attack and ______________ max lift coefficient vs. the 2-D airfoil.

Answer 1

A 3-D wing with the same NACA 2412 profile as a 2-D airfoil typically has a lower stall angle-of-attack and a lower maximum lift coefficient because of three-dimensional flow effects like wingtip vortices and downwash.

Step-by-step explanation:

When comparing the lift curve of a 3-D wing with an airfoil of the same NACA 2412 profile, the wing will generally have a lower stall angle-of-attack and lower max lift coefficient compared to the 2-D airfoil. This is due to factors such as three-dimensional flow effects including wingtip vortices, which reduce the effectiveness of the wing at high angles of attack, causing an earlier stall. Additionally, downwash created by the wing in three-dimensional flow effectively reduces the angle of attack seen by the wing, leading to a lower maximum lift coefficient.