Lift curve breakdown for airfoil undergoing dynamic stall

Abstract

The work presented aims to investigate the lift-characteristics of a thick airfoil section undergoing dynamic stall. The NACA 0021 airfoil was selected for the experimental work performed at the KC Wind Tunnel at the University of Adelaide. The airfoil was pitched at the mid-chord and the unsteady surface pressure distributions were recorded. The surface pressures were then used to obtain the lift-curve for the airfoil undergoing dynamic stall. In the present article, the unsteady lift-curve has been broken down into stages and each stage has been analysed to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamic stall lift.