This chapter discusses geometry and basic flow patterns across lifting foils. It also discusses a method suitable for analyzing the potential flow around two‐dimensional foil sections. It is surprisingly accurate in predicting the lift force of foil sections. Drag has to be determined from model tests or by semi‐empirical formulas which combine theory and experimental results. Although conformal mapping is a powerful tool for the analysis of two‐dimensional potential flow around foil sections, it is less well suited for design purposes. In conformal mapping, hydrodynamic properties are evaluated for a given shape. During design of lifting foils one would like to specify desired dynamic characteristics first, e.g. a section lift coefficient, and then find the geometry which produces this characteristic. A suitable tool for this purpose is thin foil theory. The chapter explains the assumptions of thin foil theory.
Document information
Lifting Foils
Fundamentals of Ship Hydrodynamics ; 435-446
2019-05-06
12 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English