1. Rebecca Sanders-Eachus
Aerodynamics
Rebecca Sanders-Eachus

2. What is Aerodynamics?
The study of how gases interact with moving bodies
Primarily concerned with the forces of drag and lift caused by air passing over and around a solid body
Drag- force that opposes a solid object’s motion through air
Lift- sum of all forces on a body that force it to move perpendicular to the direction of flow

3. Automobile Aerodynamics
Drag
Became an issue with stronger engines
Increased Speed = Increased Resistance
Race cars were the first cars with aerodynamic bodies
Racecar principles applied to create aerodynamic consumer vehicles
Computer simulations and wind tunnel experiments

4. Automobile Aerodynamics
Lift
Lift is dangerous
Causes lack of control in steering and braking
Automobile bodies designed to exert downward force as speed increases
Drag and lift must balance
Airfoils used on racecars, then passenger cars to produce the greatest downward force
Airfoils - structures with curved surfaces on back of vehicle (commonly known as spoilers) give the most favorable lift/drag ratio

5. Aircraft Aerodynamics Drag/Thrust
Drag acting against body and wings of plane
Thrust (sudden or violent push of an object in a specific direction) is used for airplanes to negate the force of drag acting against it
Propeller is used to create the thrust
In flight, at a constant speed, a specific
amount of thrust is used to oppose drag
acting against the body

6. Aircraft Aerodynamics Lift
Needed to allow the airplane to take flight
The force, created by a difference in pressure,
applied to the wings on each side of the
Apparatus
Difference in pressure allows slower moving
Air (under wing) to push up on the wing with
a greater force, known as dynamic lift

7. Bernoulli’s Principle
The faster the moving air, the lower the pressure
This principle is used in the creation of the wing of an airplane
Equation of Continuity
𝐴 1 𝑣 1 = 𝐴 2 𝑣 2
The design of the wing of an airplane
is curved on top to create a longer path
for air to flow over
Causing air to move faster over the top
because streamlines are being forced
closer together

8. Frightening Freak Accidents
Airplane Stalling – aircraft not going fast enough with nose pointed too high. No air flows over the body of the plane, instead breaks away caused by turbulent swirls on top of the wings, causing the plane to fall quickly
Airplane Spinning – inside of wing stalls and outside of the wing continues to create a lift force causing the plane to corkscrew in a downward path