Airfoil
Airfoil
Airfoil (pronounced: /ˈeərˌfɔɪl/), also known as an aerofoil in British English, is a shape designed to obtain a desirable reaction from the air through which it moves.
Etymology
The term "airfoil" is a combination of the words "air" and "foil", which refers to a thin sheet of material. The term was first used in the early 20th century, coinciding with the development of aerodynamic theories and the advent of powered flight.
Definition
An airfoil is a shape of a wing, blade (of a propeller, rotor, or turbine), or sail. The most common type of airfoil is the wing of an airplane, which produces lift due to its shape and angle of attack. The curvature of the airfoil and the angle at which it meets the oncoming air stream are the primary factors influencing lift.
Related Terms
- Lift: The force that directly opposes the weight of an airplane and holds the airplane in the air.
- Drag: A force that opposes an aircraft's motion through the air.
- Aerodynamics: The study of the properties of moving air, and especially of the interaction between the air and solid bodies moving through it.
- Angle of attack: The angle between the chord line of the airfoil and the oncoming air.
- Chord: The imaginary straight line joining the leading and trailing edges of an airfoil.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Airfoil
- Wikipedia's article - Airfoil
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