FURI | Spring 2019

Reducing Drag At High Angles of Attack with a Pimpled Airfoil

The objective of this project is to determine if altering a standard wing with tear-drop shaped pimples can reduce the effects of drag without utilizing expensive technology. To test this an airfoil based on a standard National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics 0012 model airfoil was designed with the tear-drop pimples and tested using a wind-tunnel, and the data was compared to testing data compiled of an unaltered airfoil of the same type. If proven successful, the reduction of drag can improve the environmental concerns of aircraft fuel consumption.