An Experimental Investigation on the Generation of Lift by a Flat Plate

Abstract

Background: The aviation industry is not only essential for travel around a large country such as Australia, but it is also a significant part of the economy employing many people, including pilots. With the industry’s growth, there is a need to train and educate more pilots, who require a correct working knowledge of lift and flight. Aim: The purpose of this study was to experimentally measure the lift generated by a flat plate to demonstrate that the shape of a wing is not important to the lift produced in a low-cost repeatable manner. Method: A small wind tunnel was constructed, with a flat plate airfoil mounted on digital scales to measure lift and an Arduino controlling servos to alter the angle of attack in the airflow. Results: The measured lift slope of 0.113/deg agrees with the theoretical value of 0.109/deg. This was achieved with a total cost of less than $200 USD. Conclusions: The findings show that a flat plate produces as much lift as a curved airfoil, which can be readily shown in a simple homemade wind tunnel. Recommendations: Education and training materials in high school science and in aviation training syllabi need to be modified to correctly explain how lift is generated.