Abstract:

Lift and drag represent fundamental aerodynamic forces extensively utilized in both the automotive and aviation industries. These forces are contingent on the specific shape and size of objects. The primary aim of this experiment was to gauge the lift and drag forces acting upon a collection of airfoils utilized by The Cooper Union’s Motorsports team. This assessment was carried out using a wind tunnel. Despite the presence of notable error sources, the experiment yielded a coefficient of drag to coefficient of lift ratio, which measured at 2.11. Remarkably, this closely approximated the simulated value of 2.07 provided by the client, resulting in a mere 1.9% percent error.