DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF NACA AIRFOIL

The present study successfully investigates the aerodynamic performance of the NACA 2412 airfoil using computational analysis carried out in SimFlow. The analysis was performed by simulating airflow over the airfoil under varying angles of attack, allowing a detailed understanding of lift generation, drag behavior, and flow characteristics. The results obtained from the simulation indicate that the NACA 2412 airfoil demonstrates stable and efficient aerodynamic performance at low to moderate angles of attack. In this region, the airflow remains fully attached to the airfoil surface, resulting in smooth streamlines and a favorable pressure distribution. The pressure on the upper surface is significantly lower compared to the lower surface, which contributes to the generation of lift. As the angle of attack increases, the pressure difference between the upper and lower surfaces becomes more pronounced, leading to an increase in lift coefficient. At higher angles of attack, particularly beyond a critical limit, the airflow begins to experience adverse pressure gradients, causing it to lose momentum and detach from the airfoil surface. This phenomenon, known as flow separation, leads to the formation of vortices and turbulent wake regions. As a result, the lift starts to decrease while the drag increases sharply, indicating the onset of stall. The CFD results obtained from SimFlow clearly capture this transition from attached flow to separated flow through velocity contours and flow visualization. Overall, the study demonstrates that the NACA 2412 airfoil performs efficiently within a specific range of operating conditions and provides reliable aerodynamic characteristics. The use of SimFlow enables a detailed and accurate analysis of flow behavior, making it a powerful tool for aerodynamic studies. The findings of this project contribute to a better understanding of airfoil performance and can be applied in the design and optimization of aerodynamic systems.

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