Article
Article
- Engineering & Materials
- Aeronautical engineering
- Aircraft laminar flow control
DISCLAIMER: This article is being kept online for historical purposes. Though accurate at last review, it is no longer being updated. The page may contain broken links or outdated information.
Aircraft laminar flow control
Article By:
Joslin, Ronald D. Langley Research Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Hampton, Virginia.
Last reviewed:2000
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB000020
- Boundary-layer theory
- Natural laminar flow
- Active control system
- Benefits versus penalties
- Related Primary Literature
- Additional Reading
For flying, an upward lift force must be generated to overcome the weight of the aircraft, and the engines must generate a forward thrust force to overcome the drag force produced by the air flowing over the aircraft. These lift and drag forces are closely coupled, and an improvement in one can lead to benefits in the other. A principal contributor to the drag force is boundary-layer skin-friction drag, which results from friction forces generated as air passes over the aircraft surfaces.
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