Earlier, "superficial intelligence"
wrote:
Does anyone know a resource where i
could find airfoil coordinates for
(more) modern composite gliders.
The most effective resource for coordinates are the articles
themselves. Be sure and call it "research."
A hint: always check both right and left sides of the article.
Asymetry abounds.
I understand that many of the currently
competetive sailplane manufacturers
would have very closley guarded data
on their airfoils but i may get lucky.
You might.
The most modern data i can find is on
the ASW 20.
I am doing a bit of research mainly to
do with airfoil advancement over the
last 30 years.
Since you mentioned it, here's my take pundit's-eye-view of the last
30 years of airfoil development:
The biggest changes have been not in the airfoils themselves, but
rather in the degree of difficulty of developing custom airfoils for
specific applications. With airfoil development packages now available
for desktop computers (or even online), it is now practical to develop
six or eight different sections for a wing panel that optimize the
section for the constraints at that part of the wing. None of those
sections would be anything that a dedicated airfoil designer couldn't
have developed over the course of a few weeks or months in 1975.
However, the fact that you can develop each section over the course of
only a few hours or even just minutes, and have a high degree of
confidence in its effectiveness, can make a noticeable difference in
overall performance.
Beyond that, there has also been sort of a wave of realignment, in
which airfoil design has started to take more account of real-world
conditions. For example, when it comes to low drag at cruising speed
in smooth conditions, there isn't much in the sailplane realm that
beats the old FX-67 sections. However, when you add in turbulence,
construction and fabrication defects, paint chips, dust, bugs, and
rain, the FX-67 degrades rapidly; especially in the 17% thickness
common on second-generation composite gliders. Later airfoils such as
the FX-81 will tend to be more conservative, and try for less in the
way of laminar run, but lose less of their performance as surface
conditions deteriorate and so come out ahead.
Thanks, and best regards to all
Bob K.
http://www.hpaircraft.com/hp-24