Why do aircraft fly? How do their wings support them? In the early years of aviation, there was an intense dispute between British and German experts over the question of why and how an aircraft wing provides lift. The British, under the leadership of the great Cambridge mathematical physicist Lord Rayleigh, produced highly elaborate investigations of the nature of discontinuous flow, while the Germans, following Ludwig Prandtl in Göttingen, relied on the tradition called “technical mechanics” to explain the flow of air around a wing. Much of the basis of modern aerodynamics emerged from this remarkable episode, yet it has never been subject to a detailed historical and sociological analysis. In The Enigma of the Aerofoil, David Bloor probes a neglected aspect of this important period in the history of aviation. Bloor draws upon papers by the participants—their restricted technical reports, meeting minutes, and personal correspondence, much of which has never before been published—and reveals the impact that the divergent mathematical traditions of Cambridge and Göttingen had on this great debate. Bloor also addresses why the British, even after discovering the failings of their own theory, remained resistant to the German circulation theory for more than a decade. The result is essential reading for anyone studying the history, philosophy, or sociology of science or technology—and for all those intrigued by flight.

This excellent, innovative reference offers a wealth of useful information and a solid background in the fundamentals of aerodynamics. Fluid mechanics, constant density inviscid flow, singular perturbation problems, viscosity, thin-wing and slender body theories, drag minimalization, and other essentials are addressed in a lively, literate manner and accompanied by diagrams.

An excellent introduction to inviscid airflow using potential theory, this book is a classic in its field. Complete reprint of the revised 1966 edition, which brings the subject up to date.

Aerodynamic theory was not prepared to offer assistance in the early development of the airplane. The scientific community, most qualified for action at the forefront of human endeavor, often turns out in practice to be surprisingly conservative. It is recorded that Lord Rayleigh expressed "not the smallest molecule of faith in aerial navigation, except by balloon." It was not until experiments such as those of Lilienthal and Langley and the successful powered flights of the Wright brothers that correct theories for the aerodynamic action of wings were developed. Following the successful demonstrations of the Wright brothers, aerodynamic theory developed rapidly, primarily in European laboratories. These developments we associate with the names Joukowsky, Kutta, Prandtl and his students, Munk, Betz, and Von Karman. It should not be forgotten that the writings of F. W. Lanchester provide many of the physical insights that were elaborated in these mathematical theories. Throughout World War I, these developments in aerodynamic theory remained virtually unknown in the U.S. However, in the early 1920's, the U.S. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics undertook to translate or otherwise make available important works on aerodynamic theory in the form of NACA Technical Reports, Notes, and Memoranda, and to encourage similar effort in its own laboratory. At the present time, many of these old NACA documents are no longer readily available and it seems worthwhile to collect the most important early works under the title "Classical Aerodynamics." In most cases, the theories are explained in the author's own words and often with a degree of clarity unequalled in later interpretations. R. T. Jones Senior Staff Scientist NASA-Ames Research Center June 18, 1979 CONTENTS Preface Applications of Modern Hydrodynamics to Aeronautics L. Prandtl The Mechanism of Fluid Resistance Th. v. Karman and H. Rubach Pressure Distribution on Joukowski Wings Otto Blumenthal Graphic Construction of Joukowski Wings E. Trefftz The Minimum Induced Drag of Aerofoils Max M. Mun K The Aerodynamic Forces on Airship Hulls Max M. Munk Elements of the Wing Section Theory and of the Wing Theory Max M. Munk Remarks on the Pressure Distribution over the Surface of an Ellipsoid, Moving Translationally Through a Perfect Fluid Max M. Munk The Inertia Coefficients of an Airship in a Frictionless Fluid H. Bateman Flow and Drag Formulas for Simple Quadrics A. F. Zahm Flow and Force Equations for a Body Revolving In a Fluid A. F. Zahm Behavior of Vortex Systems A. Betz General Potential Theory of Arbitrary Wing Sections T. Theodorsen and I. E. Garrick General Theory of Aerodynamic Instability and the Mechanism of Flutter Theodore Theodorsen

Starting from a basic knowledge of mathematics and mechanics gained in standard foundation classes, Theory of Lift: Introductory Computational Aerodynamics in MATLAB/Octave takes the reader conceptually through from the fundamental mechanics of lift to the stage of actually being able to make practical calculations and predictions of the coefficient of lift for realistic wing profile and planform geometries. The classical framework and methods of aerodynamics are covered in detail and the reader is shown how they may be used to develop simple yet powerful MATLAB or Octave programs that accurately predict and visualise the dynamics of real wing shapes, using lumped vortex, panel, and vortex lattice methods. This book contains all the mathematical development and formulae required in standard incompressible aerodynamics as well as dozens of small but complete working programs which can be put to use immediately using either the popular MATLAB or free Octave computional modelling packages. Key features: Synthesizes the classical foundations of aerodynamics with hands-on computation, emphasizing interactivity and visualization. Includes complete source code for all programs, all listings having been tested for compatibility with both MATLAB and Octave. Companion website (www.wiley.com/go/mcbain) hosting codes and solutions. Theory of Lift: Introductory Computational Aerodynamics in MATLAB/Octave is an introductory text for graduate and senior undergraduate students on aeronautical and aerospace engineering courses and also forms a valuable reference for engineers and designers.