Airfoil Design in CAD
When designing a wing - or any other aerodynamic device - airfoil design is crucial to obtain the desired performance, and properly drawing them in CAD is an essential step.
In this article, you'll learn:​
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Why airfoil design is crucial
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How we design airfoils at VFluid
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How to draw high-quality airfoils in CAD
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How to download and use our airfoil CAD design template
When designing a wing, the first and probably most important step is creating a high-quality airfoil. Many aerodynamic devices suffer from poor airfoil design, which limits their performance.
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To overcome this, many engineers use pre-designed airfoils for their devices: most notably, the infamous NACA 4-digit series. We've all used them at some point.
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Is there something wrong with using NACA airfoils?
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There’s nothing inherently wrong with NACA airfoils, they're a great tool. But were they actually developed for the same application you're using them for?
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While NACA airfoils were certainly groundbreaking, they were designed in the 1930s for general aviation aircrafts.
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Let’s face it: the requirements of your current project are probably not the same as those of a 1930s aircraft...
That’s why, at VFluid Advanced Technologies, we believe each airfoil should be tailored to the local airflow conditions and project goals. We analyze the airflow, determine what’s needed, and adapt the airfoil accordingly.
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The good news? You can design your own airfoils too.
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The following video walks you through the process step by step, highlighting key techniques to make it more efficient and precise.
Do you want to download the full video explanation, where we do a breakwodn of the process and deisng the airfoil step by step? Click the button below to start designing your own airfoils.