Experimental Aerodynamics of a NACA 4424 Airfoil at Low Reynolds Number Flow

Abstract

This paper presents wind tunnel data on the aerodynamic characteristics of a NACA4424 airfoil operating under low Reynolds number flow conditions (∼ Re = 2 × 105). The study investigates the lift, drag, and stall behavior of the airfoil, which are critical for applications in engineering such as small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and micro air vehicles (MAVs). Experimental data were collected through wind tunnel testing across various angles of attack at a fixed Reynolds number.To provide further insight, the experimental results are complemented by XFOIL simulations, which illustrate the impact of low Reynolds number conditions on aerodynamic performance. These findings enhance the understanding of airfoil behavior in low Reynolds number regimes and support the design and optimization of efficient airfoil profiles for small-scale aerial systems.

Keywords

• NACA 4424
• wind tunnel testing
• low Reynolds flow
• aerodynamics performance
• small-scale aerial vehicle