Aerodynamic Forces, Moments & Wind Engineering – Key Vocabulary 2

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Vocabulary flashcards covering core aerodynamic forces, moments, principles, coefficients, drag types, and related wind-engineering terms from the lecture notes.

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34 Terms

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Aerodynamic Forces

Forces generated by air flowing over a body; primarily lift and drag.

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Lift

Upward aerodynamic force perpendicular to the freestream flow that counters weight and enables flight.

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Drag

Resistive aerodynamic force acting parallel and opposite to the direction of motion.

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Resultant Force

Vector sum of lift, drag, and weight acting on an airborne object.

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Pitching Moment

Torque about the lateral (y-) axis that raises or lowers an aircraft’s nose.

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Bernoulli’s Principle

Fluid-dynamics law: as velocity increases, static pressure decreases.

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Newton’s Second Law of Motion

Acceleration is proportional to net force and inversely proportional to mass (F = m a).

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Newton’s Third Law of Motion

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

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Airfoil

Cross-sectional shape of a wing or blade designed to generate lift when air flows around it.

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Angle of Attack (AoA)

Angle between an airfoil’s chord line and the incoming airflow; key factor in lift and stall.

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Lift Coefficient (CL)

Dimensionless number expressing lift capability of a surface; L = ½ ρV²S CL.

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Drag Coefficient (CD)

Dimensionless measure of an object’s resistance to flow; D = ½ ρV²S CD.

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Pitching Moment Coefficient (CM)

Dimensionless value representing pitching moment magnitude; M = ½ ρV²Sc CM.

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Reynolds Number (Re)

ρVL/μ; predicts laminar vs. turbulent flow regimes.

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Mach Number (M)

Ratio of object speed to local speed of sound (V/a).

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Skin Friction Drag

Drag due to shear stress between air molecules and a body’s surface.

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Form Drag

Pressure drag arising from an object’s shape and flow separation regions.

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Induced Drag

Drag generated as a by-product of lift; caused by wingtip vortices and spanwise pressure differences.

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Wave Drag

Additional drag produced by shock waves as an aircraft approaches transonic/supersonic speeds.

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Center of Pressure (CoP)

Point on an airfoil where the resultant aerodynamic force acts.

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Mean Aerodynamic Chord (MAC or c)

Average chord length of a wing; reference length for moments and coefficients.

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Freestream Velocity (V∞)

Undisturbed airspeed far ahead of a body; used in aerodynamic calculations.

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Air Density (ρ)

Mass per unit volume of air; influences lift, drag, and moment magnitudes.

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Wing Surface Area (S or A)

Planform area of a wing; directly proportional to generated aerodynamic forces.

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Skin Friction Coefficient (Cf)

Non-dimensional quantity indicating shear drag on a surface.

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Gust Load

Transient force and moment spikes caused by sudden wind velocity changes.

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Thrust

Propulsive force pushing an aircraft forward, counteracting drag.

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Weight

Gravitational force acting downward on an aircraft’s mass.

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Stall

Condition where excessive AoA causes lift to drop sharply due to flow separation.

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Wave Drag Divergence Mach

Flight Mach number where wave drag rises steeply due to shock-wave formation.

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Aerodynamic Stability

Ability of an aircraft to return to equilibrium after a disturbance without pilot input.

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Wind Engineering

Field studying wind effects on structures, vehicles, and environments for safety and efficiency.

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Induced Angle of Attack

Effective change in AoA due to downwash from wingtip vortices.

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Newton’s Second Law of Motion

“The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass.”