An asymptotic analysis of transonic wind-tunnel interference based on the full potential theory (Q1084998)

The inverse problem of airfoil design has a solution only if certain constraints are satisfied by the prescribed speed distribution. Obviously, at infinity the local speed must be equal to the free stream speed. An inverse design method is described applicable at supercritical speeds that properly accounts for the constraints that exist in the problem. The method is quite general in the sense that the specified speed distribution, as represented by a functional form \(f_ 1(s)\), is general and the initial airfoil contour needed to start the solution procedure need not be close to the final contour. The method has been applied to closed and to open trailing edge configurations.