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The Aerodynamics of Things That Spin
A QuestChat with
Dr. Earl Duque and Joe Jordan
Wednesday, December 1, 1999 10:00 AM PST
 
This
was a fun-filled hour of demonstrations, videos and explanations about
things that spin.
Dr. Duque is a research scientist who uses computers to study the aerodynamics
of helicopters, rotorcraft, and wind turbines.
You will learn about lift and angle of attack by
watching this archive. Lift is a force that is perpendicular to the airflow
around an aircraft. In normal, forward flight, the lift force "lifts"
the aircraft into the air. Engineers design airplanes so that the lift
created by the airfoil opposes the weight force. Angle of attack refers
to the angle of an airfoil to the oncoming airflow. You can find more
information on the forces that act on an aircraft at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/aero/background/
Learn how nature and humans have designed spinning
devices to fly through the air, generate energy and dry your hair.
Watch the archive
of this event.
To learn more:
Try these lesson plans:
To view movie files Dr. Duque referred to during
the Webcast:
Caution: These are large files and will be slow to download at low
speed connectivity.
To learn more about the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory visit their Website
To learn more about the Wind Turbine Research Group
visit their Website
If you really get interested in wind turbines, and
want to build your own model, you can download free plans. http://www.picoturbine.com/projectlist.htm.
For more information, please click
on these related links:
The Aeromechanics Branch of the Army/NASA
Rotorcraft Division http://halfdome.arc.nasa.gov
The Aeroflightdynamics Directorate,
US Army Aviation and Missel Command http://afdd.arc.nasa.gov
The Danish Wind Turbine Manufacturers'
Association http://www.windpower.dk/core.htm
The Alternative Technology Association,
Power from the Wind http://www.ata.org.au/basics/baswind.htm
Bay Winds Energy Systems http://www.baywinds.com/
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