A Wind-Tunnel Investigation of the Development of Lift on Wings in Accelerated Longitudinal Motion

An investigation was made in the Langley 300 MPH 7- by 10-foot tunnel to determine the development of lift on a wing during a simulated constant-acceleration catapult take-off. The investigation included models of a two-dimensional wing, an unswept wing having an aspect ratio of 6, a 35 deg. swept wing having an aspect ratio of 3.05, and a 60 deg. delta wing having an aspect ratio of 2.31. All the wings investigated developed at least 90 percent of their steady-state lift in the first 7 chord lengths of travel. The development of lift was essentially independent of the acceleration when based on chord lengths traveled, and was in qualitative agreement with theory