On the construction and calculation of optimal nonlifting critical airfoils

Numerical calculations are carried out in the hodograph plane to construct optimal critical airfoil shapes and the flow about them. These optimal airfoil shapes give the highest free-stream Mach numberM for a given thickness ratio and tail angle _t (nonlifting) for which the flow is nowhere supersonic. A relationship betweenM and for various _t is given. Analytical and numerical solutions to the same problem are found on the basis of transonic small-disturbance theory. These results provide a limiting case asM1, 0 and agree well with the calculations of the full problem. Using a numerical method to calculate the flow about general (subsonic) airfoils, a comparison is made between the critical free-stream Mach numbers for some standard airfoil shapes and the optimal free stream Mach number of the corresponding and _t. A significant increase in the critical free-stream Mach number is found for the optimal airfoils.