Me and my group is going to improve the apparatus in our fluid mechanics laboratory. Our main objective is to add sensor that can measure the lift and drag force on aerofoil when fog is released from the fog machine to study the air flow that created around the aerofoil part.
Well still the better method is to plot the pressure difference around the aerofoil, but if wish to read the forces directly , then look for a simple three cmponent balances. the principle is very simple ,it is based on the deflection of 3 leaf springs. with proper calibration you can measure lift .drag and turning moment of the aerofoil...well if you want to go digital then instal strain gauges on the leaf springs
Hey Lim,
I agree with Mohamad. You can build a simple force balance to measure lift and drag. Look at the link that I have attached; Although instead of using weights to balance your aerodynamic forces you can use a digital force gauge. You can use do it with the force gauge in vertical direction to calculate lift and then mount it in a horizontal direction (streamwise) to measure drag. If this project is something more involved then look at GeorgiaTech's aero lab manual for a simple schematic of their force balance (I have attached the link).
Good luck,
https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/K-12/airplane/tunbal.html
http://aelabs.gatech.edu/ae3051/AE3051Labforcemeasure.pdf
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