Wind-tunnel investigation of an NACA 23012 airfoil with several arrangements of slotted flaps with extended lips

An investigation was made in the NACA 7- by 10-foot wind tunnel to determine the effect of slot-lip location on the aerodynamic section characteristics of an NACA 23012 airfoil with a 30-percent-chord slotted flap. Tests were made with slot lips located at 90 and 100 percent of the airfoil chord and with two different flap shapes. The results are compared with a slotted flap previously developed by the National advisory Committee for Aeronautics with a slot lip located at 83 percent of the airfoil chord. The extension of the slot lip to the rear increased the section lift and pitching-moment coefficients. Comparisons made on a basis of pitching moment for a given tail length show that the Fowler type flap, lip extended to trailing edge of the airfoil, has the greatest section lift coefficient. For moderate tail lengths, 2 to 3 chord lengths, there was only a slight difference between the previously developed slotted flap and the slotted flap with slot lip extended to 90 percent of the airfoil chord. Of the three flaps tested, the Fowler flap had the lowest drag coefficient at high lift coefficients. The extension of the lower surface at the leading edge of the slot had a negligible effect on the profile drag of the airfoil-flap arrangement with the flap deflected when the lip terminated at 90 percent of the airfoil chord.