HN Reader

Airfoil (2024)

531

9 days agoby brk

For those of us programming nerds that want to play with aerodynamics, I can't recommend AeroSandbox enough. While the code is pretty obviously written for people who know their way around aerodynamics and not so much around programming, it is remarkably powerful. You can do all sorts of aerodynamic simulations and is coupled with optimization libraries that allow you to do incredible aerodynamic optimizations. It comes included with some pretty powerful open weight neural network models that can do very accurate estimates of aerodynamic characteristics of airfoils in a fraction of the time that top tier heuristic solvers (like xfoil) can do (which are already several orders of magnitude faster than CFD solvers).

https://github.com/peterdsharpe/AeroSandbox

9 days agoby darksaints

Ok that's long, one top line thing people tend to miss in these flying explanations is that airfoil shape isn't about some special sauce generating lift. A flat plate generates any amount of lift you want just fine. Airfoil design is about the ratio of lift to drag most importantly and then several more complex effects but NOT just generating lift. (stall speed, performance near and above the speed of sound, laminar/turbulent flow in different situations, what you can fit inside the wing, etc)

9 days agoby colechristensen

I say it every time it pops up; I’m a huge fan of ciechanow.ski!

They should receive an unlimited grant to produce educational content for the digital generation’s benefit.

9 days agoby seemaze

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39526057

9 days agoby Lwrless

He usually posts these brilliant explanations once or twice a year but nothing in 2025. I hope he finds the time to continue because the lessons are really really brilliantly told.

9 days agoby nvitas

These are amazing illustrations, but I don't understand the emphasis on pressure differentials. That is not how wings generate lift. Due to attachment they deflect the flow, and the momentum change generates an upward force [1]. The practical point of understanding the flow over the wing is to keep that flow attached so that you can deflect it or reattach it if you get out of sorts.