Compared to a less cambered airfoil, a more cambered airfoil typically stalls at a lower angle of attack?

Compared to a less cambered airfoil, a more cambered airfoil typically stalls at a lower angle of attack?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Cannot be determined
• D. Only at high speeds

Answer: (A)

A more cambered airfoil has a steeper lift-curve, meaning it generates higher lift at the same angle of attack and its lift rises more quickly as you increase alpha. Because the flow reaches the point of separation sooner in terms of angle, the stall occurs at a smaller angle of attack for a cambered wing than for a less cambered one. In other words, you hit the stall condition earlier as you increase alpha, even though the airfoil can achieve a higher maximum lift before separation. This combination—strong low-speed lift with a lower stall angle—follows from how camber shifts the pressure distribution and steepens the lift curve.

A more cambered airfoil has a steeper lift-curve, meaning it generates higher lift at the same angle of attack and its lift rises more quickly as you increase alpha. Because the flow reaches the point of separation sooner in terms of angle, the stall occurs at a smaller angle of attack for a cambered wing than for a less cambered one. In other words, you hit the stall condition earlier as you increase alpha, even though the airfoil can achieve a higher maximum lift before separation. This combination—strong low-speed lift with a lower stall angle—follows from how camber shifts the pressure distribution and steepens the lift curve.