Lift Vector on a Swept wing.

[Medwin]

Hi all,
Which one is producing lift, the vector perpendicular to the leading edge or the chordline vector or both?

Thanks in advance for any info.

[spocla]

What are you on about? Lift is produced over all of the wing area (notwithstanding chaotic flow). For ease only it is said to act from the aerodynamic centre at a vector normal to the mean chord. Does this help?

[Astra driver]

The lift vector is considered as acting perpendicular to the average relative wind.

....Now let's see how many posts completely disagree with that.

[spocla]

Erm, You seem to have paraphrased what I said. For the "relative wind" do you mean AOA?

Hm, not many yet Astra Driver!

[Runaway Gun]

I'm with you on this one Astra Driver !

[Moe Syzlak]

Another aerodynamic Chimp, can't speak the Queens English neither

[Medwin]

so what's the problem Moe Syzlak?
just shut your mouth if you don't have anything nice to say.

.. we try to keep ourselves nice in this Forum, please .. this post really doesn't add anything much to the thread. While the previous post adds little as well, at least it is not blatantly impolite

[john_tullamarine]

I wouldn't worry too much about the vector representations one sees in basic training texts and the various mechanisms used to describe what is happening in the real world. At the end of the day, they are only attempts to simplify what is a fairly complex physical thing.

Basically, fluid forces come from momentum changes (although the forces are transmitted via the effect of fluid pressures on a surface) .. for low speed flow, if you can manage to cause the flow direction to change, you get some forces. Trick is to get the desired forces (viz., lift) at the expense of minimum unwanted forces (viz., drag).