Generalized Multipoint Inverse Airfoil Design

la a rather aeaeral sense, ia"erse airfoU desila caa be takea to meaa the problem of speclfyinl a desired set of airfoU characteristics, sudl as tbe airfoU maxima .. tblekaess ratio, pltchlal moment, part of tbe "e1oclty distributioa, or bouadary-layer develop_t. From tills laformatloa, the correspoadinl airfoU shape is determiaed. This paper presents a metbod tbat approacha tbe desiga problem from this penpectlve. In particular, the airfoU is dl"ided Into seameats aloBl wbleb, toaetber witb tbe desila conditions, either tbe "e1ocity distribution or boundary-layer developmeat may be presaibed. la additioa to tbese local desired distributions, sinlle parameten like the amoU tblekaess caa be specified. Del_iaatioa of tbe airfoU sbape is accompllsbed by coupUnl aa iacompressible poteatial·Dow lanne alrfoU desip metbod witb a direct lateanal bouadary-layer aaalysis method. Tbe resultial system of aoallaear eqUtioDl Is soh-ed by a multidimensional Newtoa itenatloa techaiqae. Aa eomple airfaU desila, DOt latended for practical appllcatioa, Is preseated to Hlustrate some of the capabUlties of the metbod. As tbls eomple Hlustnates, the desila methodoloty presented pro"ldes a means of dealina simultaneously wit~ tbe myriad requirements aad coastnaiats tbat can be speciDed in the desiaa of an airfoil.