Typical XFOIL session eyboard inputs. All commands can be in lowercase.

Blan lines below are only for easier reading -- they are not Return's! A command with its argument(s) ommitted will result in an input prompt. Some files in ./runs are used here. Note: The Eppler 387 coordinates are not smooth, so the Cp plots will appear "noisy". Xfoil's results will not be affected noticably by such cosmetic defects, unless they are very severe. LOAD e387.dat GDES CADD <return> <return> <return> <return> PANEL ( or: NACA 4410 (enter GDES menu) (add points at corners) (accept default input) (accept default input) (accept default input) (return to Top Level) | | | | | | These commands are optional, and are recommended only for Eppler and Selig airfoils to give smoother LE shapes

(regenerate paneling since better panel node spacing is needed)

OPER (enter OPER menu) ALFA 5.0 ASEQ 0.0 6.0 2.0 VISC 1.0e5 (set viscous mode, with argument anticipating Re prompt) CL 0.78 CREF CPX BL (plot boundary layer profiles) cp_100_040.387 CREF INIT ALFA -2.5 ! (force initialization of viscous solution for big alpha change) ( eep iterating on this difficult case)

PACC (set up for new polar 1) <return> (decline writing to polar save file) <return> (decline writing to polar dump file) ASEQ -2.5 -2.0 0.05 (small steps when bottom transition is moving fast) ASEQ -1.5 8.0 0.5 (bigger steps OK over most of polar) ASEQ 8.2 9.0 0.2 (small steps when close to stall is more reliable) PPLOT PACC (turn off polar 1 accumulation) PPAX <return> <return> 0.0 0.04 0.02 <return> PPLOT (default (default (better (default alpha axis OK) CL axis OK) CD axis) CM axis OK)

RGET polref_100.387 PPLOT VPAR N 11.0

(read in experimental polar data)

(enter viscous parameter menu) (set new lower turbulence level)

INIT ALFA -2.5 PACC (set up for new polar 2) <return> (decline writing to polar save file) <return> (decline writing to polar dump file) ASEQ -2.5 -2.0 0.05 (small steps when bottom transition is moving fast) ASEQ -1.5 8.0 0.5 (bigger steps OK over most of polar) ASEQ 8.2 9.0 0.2 (small steps when close to stall is more reliable) PPLOT (both polars compared to experimental polar) PACC VISC PWRT 1 e387_09.100 ALFA 4.0 <return> MDES AQ 0.0 4.0 8.0 RESE BLOW MODI MODI MODI . . EXEC <return> PANEL OPER CL 0.5 etc.... <return> GDES GSET CAMB INPC 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.03 1.0 0.0 ADD <return> PLOT TCPL FLAP 0.70 0.04 PLOT EXEC <return> OPER ALFA 5.0 etc.... (write polar 1 to save file) (filename indicates Eppler 387, Ncrit=9, Re=100K) (set inviscid solution for MDES design operations) (exit OPER)

(zoom in on region of interest, undo with RESE) (modify some segment of one of the q(s) curves with cursor) (repeat if necessary to modify further...)

(turn off camber/thic ness plotting activated in CAMB) -5.0

========================================================================= Typical XFOIL session to generate and plot two polars.

<return>

(bac to OPER)

All commands can be in lowercase. Blan lines below are only for easier reading -- they are not Return's! A command with its argument(s) ommitted will result in an input prompt. LOAD airfoil_file.dat GDES CADD <return> <return> <return> <return> PANE OPER VISC 2e5 TYPE 2 ALFA -2 PACC polar1_file <return> ASEQ -2 8 0.2 PPLO ASEQ 8.2 9 0.2 PPLO PACC RE 1.5e5 INIT ALFA -2 PACC polar2_file <return> ASEQ -2 9 0.2 PACC (enter GDES menu) (add points at corners) (accept default input) (accept default input) (accept default input) (return to Top Level) | | | | | | These commands are optional, and are recommended only for Eppler and Selig airfoils to give smoother LE shapes

(toggle auto accumulation on for new polar 2) (choose polar save filename, or <return> for no file writing) (decline dump file writing) (compute alpha sequence to generate polar) (toggle auto accumulation off)

PPLO (plot all two polars currently stored) PGET polar3_file (optional: read previously-generated polar save file) PPLO (plot all three polars currently stored) HARD (ma e Postscript file of current polar plot) <return> QUIT

Notes: 1) Sometimes you may not want to automatically write the polar to a file. In this case the PACC command is followed by a <return> rather than a filename: PACC <return> You can later use PWRT if you decide to write out the polar after all:

(optional: use if input airfoil_file.dat has inadequate points) (enter OPER menu) (toggle viscous mode, with Re = 200000) (optional: use if constant-lift polars are to be used) (specify minimum alpha (must give CL>0 for Type 2 polar)) (toggle auto accumulation on for new polar 1) (choose polar save filename, or <return> for no file writing) (decline dump file writing) (compute alpha sequence to generate polar) (optional: plot the polar we have so far) (compute additional points if needed) (toggle auto accumulation off) (set new Re = 150 , still using Type 2 CL dependence) (current alpha=9, so re-initialize for very different alpha)

PWRT 2 polar2_file

(will display all stored polars available for writing) (choose polar 2 for writing) (specify output filename)

This approach is "dangerous" in that if XFOIL crashes, the stored polars are lost. This may or may not be a big deal, depending on how many polar points you have. XFOIL doesn't crash very easily, but it can happen. A common cause is accidental specification of a silly flow condition, e.g. ALFA 90 In viscous mode this will produce all sorts of numerical firewor s, and possibly an arithmetic fault. 2) Saved polar files can be plotted with the separate PPLOT program. Or you can use XFOIL itself, by reading in each polar file via PGET, and then plotting them via PPLO. PDEL, PSUM, etc. can also be used to set up a list of polars that you want to plot. PPAX can be used to change the polar plot axis limits. 3) It is sometimes necessary to change the airfoil name in the polar save file. This can be easily done with a text editor. But do not change the other information headers, since this might confuse the polar file read routine.