Aerodynamic coefficients and longitudinal stability of sail aerofoils

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Abstract
This paper extends previous theoretical work on inextensible sails in two ways. First, the asymptotic expansion of sail camber in terms of the small angle of attack α is continued to include terms of order α3, because only at this order can one obtain information about the longitudinal static stability of a sail aerofoil. Secondly, to describe aerofoils such as those found in pterodactyl or bat wings, we also consider pretensioned membranes which acquire camber by stretching the surface material, or bending the supporting structure. Approximate formulae are derived for the aerodynamic coefficients in the limits of large and small tension, and the effect of sail and structural flexibility on these coefficients is discussed.

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