A stall strip is a small component fixed to the

leading edge The leading edge is the part of the wing that first contacts the air;Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. alternatively it is the foremost edge of an airfoil sectio ...

of the

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

of an

airplane An airplane (American English), or aeroplane (Commonwealth English), informally plane, is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, Propeller (aircraft), propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a vari ...

to modify its aerodynamic characteristics.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms'', third edition, page 487. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. These stall strips may be necessary for the airplane to comply with type certification requirements. A stall strip typically consists of a small piece of material, usually aluminium, triangular in cross section and often 6-12 inches (15–30 cm) in length. It is

rivet A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylinder (geometry), cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the deformed e ...

ed or bonded to the wing’s leading edge. Some airplanes have one stall strip on each wing. Some airplanes have only one stall strip on one wing.

Operation

A stall strip initiates

flow separation In fluid dynamics, flow separation or boundary layer separation is the detachment of a boundary layer from a surface into a wake. A boundary layer exists whenever there is relative movement between a fluid and a solid surface with viscous fo ...

on a region of the upper surface of the wing during flight at high

angle of attack In fluid dynamics, angle of attack (AOA, α, or \alpha) is the angle between a Airfoil#Airfoil terminology, reference line on a body (often the chord (aircraft), chord line of an airfoil) and the vector (geometry), vector representing the relat ...

. This is typically to avoid a tendency to spin following a stall, or to improve the controllability of the airplane as it approaches the stall. A stall strip may be intended to alter the wing’s stall characteristics and ensure that the wing root stalls before the wing tips. In some cases, such as the American Aviation AA-1 Yankee, both wings are designed to incorporate stall strips. In the case of the AA-1 the left and right wings were identical, interchangeable and built on a single wing jig, thus the more traditional use of washout in the wing design was not possible. Stall strips are usually factory-installed but, on rarer occasions, may be an after-market modification.

References

External links

Stall Origins and Performance, Whittsflying website - accessed 09 March 2008
{{Aircraft components Aircraft aerodynamics Aircraft wing components

Operation

See also

References

External links