Quote:
Originally Posted by Piotrsko
Look at the history of the name. Originally they were surfaces subjected to top and bottom airflow. Look to the flat dirt oval racers that use those devices. Later on they became less and less "wing" like, but the name stuck for a large flow affecting semi horizontal surface.
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Simplistically:
A
spoiler in my world "spoils" air flow on one side, upwind, the amount of spoiling is often adjusted by its angle to the air flow, and only requires air flow on one side
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wing is mostly horizontal and requires air flow on two sides, and creates force by the differential pressure of its two sides.
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flat horizontal aero surface/plate with air flow on both sides helps maintain air flow or allows air to on both sides to more orderly reattach and secondarily maintain existing pressure gradients that might be found useful. I'm having a hard time defining/incorporating a front "splitter" into this definition of a flat aero surface.
This is all based on my contention an aero device that is flat should not be called as a functional spoiler