Stanford's website has a wing analysis program on it's website (http://aero.stanford.edu/WingCalc.html) which plots the Cl across the half span of a single tapered wing at a given angle of attack. The input parameters are aspect ratio, quarter-chord sweep, taper ratio, and twist.

Hopefully someone here has knowledge of the discrete vortex Weissinger computation used. My question is what are the assumptions in this calculation process? Does it assume an identical airfoil at every station, scaled appropriately? Or would the plot be valid regardless of spanwise airfoil change? It would seem to me that the Cl at a given station would depend on the airfoil section used at that station.

Thanks

The Stanford calculator assumes a lift curve slope of 2*PI per radian, and a zero lift angle of attack of zero degrees. This is somewhat akin to a high aspect ratio wing with a symmetrical section. The method is a reasonable tool for investigating the effects of major geometric variables (aspect ratio, sweep, taper and twist) on efficiency. Be careful when applying these results and note that the method is better for higher aspect ratios and lower sweep angles, and WILL NOT model stall. If you wanted to draw a conclusion for your own design from those results, in the linear range of the lift curve (angles of attack lower than stall), you could shift the entire curve by the difference between your airfoil's zero lift angle of attack, this of course does not make up for differences in lift curve slope.

Use it with caution, but have fun with it.