  An experimental method to calculate lift using static pressure ports on the
wind tunnel walls and its associated limits has been explored in this paper.
While the wall-pressure measurement (WPM) technique for lift calculation has
been implemented by other researchers, there is a lack of literature on the
sensitivity of the WPM method to test section size, airfoil chord, and model
thickness. Chord sensitivity studies showed that the airfoil chord plays an
important role in the accuracy of the measurements and needs to be
appropriately sized for a given test section dimensions for optimum performance
of the WPM method. A chord sensitivity parameter ($CSP$) was formulated and a
lower limit ($=0.025$) was established to relate the ideal chord-length to wind
tunnel test-section dimensions to ensure best lift measuring capabilities.
Finally, a combination of symmetric and cambered airfoils with thicknesses
varying from $6\%-21\%$ were tested and successfully validated against
reference data for a freestream chord Reynolds number range of 100,000 to
550,000. The WPM method was found to be sensitive to varying surface flow
conditions and airfoil thickness and has been shown to be a viable replacement
to traditional lift measurement techniques using load balances or surface
pressure ports.
