Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-x5gtn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-02T18:58:27.524Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The use of wing tip sails to reduce vortex drag

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2016

J. J. Spillman
J. J. Spillman*
Affiliation:
College of Aeronautics, Cranfield Institute of Technology
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

With the increasing need for fuel economy all possible areas of drag reduction need investigating. One form which offers considerable promise is lift-dependent drag which for most transport aircraft is approximately 30% of the total drag in the cruise and more at lower speeds. A reduction in lift-dependent drag at a given flight speed would directly reduce the operating costs of existing aircraft. Even greater savings might be obtained for twin-engined airliners where the wing loading is fixed by the high lift-dependent drag at climb-out from the airfield. A method of increasing the effective aspect ratio of a wing would allow new aircraft of this type to have lower wing areas and weights in addition to higher cruise lift-drag ratios.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 82 , Issue 813 , September 1978 , pp. 387 - 395
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 1978 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Hoerner, S. F. Aerodynamic drag. Published by author, 1951.Google Scholar
2. Flight International, p 460, 28th February 1976.Google Scholar
3. Clements, H. R. Canted adjustable end plates for the control of drag. Aeronautical Eng. Review 14 No 7, July 1955.Google Scholar
4. Whitcomb, R. T. A design approach and selected wind tunnel results at high sub-sonic speed for wing-tip mounted winglets. NASA TN.D 8260, July 1976 Google Scholar
5. Flechner, S. G., Jacobs, P. F. and Whitcomb, R. T. A high sub-sonic speed wind tunnel investigation of winglets on a representative second-generation jet transport wing. NASA TN.D 8264, 1976.Google Scholar
6. Jacobs, P. F. and Flechner, S. G. The effect of winglets on the static aerodynamic stability characteristics of a representative second-generation jet transport model. NASA TN.D 8267, 1976.Google Scholar
7. Ishimitsu, K. K. Aerodynamic design and analysis of winglets. A1AA Paper 76–940, September 1976.Google Scholar
8. Weeks, V. D. Flow studies behind a wing tip using a five-tube head aligned with the free stream. Thesis, Cranfield Institute of Technology, 1971.Google Scholar
9. Allen, J. E. Vortex drag reduction using wing tip sails. Thesis. Cranfield Institute of Technology, 1976.Google Scholar
10. Klein, V. Evaluation of the basic characteristics of an instrumentation system. Cranfield Report Aero 22, 1973.Google Scholar