Wing tip devices are simply designed airfoils that improve a wing’s lift-to-drag ratio. Through this combination of increased lift and reduced drag, an aircraft can fly more efficiently with the net result being more economical fuel burn. Wing tip devices were first created in 1897, a British engineer named Frederick Lancaster created wing tip devices called wing end plates to improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoils he designed (Air force Studies Board, 2007). Through the years, designers created wing tip devices in many different shapes and sizes; each design has its own advantages, with some providing the most benefit in cruise, while others optimize takeoff and climb performance. In the United States, winglets have been extensively researched and tested by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the United States Air force (USAF), the U.S. Navy, and many large aircraft manufacturers. Just about every large commercial passenger and cargo aircraft have some type of wing tip device, and it is expected that most future aircraft will also incorporate wing tip devices. The term wing tip device encompasses a whole family of devices that includes standard winglets, blended winglets/Sharklets, raked wing tips, Hoerner wing tips, non-planar wing tips, wing tip fences, and hybrid wing tips/Split Scimitar winglets, (see appendix A for picture descriptions). Wing Tip Devices and Aerodynamic Efficiency Since man’s first powered flight was accomplished by the Wright brothers, on 17 December 1903 at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, the quest from that day forward was to design aircraft that were capable of flying higher, faster, and further. Through the years, designers have created aircraft and airfoil... ... middle of paper ... ...ufacturers incorporate these simple devices on the wings of their aircraft. Wing tip devices… so simple, yet so complex, have and will continue to make positive contributions to the aerospace industry. Works Cited 1. Air force Studies Board. (2007). Assessment of Wing tip Modifications to Increase Fuel Efficiency of Air force Aircraft, National Academic Press, 18-27 2. Bargsten, C. J. (2011). Innovation in Aeronautics: Winglets Striving for Wing tip Efficiency, NASA, 12-22 3. Hoerner, S. Dr. (1952). Aerodynamic Shape of Wing tips, USAF Air Materiel Command, ii, 1-4 4. Wenz, R. (2009). http://www.ilavhalloffame.org/Newsletters/5Newsletter.pdf, edition 5 5. Curry, M. & Dunbar B. (2008). http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/about/Organizations/Technology/Facts/TF-2004-15-DFRC.html 6. Dunbar, B. (2013). http://www.nasa.gov/topics/people/features/richard_whitcomb.html
McNeely, Gina. "Legacy of Flight." Aviation History. Mar. 1998: Academic Search Premier. 8 Nov. 2003.
In 1940, Preston Tucker created the Tucker Aviation Corporation, and wanted to manufacture aircraft and marine engines. He designed a fighter aircraft, the Tucker XP-57, which the U.S.A.A.C. took an interest in. Again, this n...
Mortimer, G. (2013). Giving the machine gun wings. Aviation History, 23(6), 50-55. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=2e489df0-5604-49cf-8709-9359f8a1feee%40sessionmgr4003&vid=3&hid=4211
...der was designed to hold a pilot on his stomach in the center and would control the movement of the craft through a process that would become known as "wing warping". (Cite) On a windy day, the brothers tested their glider. Wilbur was the pilot while Orville and a man named Bill Tate held ropes that would steady the glider like a kite. The craft was successful and lifted fifteen feet off the ground. (Cite) After the successful flight though, the brothers ran into a slight set back. While adjusting the glider, a wind lifted the craft off the ground and the glider was smashed onto the ground a few yards away. This crash was not the last setback the wright brothers experienced. After many successful flights later on, the brothers began to look for a way for the glider to be self-powered, and not have to rely on the wind. Their glider needed a propeller and an engine.
They found that birds tilted their wings for balance and control, and tried to simulate this, developing a concept called “wing warping.” When they added a moveable rudder, the Wright brothers found they had the formula-on December 17, 1903, they succeeded in flying the first controlled flight of a power-driven airplane. Wilbur flew their plane for 59 seconds, at 852 feet, a crazy
The future of the aerospace industry will involve gradual changes in the near term, with the prospect of more radical shifts in the decades t...
For a plane to create lift, its wings must create low pressure on top and high pressure on the bottom. However, at the tips of the wings, the high pressure pushes and the low pressure pulls air onto the top of the wing, reducing lift and creating a current flowing to the top. This current remains even after the wing has left the area, producing really awesome vortices.
Planes have developed immensely through the years. The Wright brothers developed the first plane in 1903.
"The Wright Brothers | The Aerial Age Begins." National Air and Space Museum |, Alcoa, airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/age/. Accessed 30 Nov. 2016.
Heppenheimer, T. (2001). A Brief History Of Flight: From Balloons to Mach 3 and Beyond. Canada: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The most important factor in determining the lift generated by an airplane is the angle of attack. The angle of attack is the degree measure from the horizontal that a wing is elevated or declined. When the angle of attack is between 1 and 20 degrees, the most lift is generated. To find the lift generated by a particular area of wing in a standard airfoil shape, a teardrop with the fat end facing forward, the equation L=Cl 1/2 (pV2)S. Cl is the lift coeficent, which is determined by the shape of the airfoil and the angle of attack. P stands for the air mass density, V for the velocity of the air passing over the wing, and S for the area of the wing when viewed from above or below.
In 1921, German inventor Edmund Rumpler created the Rumpler-Tropfenauto, which translates into "tear-drop car." Based on the most aerodynamic shape in nature, the teardrop, it had a Cd of just .twenty seven , but its unique looks never caught on with the public (How Stuff Works.com). On the American side, one of the biggest leaps ahead in aerodynamic design came in the 1930s with the Chrysler Airflow. Inspired by birds, the Airflow was one of the first cars designed with aerodynamics in mind.
Wings create lift for the upward force of an airplane. A great example of how this happens is sticking your hand out of a car window driving down the freeway. The force on your flat palm causes a force that can lift your hand up or down by changing the
2.3 Components of Hovercraft :- The hovercraft is the most significant component of the project. The design of this component is documented in the remaining sections of this report.
In the late 19th century, transportation took enormous time and effort, and it was often dangerous. With this being said, it was time for someone to shine. The creative minds of the world began to come out, and, finally, the world met a breakthrough. In Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, an alarming invention would change the way humans transport, forever. In 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright had succeeded in a lifelong adventure of creating a flying machine.