Aircraft Wing Tip Device with Tangent-Continuous Diverging Blades
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft wing tip devices often create complex flow conditions and undesired drag due to discontinuous attachments and overlapping blades, which hinder the reduction of induced drag and optimize downwash distribution.
Innovation Solution
A wing tip device with diverging, partially overlapping blades that extend tangent-continuously from the main wing, ensuring a smooth transition and overlap to maintain a constant downwash distribution, thereby reducing induced drag and wave drag.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If wing tip devices with discontinuous attachments and overlapping blades are used, then structural flexibility and adaptability are improved, but complex flow conditions and undesired drag are generated
Solution Approach 1:
The wing tip device is divided into a front blade and a rear blade that are staggered relative to each other, with the front blade attached at a first location and the rear blade attached at a second location downstream. This segmentation allows each blade to be independently positioned to optimize flow control while reducing complex interactions that generate drag.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a chordwise dimension to the blade arrangement by staggering the front and rear blades in the streamwise direction. This dimensional offset creates a more favorable three-dimensional flow pattern at the wing tip, reducing vorticity and induced drag compared to simple spanwise extensions.
2Ease of manufacture
If discontinuous blade attachment is used, then manufacturing ease and structural flexibility are improved, but flow continuity and aerodynamic efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The wing tip device is divided into a front blade and a rear blade that are staggered relative to each other, with the front blade attached at a first location and the rear blade attached at a second location downstream. This segmentation allows each blade to be independently positioned to optimize flow control while reducing complex interactions that generate drag.
3Reliability
If overlapping blades are used, then downwash distribution control is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wing tip device is divided into a front blade and a rear blade that are staggered relative to each other, with the front blade attached at a first location and the rear blade attached at a second location downstream. This segmentation allows each blade to be independently positioned to optimize flow control while reducing complex interactions that generate drag.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a chordwise dimension to the blade arrangement by staggering the front and rear blades in the streamwise direction. This dimensional offset creates a more favorable three-dimensional flow pattern at the wing tip, reducing vorticity and induced drag compared to simple spanwise extensions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly reduces induced drag and wave drag, enhancing the wing's efficiency and aerodynamic performance by establishing advantageous flow conditions on the wing tip device.
Implementation Method 1
Wing tip devices in general are provided in the art in order to reduce the induced drag of a wing. Induced drag, also called lift dependent drag, occurs when lift is produced.
Implementation Method 2
The solution significantly reduces induced drag and wave drag, enhancing the wing's efficiency and aerodynamic performance
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
Described and illustrated is a wing (3) for an aircraft (1), comprising a main wing (7) and a wing tip device (9), wherein a front blade (21) and a rear blade (27) of the wing tip device (9) extend away from an attachment end (19) in a diverging manner, wherein a front blade leading edge (23) extends in front of a rear blade leading edge (29) and a front blade trailing edge (25) extends in front of a rear blade trailing edge (31), when viewed in a chord direction (33), wherein at a front blade tip (35) the front blade (21) extends under a different dihedral angle (v) than the rear blade (27) at a rear blade tip (37), wherein the front blade leading edge (23) and the front blade trailing edge (25), as well as the rear blade leading edge (29) and the rear blade trailing edge (31) all have a tangent-continuous developing. The object of the present invention, to provide a wing for an aircraft, wherein for a predetermined span dimension the induced drag can be significantly reduced, is achieved in that the front blade leading edge (23) extends tangent-continuously with the wing leading edge (11), and the rear blade trailing edge (31) extends tangent-continuously with the wing trailing edge (13), and the front blade trailing edge (23) at least partially extends behind the rear blade leading edge (29), when viewed in the chord direction (33).