Summary

Nonplanar wings offer the possibility of reduced drag compared with planar wings of the same span and lift. However, aircraft are not compared on the basis of drag with fixed span and lift, making the integration and assessment of nonplanar wing concepts complex. This paper deals with some of these issues. A brief review of several concepts from winglets to ring wings is followed by a more detailed look at recent ideas and their application to future transport aircraft. Results suggest that potential efficiency gains may be significant, although non aerodynamic and off design characteristics are critical in determining the utility of these concepts for transport aircraft.