Prandtl’s Lifting Line Introduction

Assumptions:
• 3-D steady potential flow (inviscid & irrotational)
• Incompressible
• High aspect ratio wing
• Low sweep
• Small crossflow (along span)
⇒ flow looks like 2-D flow locally with α adjusted

Outputs:
• Total lift and induced drag estimates
• Rolling moment
• Lift distribution along span
• Basic scaling of CDi with C L & geometry

CL2 2
CDi = ⇒ dominated by A , where A = b
π Ae S

2
L 
Di  q S
=  2∞ 
q∞ S πb Se
2
L2 1  L
⇒ Di = =
π b q∞ e π q∞ e  b 
2

2
1  L
Di =
π q∞ e  b 

In steady level flight where L = W , we have the following options for reducing Di :

• Raise q ∞ (i.e. raise cruise velocity) ⇐ Friction increases

W
• Decrease span loading, ⇐ W & b coupled due to structures
b
• Improve wing efficiency, e ⇐Can be difficult
 Prandtl’s Lifting Line Introduction

Geometry & Basic Definitions for Lifting Line

y=-b/2 y=b/2

c(y) y

Cl(αeff,y)

x
• Chord is variable, c = c( y )
• Angle of attack is variable, α = α ( y ) and is a sum of two pieces

α
N ( y) = α
N∞ + α g ( y ) N
local freestream geometric
α α twist

• Effective angle of attack is modified by downwash from trailing vortices

α eff ( y ) = α ( y ) − α
N i ( y)
induced
α

Note: αi > 0 for downwash

• Local lift coefficient linear with α eff

Cl = ao ( y )[α eff ( y ) − α LO ( y )]

Fundamental Lifting Line Equation

Basic model results by:

• Assuming Kutta-Joukowsky locally gives L ′ :

L′( y ) = ρ ∞V∞ Γ( y )
L′( y ) 2 Γ( y )
⇒ Cl ( y ) = =
q∞ c( y ) V∞ c( y )

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 Prandtl’s Lifting Line Introduction

Distributing infinitely many horseshoe vortices along wing c -line to model

4
induced flow:

Γ(x)

2 Γ( y )
Cl = ao ( y ) α eff ( y ) − α LO ( y )  =
V∞ c( y )
2 Γ( y )
= ao ( y ) [α ( y ) − α i ( y ) − α LO ( y )] =
V∞ c( y )

2 Γ( y )
α ( y) = + α LO ( y ) + α i ( y )
ao ( y )V∞ c( y )

b dΓ
2 ( yo )dyo
w( y ) 1 dy
where α i ( y ) = −
V∞
=
4πV∞ ∫ b y − yo
−
2

Note: only unknown is Γ( y ) !

We use a Fourier series to solve this.

N
b
Γ = 2bV∞ ∑ An sin nθ where y = − cos θ
n =1 2

Thus, the governing equation is:

4b N N
sin nθ
α (θ ) = ∑
ao (θ )c(θ ) n =1
An sin nθ + α LO (θ ) + ∑ nAn
sin θ

n =1
αi (θ )

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