AERODYNAMICS - I

UNIT - III
WING THEORY AND LIFT GENERATION
BY RAJNI VERMA

Wing Force & Moment Coefficients:

LIFT FOR 3D WING :

WING TIP VORTICES :

DOWNWASHA ND INDUCED DRAG :

Induced drag is created as a result of lift. As your wing passes through the air, an area of lower air
pressure is formed on the top of the wing.
Higher-pressure air below the wing seeks equilibrium with the lower pressure area above, resulting in
a vortex flow from the bottom of the wing to the top.

These vortices change the direction and speed of the airflow behind the trailing edge of the wing. The
airflow deflects downward, which is called downwash.
Downwash changes the relative wind downward, which is an important point, because lift is always
perpendicular to the relative wind.
As downwash increases, the lift vector tilts backward, creating induced drag .

How Induced Drag Changes With Angle-Of-Attack

The higher your angle-of-attack, the larger your wingtip vortices are, assuming ground effect isn't playing a
role (which we'll get to shortly).

In general, the three factors that produce large wingtip vortices are: heavy, clean (no flaps), and slow,
because you need to fly at a higher angle-of-attack in all three scenarios.
They can be generalized in an “engineering” way, by introducing an engineering “factor” For the
general case we can introduce the “span efficiency factor,” e w:
INDUCED DRAG REDUCTION TECHNIQUES .

1. Wingtip Devices:

Winglets: Adding winglets at the tips of the wings reduces the formation of wingtip vortices, which
are a primary cause of induced drag. Winglets effectively decrease the strength of the vortices,
thereby reducing drag.

2. Elliptical Wing Planform:

Designing the wing with an elliptical planform, similar to that of the Supermarine Spitfire, helps
minimize induced drag by achieving a more uniform lift distribution along the span of the wing.

3. High Aspect Ratio Wings:

High aspect ratio wings (longer wings with a narrower chord) produce less induced drag compared to
wings with lower aspect ratios. This is because high aspect ratio wings create less wingtip vortices,
resulting in reduced induced drag.

4. Wing Sweep:

Sweeping the wings backward reduces the strength of the wingtip vortices and delays the onset of
transonic and supersonic drag effects, which can contribute to overall drag reduction.

5. Active Control Systems:

Active control systems, such as wing morphing or adaptive camber, allow for real-time adjustments to
the wing shape or control surfaces based on flight conditions. These systems can optimize the wing's
aerodynamic performance, including reducing induced drag.

6. Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP):

DEP systems distribute multiple smaller electric motors along the wing, which can provide additional
thrust and lift. By altering the spanwise lift distribution, DEP systems can help reduce induced drag.

7. Boundary Layer Control:

Implementing boundary layer control techniques, such as suction or blowing slots on the wing surface,
can manipulate the airflow near the wing surface to reduce turbulence and delay the onset of
separation, thereby reducing induced drag.

8. Active Flow Control:

Active flow control technologies, including synthetic jets and vortex generators, can manipulate the
airflow around the wing to mitigate separation and reduce the formation of wingtip vortices,
ultimately reducing induced drag.

9. Improved Wing Design:

Incorporating advanced aerodynamic design features, such as laminar flow airfoils, wing fences, and
wing twist, can optimize the distribution of lift along the wing span, leading to reduced induced drag.

10. Operational Techniques:

Pilots can employ operational techniques such as flying at higher altitudes, where air density is lower,
to reduce induced drag. Additionally, flying at lower angles of attack and optimizing the aircraft's
weight distribution can help minimize induced drag during cruise flight.

Influence of wing planform and aspect ratio on

lift:

Wing Planform:
Elliptical Planform: An elliptical wing planform, as seen in aircraft like the Supermarine Spitfire,
produces lift very efficiently. The elliptical shape distributes lift evenly along the wing span,
minimizing induced drag. This results in higher lift coefficients compared to other planforms,
particularly at lower angles of attack.
Rectangular Planform: A wing with a rectangular planform, such as those found on many general
aviation aircraft, produces lift less efficiently than an elliptical planform. Lift distribution is less
uniform, leading to higher induced drag and lower maximum lift coefficients.

Tapered Planform: Wings with tapered planforms, where the chord decreases from the root to the tip,
strike a balance between the efficiency of elliptical and rectangular planforms. They offer improved
lift distribution compared to rectangular wings, reducing induced drag while maintaining some of the
simplicity of construction.

Sweptback Planform: Sweeping the wings backward, as seen in many high-speed aircraft, alters the
lift distribution along the span. This can delay the onset of transonic and supersonic drag effects,
improving overall aerodynamic performance at high speeds.

Aspect Ratio:

High Aspect Ratio: Wings with high aspect ratios (longer wings with narrower chords) are more
efficient in generating lift than wings with lower aspect ratios. They produce less induced drag
because they create smaller wingtip vortices, which are the primary cause of induced drag. High
aspect ratio wings are commonly found on gliders and long-range aircraft.

Low Aspect Ratio: Wings with low aspect ratios (shorter wings with wider chords) are less efficient in
generating lift compared to high aspect ratio wings. They produce larger wingtip vortices, resulting in
higher induced drag. However, low aspect ratio wings offer benefits such as structural strength and
maneuverability, making them suitable for high-performance aircraft like fighter jets.