Contents
What are the types of wing planform?
The most common planform for low speed aircraft is the straight wing and its variants. Conversely, for high speed (transonic or supersonic) aircraft, the usual planforms are the swept wing and, less commonly, the delta wing.
What is an elliptical planform?
An elliptical planform is the most efficient aerodynamic shape for an untwisted wing, leading to the lowest amount of induced drag. The ellipse was simply the shape that allowed us the thinnest possible wing with room inside to carry the necessary structure and the things we wanted to cram in.
Why are airplane wings tapered?
In general, tapering causes a decrease in drag (most effective at high speeds) and an increase in lift. There is also a structural benefit due to a saving in weight of the wing. Very low aspect ratios result in high wing loadings and high stall speeds.
What are the advantages of an elliptical wing?
“…the real advantage of the elliptical wing turned out to be its low induced drag at very high altitudes, such altitudes not having been considered during the design, but realised during the war, helping to keep Spitfire in the front line during rapid development under Joe Smith.
What plane in history has an elliptical shaped wing?
Yet there seems to be almost no appetite from any of the major aircraft-manufacturing powers to emulate its most iconic feature. In fact, there is only one mass-produced aircraft of that time with an elliptical wing, the American P-47 Thunderbolt.
Can A untwisted wing have an elliptical lift distribution?
An elliptical spanwise lift distribution cannot be achieved by an untwisted wing with an elliptical planform because there is a logarithmic term in the lift distribution that becomes important near the wing tips. Elliptical wing planforms are more difficult to manufacture.
Which is more efficient elliptical wing or annular wing?
An elliptical wing is a wing planform whose leading and trailing edges each approximate two segments of an ellipse. It is not to be confused with annular wings, which may be elliptically shaped. Theoretically, the most efficient way to create lift is to generate it in an elliptical spanwise distribution across the wing.
Why are there different types of wing planforms?
The different planforms are designed to produce the highest lift:drag ratio at various speeds while still being producible. Swept and delta wings are for speeds approaching and exceeding the speed of sound. Elliptical, tapered, and rectangular are for subsonic speeds. At these speeds, the major issue is induced drag.
Why was the elliptical wing chosen for the airplane?
The elliptical wing was decided upon quite early on. Aerodynamically it was the best for our purpose because the induced drag caused in producing lift, was lowest when this shape was used: the ellipse was theoretically a perfection To reduce drag we wanted the lowest possible thickness-to-chord, consistent with the necessary strength.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTYzCdhd73U