Thin Wing Research Paper
Part three
Explaining how a thicker wing can be lighter than a thin wing when both are built for the same purpose:
Firstly, the principle applying to the mass and thickness of wings applies to any aerofoil surface in any shape or form. How do we know a delta wing and a swept wing have heavier masses than a straight wing? Two important things need to come into account when measuring the thickness and weighing certain types of wings, the structural ‘Aspect Ratio’ and the ‘Thickness Ratio’ of aerofoil sections. An aspect ratio is the span of an aircrafts wings, from tip to tip all along the axis of symmetry of the aeroplane. The more the aspect ratio of a wing the greater the bending forces by the lift at the root.
The thickness of a high aspect
ratio wing is usually less than a lower aspect ratio wing but they have the same area and the higher ratio makes wings heavier. For example, a Delta/Swept wing structure needs additional components of structural strength against bending and torsion caused by sweep. The more weight added to a low aspect ratio wing is mostly needed to compensate for the decreased efficiency of a wing structure for the force of lift, the increased weight for high aspect ratio wings is needed to tackle stress forces like bending and torsion. The structure of a low aspect ratio is great but is not good for high speed flight, the lift is generated less but the thickness of it helps to prevent forces like turbulence.
When a wing is thin in thickness, it is usually very stiff. It needs a lot more structural strength and weight to deal with Flutter, a struggle between aerodynamic forces and the stiffness of the wing. It occurs when a sudden aerodynamic load causes distortion within the wing structure. This is very dangerous for high aspect ratio wing structures with no structural strength or weight.
Officials try to reduce flutter and other forces for the high lift and the high ratio wings by adding different type’s weights to the wing tips and other locations. Since low aspect ratio aircraft are thicker than high aspect ratio aircraft the forces causing torsion and bending stress on the wing is much less.
Explaining how a thicker wing can be lighter than a thin wing when both are built for the same purpose:
Firstly, the principle applying to the mass and thickness of wings applies to any aerofoil surface in any shape or form. How do we know a delta wing and a swept wing have heavier masses than a straight wing? Two important things need to come into account when measuring the thickness and weighing certain types of wings, the structural ‘Aspect Ratio’ and the ‘Thickness Ratio’ of aerofoil sections. An aspect ratio is the span of an aircrafts wings, from tip to tip all along the axis of symmetry of the aeroplane. The more the aspect ratio of a wing the greater the bending forces by the lift at the root.
The thickness of a high aspect
ratio wing is usually less than a lower aspect ratio wing but they have the same area and the higher ratio makes wings heavier. For example, a Delta/Swept wing structure needs additional components of structural strength against bending and torsion caused by sweep. The more weight added to a low aspect ratio wing is mostly needed to compensate for the decreased efficiency of a wing structure for the force of lift, the increased weight for high aspect ratio wings is needed to tackle stress forces like bending and torsion. The structure of a low aspect ratio is great but is not good for high speed flight, the lift is generated less but the thickness of it helps to prevent forces like turbulence.
When a wing is thin in thickness, it is usually very stiff. It needs a lot more structural strength and weight to deal with Flutter, a struggle between aerodynamic forces and the stiffness of the wing. It occurs when a sudden aerodynamic load causes distortion within the wing structure. This is very dangerous for high aspect ratio wing structures with no structural strength or weight.
Officials try to reduce flutter and other forces for the high lift and the high ratio wings by adding different type’s weights to the wing tips and other locations. Since low aspect ratio aircraft are thicker than high aspect ratio aircraft the forces causing torsion and bending stress on the wing is much less.