초록 ▼

A wing tip is contoured and shaped to bring about a controlled mergence of fluid flows across the upper and lower wing surfaces and alleviation of the resulting vortex when the wing is producing lift or thrust. Control through geometry of the wing tip can be augmented by discharging fluid into the m

A wing tip is contoured and shaped to bring about a controlled mergence of fluid flows across the upper and lower wing surfaces and alleviation of the resulting vortex when the wing is producing lift or thrust. Control through geometry of the wing tip can be augmented by discharging fluid into the merging flows which weakens the strength of the vortex and results in more rapid dissipation in the wake of an aircraft. Additionally, the origin of the vortex is prevented from migrating inboard of the wing tip which improves overall wing efficiency.

대표청구항 ▼

An aircraft comprising a main body and an airfoil having upper and lower surfaces for producing lift when the airfoil is moved through air, the airfoil being connected at one end with the body of the craft and having an opposite, outer end from which fluid dynamic vortices emanate due to the mergenc

An aircraft comprising a main body and an airfoil having upper and lower surfaces for producing lift when the airfoil is moved through air, the airfoil being connected at one end with the body of the craft and having an opposite, outer end from which fluid dynamic vortices emanate due to the mergence of fluid flows from above and below the foil while the foil is producing lift, the outer end of the foil projecting spanwise and having upper and lower surfaces meeting substantially at 180 degrees without concave portions at any spanwise section in the part of the tip forward of the chord point of maximum thickness, and aft of the chord point of maximum thickness gradually tapering to a sharply angled edge for vortex precipitation which edge in planform is located effectively no closer to the main body at the trailing edge of the foil than at the midchord region to prevent inward migration of the vortex origins and to reduce the induced drag, the gradual tapering providing substantially no curvature of the surfaces in the chordwise direction aft of the chordpoint of maximum thickness to correspondingly reduce the differential pressure between the upper and lower surfaces and reduce the strength of the vortices produced thereby.