7 Flight Mystery and Aerodynamic Principles
497
Fig. 7.65 Shear dissipation of wing tip vortex and winglet vortex
of the wing tip airflow to reduce the induced drag. Wind tunnel experiments
and flight test results show that the winglet can reduce the induced drag
of the whole aircraft by 20%~30%, which is equivalent to a 5% increase
in lift-to-drag ratio. As an advanced aerodynamic design to improve flight
economy and save fuel, the winglet has been adopted in many aircraft. The
types of winglets are wing tip vortex diffusers (as shown in Fig. 7.67), shark
fin winglets (as shown in Fig. 7.68), and wing tip sail (Chinese Y-5, as shown
in Fig. 7.69).
497
Fig. 7.65 Shear dissipation of wing tip vortex and winglet vortex
of the wing tip airflow to reduce the induced drag. Wind tunnel experiments
and flight test results show that the winglet can reduce the induced drag
of the whole aircraft by 20%~30%, which is equivalent to a 5% increase
in lift-to-drag ratio. As an advanced aerodynamic design to improve flight
economy and save fuel, the winglet has been adopted in many aircraft. The
types of winglets are wing tip vortex diffusers (as shown in Fig. 7.67), shark
fin winglets (as shown in Fig. 7.68), and wing tip sail (Chinese Y-5, as shown
in Fig. 7.69).