Winglets. Why airplanes need wingtips? Are they useful? Any disagvantages?

Winglets….

We often see small curves at the wings of the planes and especially of the planes designed in recent years. These curves can sometimes be different from the wing color and can be clearly understood to be added to the wing of the plane later on. We see different winglets in different models of airplane brands, even on the same brand.

Are these fins necessary, if so what are the benefits?

Are they being used for efficiency? Or are they being used to improve flight performance or drag performance on departure and / or cruising?

What was the inspiration for the engineers when the fins were designed?

Let's try to find answers to these questions together ...

Photo Credit: Airbus

Why winglets are needed?

The ability of aircraft to fly is due to the different pressures (lift force) applied under and over the wing of the aircraft. Due to the pressure difference between the lower and upper layers of the flap, the air that flows on the flap leaves the flap from the flap, creating small vortices at the end of the flap.

 Image Credit: Aviation Stack Exchange

These vortices formed at the wing tips create various disadvantages to the aircraft and therefore the airway companies. The first of these is the fact that the aircraft's wing can not be used with full performance. This means that a swirl force is applied to the field, and that part of the wing remains dysfunctional. As a result, the aircraft leads to more thrust for starting and navigating and thus more fuel consumption.

Another reason is that the vortices formed shorten the aircraft's maximum range. The inability to use the aircraft wing in the desired efficiency causes the aircraft, which has a certain fuel capacity, to fly less with the same fuel, causing the landing and departure for the refueling in a shorter period. Certainly, they are seriously affecting the costs of airline companies.

Other major reasons include the need for longer runways for take-off due to the efficient use of the wing, greater noise due to more power, and increased engine maintenance costs. In addition, the installation of a winglet on an aircraft does not require any significant changes to the flight operation and procedures.

For the reasons given above, vortex vortices have been studied by scientists for many years, and ways of removing these vortices have been sought. Even the smallest achievement in the reduction of swirls has made a very significant contribution to reducing the operating costs of airline companies. 

The most effective (perhaps the only way for today) reduction of the vapors is the design, use and development of aircraft fins called winglets.

 

How was the Winglets created?

Let's first look at when winglets are used in modern airplanes. There are quite different allegations in this regard, and these claims come to the point that winglets are used before even the Wright Brothers. 

One reliable assertion is that it was begun by NASA engineer Richard Whitcomb in 1973, developed during the fuel crisis and used by American Air Force aircraft in the early 1980s, and again by LearJet, a private jet producer that same year. Learjet has announced that winglets have increased their flight range by 6.5% over the 1980s on test flights.
 

Vortexes form at the wing tips of the aircraft and these vortices reduce the lift force of the wing. One of the sources that engineers first resorted to in solving this problem was the birds that inspired as always in avaition engineering. Especially heavier birds of prey have wings that look like winglets on the wingtips and they use these folds especially during take-off.

The following video will be very useful for a clearer understanding of the vortex that is on airplanes and for a better understanding of how Wingletin has affected this negative effect.

Winglet Types

Although aircraft wings are generally referred to as winglets, there are actually very different types. The main ones are wingtip fence, canted wiglet (Boeing 747 and 777), blended winglet (Airbus's Sharklet model), raked winglet (Boeing 767) and split-type (Boeing 787 Max) winglets.

Image Credit: Airline world - WordPress.com

In addition to this, I would like to add that it is not only winglet or wingtip used to remove these vortices, but also that wing designs are also changed. For example, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been designed with curvature, upturned and flexible to reduce the wings of the aircraft.

Finally, it should not be forgotten that winglets have also increased the fuel consumption due to their own weights as well! Although providing fuel efficiency by increasing lift, thir own weights reduce the total efficiency especially during short-haul flights.

We will try to examine the differences between these types of wingtips and the ongoing writings.