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Wingtip vortices are circular patterns of rotating air left behind a wing as it generates lift. [1]: 5.14 The name is a misnomer because the cores of the vortices are slightly inboard of the wing tips. [2]: 369 Wingtip vortices are sometimes named trailing or lift-induced vortices because they also occur at points other than at the wing tips.
When the vortices of larger aircraft sink close to the ground — within 100–200 ft (30–61 m) — they tend to move laterally over the ground at a speed of 2–3 kn (3.7–5.6 km/h; 2.3–3.5 mph). A crosswind decreases the lateral movement of the upwind vortex and increases the movement of the downwind vortex. [4]
This is caused primarily by the ground or water obstructing the creation of wingtip vortices and interrupting downwash behind the wing. [6] [7] A wing generates lift by deflecting the oncoming airmass (relative wind) downward. [8] The deflected or "turned" flow of air creates a resultant force on the wing in the opposite direction (Newton's 3rd ...
Wingtip vortices form a major component of wake turbulence and are associated with induced drag, which is a significant contributor to total drag in most regimes. A closed wing avoids the need for wingtips and thus might be expected to reduce wingtip drag effects.
The Vought V-173 used large propellers near the tips, which helped to counteract its strong wingtip vortices, and had an outboard tail plane for stability. Flying saucer: circular flying wing. Inherently unstable, as the Avro Canada Avrocar demonstrated. Disc wing: a variant in which the entire disc rotates. [17] Popular on toys such as the ...
Lift-induced drag, induced drag, vortex drag, or sometimes drag due to lift, in aerodynamics, is an aerodynamic drag force that occurs whenever a moving object redirects the airflow coming at it. This drag force occurs in airplanes due to wings or a lifting body redirecting air to cause lift and also in cars with airfoil wings that redirect air ...
The wingtip vortex, which rotates around from below the wing, strikes the cambered surface of the winglet, generating a force that angles inward and slightly forward, analogous to a sailboat sailing close hauled. The winglet converts some of the otherwise-wasted energy in the wingtip vortex to an apparent thrust. This small contribution can be ...
Aerodynamicists had known for decades that some sort of wingtip barrier could reduce wingtip vortices, and thus the drag. However, Whitcomb was apparently the first to conclude that such a barrier would be most efficient if it took the form of a supplementary vertical (or near-vertical) wing. [ 6 ]