Evaluation of the Mass and Aerodynamic Efficiency of a High Aspect Ratio Wing for Prospective Passenger Aircraft

Abstract

The application of the wings with a high aspect ratio for future-oriented transport category aircraft is being considered. Such a solution makes it possible to increase fuel efficiency by reducing induced drag. This goal is achieved by increasing the wingspan, when the wings made of composite materials are used. The wings of an increased span complicate the arrangement of the aircraft in the existing infrastructure of airports. To eliminate this drawback, the application of folding wingtips was considered. The effect of such a folding device on the mass of the airplane was estimated. The approach to estimating the mass of composite structures with folding wingtips has been proposed. A conceptual assessment of the Boeing 737 and A-320 aircraft with higher aspect ratio composite wings was performed.

Composite Materials: Application Specifics for Transport Category Aircraft Wings

“…The weight of a passenger aircraft wing is approximately 8-12% of the aircraft structural weight and 30-40% of the airframe weight [4,[15][16][17]. Up to 30-40% of the structural weight is the weight of the skin.…”

“…The aerodynamic drag of a wing can be up to 60% of the total drag of an aircraft [4,15,18]. This is due to many aspects such as profile drag, friction, and induced drag.…”

“…This is due to many aspects such as profile drag, friction, and induced drag. In this case, the induced drag is about 30% of the total drag of the aircraft [15,18] or about 50% of the wing drag. The specificity of the induced drag is that it is directly related to the level of the lift force of the wing [4].…”

“…There are several ways to reduce induced drag for a given lift [4,11,[15][16][17]. So far, the most effective way to reduce induced drag is to increase its aspect ratio.…”

Preliminary Aero-Elastic Optimization of a Twin-Aisle Long-Haul Aircraft with Increased Aspect Ratio

“…One of the challenges from the aircraft design perspective is to implement the capability to correctly predict the sensitivity with respect to the design variables described above, taking into consideration that most of the calculations are based on approximated formulas based on statistical estimations. In [26], an interesting study is reported that corrects the approximated formulas commonly used during the conceptual design phase that are able to estimate the sensitivity of the design point due to the variations in MTOW, aspect ratio and use of composites. In particular, a revised formula to estimate the structural weight has been proposed.…”