Previously we talked about the reasons fíreasons why a aviócan't take flight and today we will focus on the wing profile and its charactersístatic.
post writer by: Juan Matheus
In the first installment of ¿becauseé airplanes fly? we saw the concepts básicos and introduced the concept of the wing profile or airfoil. With hornán asked whaté What are all the parts and what are they for?óvile or not that are seen on the wing and we are going to analyze each of them. It is also importantéNote that the wings are where the fuel used by the aircraft is stored.ón to complete their journey and in almost all cases of commercial aircraft, spaghettién they house the engines that propel the aircraft. This means that its functionón going más allá of aerodynamic conditionsámics that make it responsible for taking flight.
airfoil
We start with the wing profile itselfí or wing body. If one makes a cut and obtains a sectionócan'tá observe that the shape of the wing responds to the shape báairfoil sica that we have already seen. Its objective is to create a pressure differentialón that causes a force that pushes the planeón upward known as liftón. Let us remember that the airfoil creates a región with baja takenón and higher speed and a región with higher pressureón and lower speed. If we replicate the airfoil along the wing, joined by structural elements, we get the wing of an airplaneón.
Yes OK, the theoryía tells us that the shape of the wing isá diseñada to generate sustenanceón and push up, During the different stages of the flight, the wing needs to modify its profile and the trajectory of the air around it so that the aircraft does what we want it to do.. this is landing, take off, fly at cruise level or make turns. To make it, the wing of an avión has components both móvile as fixed ones that make it possible to maneuver the aircraftón.
SpaghettiéIt is worth mentioning that different aircraft, whether commercial or not, have different wing configurations.. I saw oneón smallñO, for regional flights, turbohélice and 50 a 70 passengers like the ATR or Dash Q have the wing located on top. this obeys, among other things to the type of service they provide. They are ideal for short track, they are shorter and their height to the floor is less. In its greatestía are from hélice although this is not always the case and that makes the radius of the hélice can lift stones in its path that couldíeven enter the engine if the wing is located very close to the ground. This problem can occur with más frequency on dirt tracks like those that exist in eastern Ecuador.
further, the high wing can help a small aircraftña and light with the necessary structural rigidity to better withstand crosswinds. It's likeún también in ultralight sports aircraft since the fuel falls by gravity and does not require pumps, greatly simplifying the systems and reducing weightí like in airplanes “they land” in water.
Don't miss the próximas deliveries with más details of the different parts of the wing of an aircraftón.
Thank you Victor , very interesting data on the airfoil, For those of us who are dedicated to the construction of small model aircraft, it is very important to take into account all these details so that the flight of these small devices is as stable as possible. , safe and very similar to the flight of a real plane. Greetings.
I think it's worth clarifying that wing profiles generate a resultant upward force called lift., gracias a su asimetría «curvatura», a very important parameter to generate more or less lift. In addition, you do not always have the same profile along the wing, In some cases, another profile is placed at the root of the wing, different from the one at the tip of the wing., for many reasons that are another topic of conversation. En conclusión un ala «elemento 3D», es una sucesión infinita de perfiles aerodinámicos «elementos 2D», that are not always the same along the wing.
Finally when we talk about high wing we talk about greater stability, and when we talk about low wing we talk about less stability-instability. a cessna aircraft 172 for instance, it is a high wing aircraft and is commonly used for pilot training, why? Because the aircraft is more stable, and the flight is safer for pilots. Instead, a low-wing aircraft, a competition aircraft for example an extra 300, it is an unstable designed aircraft, why? So that competition pilots can make the sharp turns that are needed for the different maneuvers. What does the high wing or low wing involve?? The location of the center of gravity, another topic of discussion. Greetings.
Excellent comment Louis., thanks for your contribution!