Numerical investigation of the effect of winglets on the flying qualities of an aircraft

Date

2024-1-15

Author

Ala, Aslınur

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The main benefit of winglets is the reduction in the strength of the vortices at the tip of the wing, which are induced by the pressure difference between the top and the bottom surfaces of the wing. Decreasing the strength of the tip vortex at the wing tip results in a decrease in drag induced by the lift force, which causes better aerodynamic performance. The winglets also affect the flying qualities of aircraft in lateral-directional motion, yet studies on this topic still need to be conducted. This thesis aims to investigate the effect of winglets on the aerodynamic performance and flying qualities of an aircraft in lateral-directional motion using a three-degree-of-freedom (3 DoF) flight simulation tool. The simulations are performed with the aerodynamic coefficients and static-dynamic stability derivatives obtained by computational fluid dynamics calculations and semi-empirical methods embedded in a commercial engineering database. Drag polar and aerodynamic efficiency are calculated for the models with and without winglets, and the effect of winglets on the aircraft performance is evaluated. The lateral and directional flying qualities are assessed by 360° roll maneuver, roll mode, spiral mode, and Dutch roll mode simulations. The results show that the winglets improve the Dutch Roll mode characteristics. However, they have a minor positive effect on the roll subsidence mode and a minor negative effect on spiral mode characteristics.

Subject Keywords

Winglet, Aerodynamics, Three-degree-of-freedom flight simulation, Lateral and directional flying qualities

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/108523

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis