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Journals / Journal of Aviation / 2026 / Volume: 4 Issue: 1

Aerodynamic Analysis of Morphing Winglets for Improved Commercial Aircraft Performance

Geliştirilmiş Ticari Uçak Performansı için Uyarlanabilen Kanatçıkların Aerodinamik Analizi

Erdogan Kaygan(GIRNE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY)0000-0003-3319-3657
Pages
—
Publication Date
2020-06-24
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The results obtained from this work indicate that by carefully adjusting morphing winglets on air vehicles (Airbus A330-300), the aerodynamic performance benefits could be achieved.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This article describes the performance benefits of variable winglet configurations.
📊
Key Findings & Data:The primary variables investigated involved varying the winglet twist and dihedral angle of a comparable Airbus A330-300 wing structure.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:The results obtained from this work indicate that by carefully adjusting morphing winglets on air vehicles (Airbus A330-300), the aerodynamic performance benefits could be achieved.
🔬Design:Research Article
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Aerodynamics · Aircraft · Drag

Abstract

This article describes the performance benefits of variable winglet configurations. The primary variables investigated involved varying the winglet twist and dihedral angle of a comparable Airbus A330-300 wing structure. Numerical studies have been carried out in AVL (Athena Vortex Lattice Method). In order to illustrate the aerodynamic benefits of morphing winglet concepts for different flight regimes, values of twist (-10°< θ <10°, in steps of ±2.5°) and values of dihedral (-90°< θ <90°, in steps of ±15°) were designed and numerically investigated. The results obtained from this work indicate that by carefully adjusting morphing winglets on air vehicles (Airbus A330-300), the aerodynamic performance benefits could be achieved.

Özet

This article describes the performance benefits of variable winglet configurations. The primary variables investigated involved varying the winglet twist and dihedral angle of a comparable Airbus A330-300 wing structure. Numerical studies have been carried out in AVL (Athena Vortex Lattice Method). In order to illustrate the aerodynamic benefits of morphing winglet concepts for different flight regimes, values of twist (-10°< θ <10°, in steps of ±2.5°) and values of dihedral (-90°< θ <90°, in steps of ±15°) were designed and numerically investigated. The results obtained from this work indicate that by carefully adjusting morphing winglets on air vehicles (Airbus A330-300), the aerodynamic performance benefits could be achieved.

🔖

Cite This Article

Kaygan, E. (2020). Aerodynamic Analysis of Morphing Winglets for Improved Commercial Aircraft Performance. Journal of Aviation, Volume: 4 Issue: 1. https://doi.org/10.30518/jav.716194

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References (94)

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  16. H. Garcia, M. Abdulrahim, and R. Lind, “Roll Control for a Micro Air Vehicle Using Active Wing Morphing,” in AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control Conference (Austin, TX), 2003, pp. 1–12
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  28. R. Hallion, “NASA’s Contributions to Aeronautics: Aerodynamics, Structures, Propulsion, and Controls,” Washington, 2010
  29. P. Bourdin, A. Gatto, and M. I. Friswell, “Aircraft Control via Variable Cant-Angle Winglets,” Journal of Aircraft, vol. 45, no. 2. pp. 414–423, 2008
  30. P. Bourdin, A. Gatto, and M. I. Friswell, “Potential of Articulated Split Wingtips for Morphing-Based Control of a Flying Wing,” in 25th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference, 2007, no. June, pp. 1–16. [33] a. Gatto, F. Mattioni, and M. I. Friswell, “Experimental Investigation of Bistable Winglets to Enhance Aircraft Wing Lift Takeoff Capability,” J. Aircr., vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 647–655, Mar. 2009
  31. E. Kaygan and A. Gatto, “Investigation of Adaptable Winglets for Improved UAV Control and Performance,” Int. J. Mech. Aerospace, Ind. Mechatronics Eng., vol. 8, no. 7, pp. 1281–1286, 2014
  32. E. Kaygan and A. Gatto, “Computational Analysis of Adaptable Winglets for Improved Morphing Aircraft Performance,” Int. J. Aerosp. Mech. Eng., vol. 9, no. 7, pp. 1127–1133, 2015
  33. E. Kaygan and A. Gatto, “Development of an Active Morphing Wing With Adaptive Skin for Enhanced Aircraft Control and Performance,” in Greener Aviation 2016, 2016, no. October
  34. E. and Kaygan and A. Gatto, “Structural Analysis of an Active Morphing Wing for Enhancing UAV Performance,” vol. 12, no. 10, pp. 948–955, 2018
  35. A. Gatto and E. Kaygan, “BLADE OR WING,” WO/2018/046936
  36. C. Thill, J. Etches, I. Bond, K. Potter, and P. Weaver, “Morphing skins,” no. 3216, pp. 1–23, 2008
  37. Airbus S.A.S., “Aircraft Characteristics Airport and Maintenance Planning (A330-300/-800),” France, 2018
  38. H. H. Açıkel, “An experimental study on aerodynamics of NACA2415 aerofoil at low Re numbers,” Exp. Therm. Fluid Sci., vol. 39, pp. 252–264, 2012
  39. M. Drela and H. Youngren, “Project 4 – Aircraft Aerodynamic Characteristics,” pp. 1–7
  40. C. E. Lan, “A quasi-vortex-lattice method in thin wing theory,” vol. 11, no. 9, 1974
  41. P. G. Saffman, Vortex Dynamics Cambridge. England, U.K.: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1992
  42. W. F. Phillips, “Lifting-Line Analysis for Twisted Wings and Washout-Optimized Wings,” J. Aircr., vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 128–136, 2004
  43. D. D. Smith, M. H. Lowenberg, D. P. Jones, and M. I. Friswell, “Computational and Experimental Validation of the Active Morphing Wing,” J. Aircr., vol. 51, no. 3, pp. 925–937, May 2014
  44. P. Bourdin, A. Gatto, and M. Friswell, “The Application of Variable Cant Angle Winglets for Morphing Aircraft Control,” in 24th Applied Aerodynamics Conference, 2006, no. June, pp. 1–13
  45. A. Bolonkin and G. Gilyard, “Estimated Benefits of Variable-Geometry Wing Camber Control for Transport Aircraft,” Tech. Memo. NASA Dryden Flight Res. Cent., no. October 1999, 2018
  46. Q. Wang, Y. Chen, and H. Tang, “Mechanism Design for Aircraft Morphing Wing,” 53rd AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Struct. Struct. Dyn. Mater. Conf. AIAA/ASME/AHS Adapt. Struct. Conf. AIAA, no. October, 2012
  47. M. Sanguineti and K. Wittkowski, “V ariable cant angle winglets for improvement of aircraft flight performance,” no. July, 2019
  48. A. R. et al McGowan, “Recent Results from NASA’s Morphing Project,” in 9th International Symposium on Smart Structure and Materials, 2002, p. SPIE PaperNo.4698-11
  49. T. a. Weisshaar, “Morphing Aircraft Systems: Historical Perspectives and Future Challenges,” J. Aircr., vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 337–353, 2013
  50. D. McRuer and D. Graham, “Flight Control Century: Triumphs of the Systems Approach,” J. Guid. Control. Dyn., vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 161–173, 2004
  51. E. Wilson, “Nature photography,” Nature, vol. 82, no. 2100, pp. 371–372, 1910
  52. NASA, “21st Century Aerospace Vehicle, Morphing Airplane.”
  53. T. G. Ivanco, R. C. Scott, M. H. Love, S. Zink, and T. a. Weisshaar, “Validation of the Lockheed Martin morphing concept with wind tunnel testing,” vol. 23, p. 26, 2007
  54. S. Barbarino, O. Bilgen, R. M. Ajaj, M. I. Friswell, and D. J. Inman, “A Review of Morphing Aircraft,” J. Intell. Mater. Syst. Struct., vol. 22, no. 9, pp. 823–877, Aug. 2011
  55. T. A. Weisshaar and T. H. E. M. Challenge, “Morphing Aircraft Technology – New Shapes for Aircraft Design,” 2006
  56. R. M. Ajaj, C. S. Beaverstock, and M. I. Friswell, “Morphing aircraft: The need for a new design philosophy,” Aerosp. Sci. Technol., vol. 49, no. December 2017, pp. 154–166, 2015
  57. E. Kaygan and C. Ulusoy, “Effectiveness of Twist Morphing Wing on Aerodynamic Performance and Control of an Aircraft,” vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 77–86, 2018
  58. L. Prandtl, “Application of Modern Hydrodynamics to Aeronautics,” Naca, vol. 116, no. 116. 1923
  59. W. F. Phillips, N. R. Alley, and W. D. Goodrich, “Lifting-Line Analysis of Roll Control and Variable Twist,” J. Aircr., vol. 41, no. 5, pp. 1169–1176, 2004
  60. W. F. Phillips, S. R. Fugal, and R. E. Spall, “Minimizing Induced Drag with Wing Twist, Computational-Fluid-Dynamics Validation,” J. Aircr., vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 437–444, 2006
  61. D. Sahoo and C. Cesnik, “Roll maneuver control of UCAV wing using anisotropic piezoelectric actuators,” 43rd AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Struct. Struct. Dyn. Mater. Conf., no. April, pp. 1–11, 2002
  62. D. A. N. Iii, D. J. Inman, and C. Woolsey, “Design, Development, and Analysis of a Morphing Aircraft Model for Wind Tunnel Experimentation by Design, Development, and Analysis of a Morphing Aircraft Model for Wind Tunnel Experimentation,” 2006
  63. H. Garcia, M. Abdulrahim, and R. Lind, “Roll Control for a Micro Air Vehicle Using Active Wing Morphing,” in AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control Conference (Austin, TX), 2003, pp. 1–12
  64. M. Majji, “Design of a Morphing Wing: Modeling and Experiments,” Am. Inst. Aeronaut. Astronaut., p. 9, 2008
  65. R. Vos, Z. Gurdal, and M. Abdalla, “Mechanism for Warp-Controlled Twist of a Morphing Wing,” J. Aircr., vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 450–457, Mar. 2010
  66. H. Lv, J. Leng, and S. Du, “A Survey of Adaptive Materials and Structures Research in China,” in 50th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, 2009, no. May, pp. 1–8. [20] a. Y. N. Sofla, D. M. Elzey, and H. N. G. Wadley, “Two-way Antagonistic Shape Actuation Based on the One-way Shape Memory Effect,” J. Intell. Mater. Syst. Struct., vol. 19, no. 9, pp. 1017–1027, 2008
  67. D. M. Elzey, A. Y. N. Sofla, and H. N. G. Wadley, “A bio-inspired, high-authority actuator for shape morphing structures,” Proc. SPIE, vol. 5053, pp. 92–100, 2003
  68. B. K. Woods, O. Bilgen, and M. I. Friswell, “Wind tunnel testing of the fish bone active camber morphing concept,” J. Intell. Mater. Syst. Struct., vol. 25, no. 7, pp. 772–785, Feb. 2014
  69. R. Eppler, “Induced drag and winglets,” Aerosp. Sci. Technol., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 3–15, 1997
  70. J. Guerrero, M. Sanguineti, and K. Wittkowski, “CFD Study of the Impact of Variable Cant Angle Winglets on Total Drag Reduction,” 2018
  71. N. M. Ursache, T. Melin, A. T. Isikveren, and M. I. Friswell, “Morphing Winglets for Aircraft Multi-phase Improvement,” 7th AIAA Aviat. Technol. Integr. Oper. Conf. ATIO May, no. September, pp. 18–20, 2007
  72. D. D. Smith, M. H. Lowenberg, D. P. Jones, M. I. Friswell, and S. Park, “COMPUTATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF THE ACTIVE MORPHING WING CONCEPT,” 2012, pp. 1–9
  73. M. J. Smith, N. Komerath, R. Ames, O. Wong, and J.Pearson, “PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF A WING WITH MULTIPLE WINGLETS,” 2001. [28] a Beechook and J. Wang, “Aerodynamic Analysis of Variable Cant Angle Winglets for Improved Aircraft Performance,” no. September, pp. 13–14, 2013
  74. R. T. Whitcomb, “WIND-TUNNEL SUBSONIC MOUNTED APPROACH RESULTS SPEEDS FOR AND AT SELECTED WING-TIP WINGLETS NATIONAL AERONAUTICSAND SPACE ADMINISTRATION •,” Washington D. C., 1976
  75. R. Hallion, “NASA’s Contributions to Aeronautics: Aerodynamics, Structures, Propulsion, and Controls,” Washington, 2010
  76. P. Bourdin, A. Gatto, and M. I. Friswell, “Aircraft Control via Variable Cant-Angle Winglets,” Journal of Aircraft, vol. 45, no. 2. pp. 414–423, 2008
  77. P. Bourdin, A. Gatto, and M. I. Friswell, “Potential of Articulated Split Wingtips for Morphing-Based Control of a Flying Wing,” in 25th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference, 2007, no. June, pp. 1–16. [33] a. Gatto, F. Mattioni, and M. I. Friswell, “Experimental Investigation of Bistable Winglets to Enhance Aircraft Wing Lift Takeoff Capability,” J. Aircr., vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 647–655, Mar. 2009
  78. E. Kaygan and A. Gatto, “Investigation of Adaptable Winglets for Improved UAV Control and Performance,” Int. J. Mech. Aerospace, Ind. Mechatronics Eng., vol. 8, no. 7, pp. 1281–1286, 2014
  79. E. Kaygan and A. Gatto, “Computational Analysis of Adaptable Winglets for Improved Morphing Aircraft Performance,” Int. J. Aerosp. Mech. Eng., vol. 9, no. 7, pp. 1127–1133, 2015
  80. E. Kaygan and A. Gatto, “Development of an Active Morphing Wing With Adaptive Skin for Enhanced Aircraft Control and Performance,” in Greener Aviation 2016, 2016, no. October
  81. E. and Kaygan and A. Gatto, “Structural Analysis of an Active Morphing Wing for Enhancing UAV Performance,” vol. 12, no. 10, pp. 948–955, 2018
  82. A. Gatto and E. Kaygan, “BLADE OR WING,” WO/2018/046936
  83. C. Thill, J. Etches, I. Bond, K. Potter, and P. Weaver, “Morphing skins,” no. 3216, pp. 1–23, 2008
  84. Airbus S.A.S., “Aircraft Characteristics Airport and Maintenance Planning (A330-300/-800),” France, 2018
  85. H. H. Açıkel, “An experimental study on aerodynamics of NACA2415 aerofoil at low Re numbers,” Exp. Therm. Fluid Sci., vol. 39, pp. 252–264, 2012
  86. M. Drela and H. Youngren, “Project 4 – Aircraft Aerodynamic Characteristics,” pp. 1–7
  87. C. E. Lan, “A quasi-vortex-lattice method in thin wing theory,” vol. 11, no. 9, 1974
  88. P. G. Saffman, Vortex Dynamics Cambridge. England, U.K.: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1992
  89. W. F. Phillips, “Lifting-Line Analysis for Twisted Wings and Washout-Optimized Wings,” J. Aircr., vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 128–136, 2004
  90. D. D. Smith, M. H. Lowenberg, D. P. Jones, and M. I. Friswell, “Computational and Experimental Validation of the Active Morphing Wing,” J. Aircr., vol. 51, no. 3, pp. 925–937, May 2014
  91. P. Bourdin, A. Gatto, and M. Friswell, “The Application of Variable Cant Angle Winglets for Morphing Aircraft Control,” in 24th Applied Aerodynamics Conference, 2006, no. June, pp. 1–13
  92. A. Bolonkin and G. Gilyard, “Estimated Benefits of Variable-Geometry Wing Camber Control for Transport Aircraft,” Tech. Memo. NASA Dryden Flight Res. Cent., no. October 1999, 2018
  93. Q. Wang, Y. Chen, and H. Tang, “Mechanism Design for Aircraft Morphing Wing,” 53rd AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Struct. Struct. Dyn. Mater. Conf. AIAA/ASME/AHS Adapt. Struct. Conf. AIAA, no. October, 2012
  94. M. Sanguineti and K. Wittkowski, “V ariable cant angle winglets for improvement of aircraft flight performance,” no. July, 2019.