An introduction to wing design

Abstract

The basic requirements for wing design are associated with performance and operational aspects, flying characteristics and handling, structural design and considerations of general layout design. Conditions are derived for optimizing the wing loading of long-range aircraft and compared with constraints on the wing loading imposed by low-speed performance requirements, available tank volufue and buffet margins for high-speed aircraft. The information on stall handling requirements, stall characteristics of airfoil sections and stall progression on wings is applicable to all conventional wing designs. Radical differences are shown between low-speed and high-subsonic aircraft with respect to planform shape and airfoil section design. Definitions of critical Mach numbers are discussed and an approximate method ispresented to find combinations of wing sweep and thickness ratio to attain a specified high-speed Mach number. Low-speed problems of swept-wing aircraft are dealt with qualitatively. An assessment of high-lift technology is followed by recommendations regarding the arrangement of ailerons and spoilers and the choice of the dihedral and the wing/fuselage incidence, together with some considerations relating to structural design.