The Purpose Of An Aircraft Wing

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The fundamental purpose of an aircraft wing is to provide an upward lifting of the aircraft. The type of wing on an aircraft depends on the purpose of the aircraft, ie, fighter jets need to be fast and work at high altitudes whereas a personal aircraft generally operates at lower altitudes and needs to be easy to maintain. Another purpose of the wing is to reduce drag. This leads to increased speed and better fuel consumption.
Aircraft wings generally feature some of the following properties. The leading edge is rounded and the trailing edge is sharp. The top and bottom of the wing is curved. The shape of a wing cross section (called an airfoil) takes advantage of Bernoulli’s Principle; that an increase in the speed of a fluid results in a decrease in the pressure. (1) The airfoil is designed such that the air flows more quickly over the top of the wing than on the bottom, meaning that there is less air pressure above the wing than beneath it. The pressure difference causes an upward lift. (2) The area of the wing is important. The ratio between the length and width of the wing gives the aspect ratio. The greater the aspect ratio, the less drag. The shape of the wing influences its performance. …show more content…

The wing needs to be light enough so that the plane gets off the ground but strong enough to support the weight of the plane while also being flexible so that it does not fracture while flying through areas of high turbulence. The external part of the wing is made from aluminium or carbon fibre. (4) These materials are chosen because they are quite strong, light and rust-resistant. The internal ‘skeleton’ of the wing needs to be strong, so a steel/aluminium alloy is commonly used. Steel can be up to four times stronger and three times stiffer than aluminium, but it is also three times heavier. It is used for certain components like landing gear, where strength and hardness are especially important.

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