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Experimental analysis of the aerodynamic

characteristics adaptive of multi-winglets
H D Cerón-Muñoz and F M Catalano

Aeronautic Department, Aircraft Laboratory, Sao Carlos Engineering School, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil

The manuscript was received on 18 May 2005 and was accepted after revision for publication on 3 January 2006.

DOI: 10.1243/09544100JAERO22

Abstract: The aim of this research is to study the potential use of adaptive multi-winglets for the
reduction of induced drag through variations of winglet cant angles. Different studies have
shown that the flow around and over the wing tip can be redirected using small aerodynamic
surfaces, thereby reducing the induced drag. The model tested is composed of a rectangular
wing using an NACA 653-018 profile with three winglets called ‘tip-sails,’ which are small
wings without sweep along the 25 per cent chord line. The tests were made at a Reynolds
number of 350 000. The results are analysed in terms of lift and drag. Results show that it is
possible to find the best configuration of the three winglets to obtain the optimum aerodynamic
performance for each flow regime in climb and cruise.

Keywords: induced drag, tip-sails, multi-winglets

1 INTRODUCTION Whitcomb [3] showed that winglets could

The vortices produced at the wing tip are the una-
voidable products of the presence of lift, that is,
they may be considered the side effect of the force
that supports the aircraft in the air.
These vortices are responsible for the appearance
of induced drag. In cruise conditions, the induced
drag can be responsible for 30 per cent of the entire
aircraft drag and close to 50 per cent in high-lift
conditions [1]. With the purpose of reducing the
induced drag, an expansive investigation was
made of the methods that have been used to produce
favourable effects in the flow existent over the wing
tip, including devices that reduce the induced drag.
Modifications of the wing tip can either move the
vortices away in relation to the aircraft longitudinal
axis or reduce their intensity [2]. Some of these
devices such as winglets [3], tip-sails [4– 7], and
multi-winglets [8] take advantage of the spiralling
airflow in this region to create an additional traction
and to reduce the induced drag. Drawings of the
previous devices are given in Fig. 1.


Corresponding author: Aeronautic Department, Aircraft
Laboratory, Sao Carlos Engineering School, University of Sao
Paulo, Sao Paulo 13560-970, Brazil. email: catalano@sc.usp.br
increase the wing efficiency by 9 per cent and
reduce the induced drag by 20 per cent. Other
devices break up the vortices into several parts,
each with less intensity facilitating dispersion,
which is important, for instance, for the decrease
in the interval time between takeoff and landings
in large airports [9].
Kravchenco [2] tested and compared different
shapes of the wing tips: winglets and tip-sails. The
winglets presented higher aerodynamics benefits
up to Mach 1.0; however, they also presented struc-
tural problems for the aircraft due to the increase
in bending moment at the wing root. Tip-sails, at
low CL, provided the same benefits; nevertheless,
the bending moment at the wing root was less. In
addition, wing-tip devices of agricultural aircraft
have been compared [10]. For this kind of aircraft,
besides both aerodynamic and structural advan-
tages, the influence of the vortices created during
the aircraft mission is an added parameter in the
analysis. Comparisons of wing tips on agricultural
aircraft [10] showed that a simple wing tip such as
a delta planform presented the greatest benefit on
the basis of the best agreement between the neces-
sary requirements for good agricultural aircraft
performance, when compared with winglets and
arched wing tips.

JAERO22 # IMechE 2006 Proc. IMechE Vol. 220 Part G: J. Aerospace Engineering