Date of Award
5-2014
Access Type
Thesis - Open Access
Degree Name
Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering
Department
Aerospace Engineering
Committee Chair
Luis Gonzalez-Linero, Ph.D.
First Committee Member
Snorri Gudmundsson, Assit. Prof.
Second Committee Member
Maj Mirmirani, Ph.D.
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to assess the possibility of retrofitting winglets to the Dassault Falcon 10 small size business jet using the vortex lattice method solver program SURFACES© by GreatOWL Publishing. The winglet geometric parameters investigated were the winglet span, cant angle, sweep and taper ratio in terms of their influence on drag, range, fuel burn, as well as wing root bending moments. The results of the research show that winglet span and cant angle offer the highest gains in terms of performance while taper ratio and sweep angle have a minor contribution. In general, all winglets provided an increase in aerodynamic efficiency, however, certain configurations result in wing root bending moments and weight increases that would make a retrofit option impractical.
Scholarly Commons Citation
Rademacher, Phil R., "Winglet Performance Evaluation through the Vortex Lattice Method" (2014). Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses. 178.
https://commons.erau.edu/edt/178
