Author Topic: Airline wing question (Read 408 times)

midnight Target · « **on:** December 23, 2003, 04:25:15 PM »

Something I see on almost every wing regardless of the plane and I have no clue what it is. Actually what they are.... look like little fins, 6 or so of them depending on the wing, about 2 inches high and placed about on the midpoint of the wing. They can't provide much in the way of airodynamics.. too small. So what the heck are they?

SunTracker · « **Reply #1 on:** December 23, 2003, 04:26:21 PM »

Are these on the top or bottom of the wing?

midnight Target · « **Reply #2 on:** December 23, 2003, 04:26:49 PM »

top, I see them from my window seat.

Toad · « **Reply #3 on:** December 23, 2003, 04:27:26 PM »

You're probably talking about vortex generators. They're DC, btw.

midnight Target · « **Reply #4 on:** December 23, 2003, 04:39:50 PM »

No moving parts that I can see. just a little fin.

BB Gun · « **Reply #5 on:** December 23, 2003, 04:41:49 PM »

Vortex generators HAVE no moving parts.

http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/aerodynamics/q0009.shtml

BB

midnight Target · « **Reply #6 on:** December 23, 2003, 04:52:49 PM »

OK, I see.

Amazing how this BBS can provide the answers.

Thank you.

BlkKnit · « **Reply #7 on:** December 23, 2003, 06:12:02 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Toad
You're probably talking about vortex generators. They're DC, btw.

DC haha....thats the running joke at work. Every time one needs replacing its"these are AC all we have are DC"

Lizking · « **Reply #8 on:** December 23, 2003, 06:26:06 PM »

Sure it provides answers, but what about the questions?

Golfer · « **Reply #9 on:** December 23, 2003, 09:47:40 PM »

Those fins are designed to keep the airflow on the inside of the wing due to the fact that commercial jets have swept wings.

The soviets had them on the MiG 15 and such, there are even some on BE10's (Beechcraft King-Air B100's) but they are there to help 'hold' the airflow toward the wingroot rather than deflecting to the tip of the wing. It's bad if a wing were to stall wingtip-first.

Vortex Generators (VGs) are small usually 1/2 inch high X 1 inch long bits of metal placed in this shape \ / on the leading edge of wings to help keep the air stuck to the wing. You'll find this in many STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) kit's for airplanes like the Super Cub or Starfire Bonanza or just about any other airplane for that matter.

What you're thinking of are the small fins, about 2" high running chord-wise on the wing. (front to back), not VGs

Dago · « **Reply #10 on:** December 24, 2003, 05:31:28 AM »

Quote

Those fins are designed to keep the airflow on the inside of the wing due to the fact that commercial jets have swept wings.

Not sure I can think of any large commercial jets that use them.

Have heard the opinion that a well designed wing doesnt really need them, but that was just an opinion I heard once.

dago

Toad · « **Reply #11 on:** December 24, 2003, 08:55:27 AM »

Quote

Vortex Generators

Vortex generators are installed on many modern jet aircraft.

The photo to the right shows a row of vortex generators going up the vertical fin of a Boeing 727.

Same ones on the wing.

They don't have to be in the shape of a "v" Golfer. They can also just angle them slightly, reversing angle on every other one.

Here, maybe this will serve:

Quote

The use of vortex generators is nothing new. First used in England, VGs have been used on transport jets for decades, and on bizjets since Bill Lear invented them. But historically they were used as an aerodynamic "band-aid" to deal with localized mach buffet problems at the high end of the airspeed envelope. McDonnell Douglas engineers would routinely scoff at the VGs on Boeing jets and brag, "see, we don't need those things because we got our aerodynamics right in the first place."

http://www.avweb.com/news/reviews/182564-1.html