Types Of Wings In Modern Aircrafts

The wing configuration of a fixed-wing aircraft(including both gliders and powered aeroplanes) is its arrangement of lifting and related surfaces.

Over the years, countless wing configurations have been tried and tested. Few have been successful. Learn about the different types of aircraft wing configurations and see how each wing type differs from the other, as well as the pros and cons of each.

Aircraft designs are often classified by their wing configuration. For example, the Supermarine Spitfire is a conventional low wing cantilever monoplane of straight elliptical planform with moderate aspect ratio and slight dihedral.

Aircraft wings are airfoils that create lift when moved rapidly through the air. Aircraft designers have created a variety of wings with different aerodynamic properties. Attached to the body of an aircraft at different angles, these wings come in different shapes.

If you are fond of airplanes or interested in learning how planes fly, you may want to learn about different types of aircraft wings or propellers used in aircrafts. So to help you out, we are going to discuss some wings.

Wing Configurations

Wing configurations vary to provide different flight characteristics. The amount of lift an aircraft generates, control at different operating speeds, stability and balance all change as the aircraft wing’s shape is changed.

Wing Structure

Aircraft wings lift it into the air. The particular design of the wings for any aircraft depends on several factors including the desired speed at takeoff, landing and in flight, the desired rate of climb, use of the airplane, and size and weight of the aircraft.

Fixed-wing aircraft can have different numbers of wings:

• Monoplane: one wing plane. Since the 1930s most aeroplanes have been monoplanes. The wing may be mounted at various positions relative to the fuselage :
• Low wing: mounted near or below the bottom of the fuselage.
• Mid wing: mounted approximately halfway up the fuselage.
• Shoulder wing: mounted on the upper part or "shoulder" of the fuselage, slightly below the top of the fuselage. A shoulder wing is sometimes considered a subtype of high wing.
• High wing: mounted on the upper fuselage. When contrasted to the shoulder wing, applies to a wing mounted on a projection (such as the cabin roof) above the top of the main fuselage.
• Parasol wings: raised clear above the top of the fuselage, typically by cabane struts, pylon(s) or pedest.

Low wing:-

Mid wing:-

      

Shoulder wing:-

High wing:-

Parasol wing:-

Wings made of carbon fiber also exist and there are also aircraft wings that are made using a combination of materials to provide maximum strength.

The internal structures of aircrafts wings are usually made of stringers and spars running spanwise and formers or bulkheads and ribs running chordwise – leading edge to trailing edge.

The skin carries part of the load  during flight. It is also responsible for transferring the stress to wing ribs.

Types of Aircraft Wings

1. Rectangular Wing

                 Piper pa-38 

The rectangular wing is the simplest to manufacture. It is a non-tapered, straight wing that is mostly used in small aircrafts. This wing extends out from the aircraft’s fuselage at right angles (approximately).

A good example of an aircraft where a rectangular wing was used is the Piper PA 38. One major disadvantage of a rectangular wing is that it isn’t aerodynamically efficient.

2. Elliptical Wing

           Supermarine Spitfire

The elliptical wing is aerodynamically most efficient because elliptical spanwise lift distribution induces the lowest possible drag. However, the manufacturability of this aircraft wing is poor. One of the most famous aircrafts in which elliptical wing was used is the Supermarine Spitfire that ruled the skies during the Battle of Britain.

The elliptical wing wasn’t originally designed to minimize drag induction, but rather it was made to house the landing gear along with ammunition and guns inside a wing. So, the wing had to be thin.

The ellipse was the shape that allowed for the thinnest possible wing, giving room inside to hold the necessary things. In aircrafts like the Seversky P-35, we can see a semi-elliptical wing that has a trailing or leading edge elliptical.

3. Tapered Wing

   North American Aviation P-51.                       Mustang

The tapered wing was designed by modifying the rectangular wing. The chord of the wing is varied across the span for approximate elliptical lift distribution.

While it isn’t as efficient as the standard elliptical wing, it does offer a compromise between efficiency and manufacturability.

The P-51 Mustang, which was utilized by the USAAF to fight against the Luftwaffe used the tapered wing.

4. Delta Wing

          Dassault Mirage 2000

This low aspect ratio wing is used in supersonic aircrafts. The main advantage of a delta wing is that it is efficient in all regimes (supersonic, subsonic, and transonic). Moreover, this type of wing offers a large area for the shape thereby improving maneuverability and reducing wing loading.

The delta wing doesn’t just offer efficient flight experience but is also strong structurally and provides large volume for fuel storage. This wing is also simple to manufacture and maintain.

However, like any other type of aircraft wing, delta wing also has some disadvantages. The main disadvantages of this aircraft wing include:

• Due to their low aspect ratio, delta wings induce high drag.
• At low speed – during landing and takeoff –, these wings have a high angle of attack mainly because, at such low speeds, vortices generate the lift. High stall angles of the delta wings compensate for this.

The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a prime example of an aircraft which uses tailless delta wings. Some aircrafts use tailed delta wings and one of the most famous of those aircrafts is the Russian MiG-21.

         Eurofighter Typhoon T1

Another variant of delta wing is the cropped delta and it is seen in the Eurofighter Typhoon T1. The tips of this variant are cut off for reducing drag at low speeds.

                   HAL Tejas 

Another variant of delta wings which is popularly used in combat aircrafts is the double delta. Leading edge angle of the double data isn’t constant but has two values. The light combat aircraft of India known as ‘Tejas’ uses double data wings.

5. Trapezoidal Wing

         Lockheed Martin F 22A 

                        Raptor

The trapezoidal wing design offers outstanding flight performance. The trailing edge of the wing sweeps forward while the leading edge sweeps back. This type of wing is commonly used in U.S. combat aircrafts.

This configuration offers highly efficient supersonic flights and has good stealth characteristics. The only problem is that the wing loading is high which results in reduced maneuverability. The trapezoidal wing is used in the famous F-22 Raptor jet.

6. Ogive Wing

     Aerospatiale BAC Concorde

The ogive wing design is used in very high-speed aircrafts. The complex mathematical shape of this aircraft wing is derived to minimize drag at supersonic speeds. Ogive wings offer excellent performance at supersonic speeds with minimal drag.

The main disadvantage of these types of aircraft wings is that they are very complex and manufacturing them is difficult. Moreover, their subsonic performance isn’t satisfactory in comparison. The retired Aerospatiale-BAC Concorde used ogive wings.

7. Swept Back Wings

       Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

The aircraft wings whose leading edges are swept back are called swept back wings. Swept back wings reduce drag when an aircraft is flying at transonic speeds.

The majority of high-speed commercial aircrafts use swept back wings. Boeing 787 Dreamliner is one example out of many that uses swept back wings.

8. Forward-Swept Wings

          Sukhoi SU-47 Berkut

The aircraft wings whose leading edges are swept forward are called swept forward wings. One disadvantage of this type of configuration is that because of the flow characteristics of the wings, the outboard wings stall before the flaps. This can cause controllability issues. Swept forward wings were therefore only used in very few aircraft, like the Grumman X-29 Switch Blade.

The main issue that made this type of wing configuration unsuitable was that it produced wing twisting when it bent under load, putting greater stress on wing roots. The Sukoi Su-47 Berkut is one of the very few aircraft that used this wing.

9. Variable Sweep Wings

        General Dynamics F-111.                           Aardvark

Swept wings are mostly suitable for high speeds, like supersonic and transonic, while unswept wings work best for low speeds i.e. subsonic. Variable sweep wings were designed to optimize flight experience over a range of speeds.

The mechanical complexity is the main issue with this aircraft wing. General Dynamics F-11 Aardvark is the first aircraft that used variable sweep wings.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this collection of types of aircraft wings. Did I miss anything? Any incorrect info? Let me know in the comments!