What are raked wingtips?

Raked wingtips, where the tip has a greater wing sweep than the rest of the wing, are featured on some Boeing Commercial Airplanes to improve fuel efficiency, takeoff and climb performance. Like winglets, they increase the effective wing aspect ratio and diminish wingtip vortices, decreasing lift-induced drag.

What do drooped wing tips do?

Wingtip devices are intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft by reducing drag. Wingtip devices increase the lift generated at the wingtip (by smoothing the airflow across the upper wing near the tip) and reduce the lift-induced drag caused by wingtip vortices, improving lift-to-drag ratio.

Are raked wingtips better than winglets?

The raked wingtips are more efficient compared to the winglets in cruise and are used in ultra long range aircrafts. One problem with the raked wingtips is that they increase the span. This increases the bending moment.

Why does the 787 have curved wings?

The wings of Boeing 787 Dreamliner are curved due to the presence of carbon fiber material on its wings. The carbon fiber material can be stretched more hence providing flexibility to its wings. The carbon fiber material has high aspect ratio of 11 which ultimately magnifies this bending effect.

Why are airplane wingtips turned up?

The winglet is there to reduce vortex drag, which is the spiralling flow of air that forms under the tip of the wing mid-flight. Winglets have been a feature of jets for the past few decades, and their design was inspired by the upturned feathers on bird’s wings as they soar through the air.

Why do plane wingtips turned up?

High pressure on the lower surface creates a natural airflow that makes its way to the wingtip and curls upward around it. When flow around the wingtips streams out behind the airplane, a vortex is formed. These twisters represent an energy loss and are strong enough to flip airplanes that blunder into them.

Why are aircraft wingtips turned up?