Impact of implementing winglets on the aerodynamic performance of an aircraft: A review

Abstract

This study reviews into how various winglets and wingtip devices affected an aircraft's ability to fly aerodynamically. The analysis focuses on how the introduction of winglets affects key performance parameters, including drag force, lift-to-drag ratio, and overall efficiency. Various studies and applications related to winglet design are reviewed, shedding light on the potential benefits of this aerodynamic enhancement. Through computational simulations, wind tunnel tests, and empirical data, the research aims to quantify the improvements in aerodynamic efficiency achieved by incorporating winglets into the aircraft design. In the majority of the reviewed investigations, both experimental and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies using various turbulence models were carried out. Turbulence models like Sparlat Almaras (SA), k-ε and k-ω have been employed in computational investigations have shown that, in comparison to a plain wing, the introduction of winglets and wingtip devices both greatly reduce the production of vortices in the wingtips. It has been found that using winglets is the most efficient way to reduce the wing tip vortexes. As a result, there is now a bigger payload, longer range, and improved fuel economy due to the enhanced L/D ratio.