Aerodynamic Wing Additions Inspired by Birds

Innovation: Industry

NASA

1988

Image: Zdeněk Macháček / Unsplash / CC BY SA - Creative Commons Attribution + ShareAlike

Move in/Through Gases

Living systems must move through gases (which are less dense than liquids and solids) such as those in the earth’s atmosphere. The greatest challenge of moving in gases is that because the living system is heavier than the gas, it must overcome the force of gravity. Moving efficiently in this light medium presents unique challenges and opportunities for living systems. As a result, they have evolved countless solutions to optimize drag and increase lift so that they can stay aloft and take advantage of variable currents. Additionally, they must overcome gravity when moving from a liquid or solid into the air. The fairyfly, the smallest known insect, is a tiny wasp that must move through the air. To the wasp, air feels like a heavy liquid and to move through it, it uses special feathery oars rather than wings.

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Manage Turbulence

A turbulent force occurs when air or water creates a chaotic or irregular motion. The source can be such things as wind, waves, and eddies caused by obstructions to air or water flow (such as that created by a rock in a stream). Because the force is irregular, it acts in unpredictable ways on multiple parts of a living system at any given time, decreasing the living system’s efficiency. Strategies used to manage turbulence include dampening the amount of turbulence, having flexibility to handle sudden changes, and making quick adjustments. An example is the mucus on aquatic organisms, such as barracuda sharks, that can reduce turbulent friction of seawater by 66%. In doing so, it decreases drag and increases the sharks’ swimming efficiency.

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Patents

US9751614B1
5.8 MB PDF

Winglets from NASA are vertical extensions on airplane wings that help reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency.

Benefits

Reduced drag
Improved fuel efficiency

Applications

Aeronautics
Rocket design

UN Sustainable Development Goals Addressed

Goal 12: Responsible Production & Consumption

The Challenge

When an airplane is in flight, spirals of air are created at the tip of the wing. This causes extra drag, which increases fuel consumption. These spirals must dissipate before other planes fly through the air, increasing the time between take-offs on a runway.

Innovation Details

Winglets are the upturned ends of airplane wings. The shape minimizes drag by reducing the size of the vortices created at the end of the wing. In addition, as the vortices hit the winglet some of the force is converted to thrust, which helps to move the plane. In essence, winglets serve the same function as lengthening the airplane wings. Longer wingspans are more efficient because they allow planes to fly for longer at cruising speeds. However, longer wings means added weight, which uses more fuel. Winglets offer an excellent solution by reducing drag without adding too much weight, which also reduces fuel consumption.

Biological Model

Birds spend much of their time in the air, so the longer they can fly and the less energy they can use, the better. Soaring birds have upturned wing-tips that maximize lift with a minimum wing length, improving performance and saving energy.

See Related Strategy

a brown eagle with a large wingspan flies over dark green trees

Biological Strategy

Wingtip Feathers Increase Aerodynamic Efficiency

Birds

Wingtip feathers in birds are aerodynamically efficient because of their torsional flexibility.

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