High-aspect-ratio wings increase aircraft efficiency by reducing induced drag. Folding wingtips address the challenges posed by high-aspect-ratio wings, such as airport conformity, increased wing root bending moment, and reduced aircraft maneuverability. While the latest commercial transport aircraft, the Boeing 777X, is equipped with on-ground folding wingtips, manufacturers further develop in-flight folding wingtip technology by adding free-flapping aeroelastic hinges for load alleviation. The functionalities of free-flapping folding wingtips can be extended with multifunctional wingtip actuators that allow for active adjustment of the wingtip’s cant angle and hinge stiffness. This chapter aims to identify functional requirements for a wingtip actuator that combines the capabilities of free-flapping and actively adjustable wingtip devices. Wingtip functionalities are systematically analyzed, including load alleviation, mission adaptability, flight control, and flutter suppression. The analysis yields that a multifunctional wingtip device must incorporate the four design features variable span, stiffness adaptivity, dynamic actuation, and continuous contour to achieve the highest efficiency and performance. In this thesis, such a combined system is referred to as actuated adaptive wingtips.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    In-Flight Folding Wingtips


    Additional title:

    Mechanics and Adaptronics


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    2025-08-02


    Size :

    18 pages





    Type of media :

    Article/Chapter (Book)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English




    FOLDING WINGTIPS FOR IMPROVED ROLL PERFORMANCE

    Healy, Fintan / Cheung, Ronald C. / Neofet, Theodor et al. | TIBKAT | 2021


    Folding Wingtips for Improved Roll Performance

    Healy, Fintan / Cheung, Ronald C. / Neofet, Theodor et al. | AIAA | 2021


    Folding Wingtips for Improved Roll Performance

    Healy, Fintan / Cheung, Ronald / Neofet, Theodor et al. | AIAA | 2022



    On the Nonlinear Geometric Behaviour of Flared Folding Wingtips

    Healy, Fintan / Cheung, Ronald C. / Rezgui, Djamel et al. | TIBKAT | 2022