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I tried to look for this answer but I was unable to find a complete one.

What is the differences between Winglets, Sharklets (used for example on A350 XWB), and "Blended wingtips" (used only on 787)?

Especially firt two seems very similar. Anyway, more in general, what are differences/PROs/CONs of these different solutions?

Luca Detomi
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1 Answers1

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Winglet advantages

  • With a winglet you see a 3-5% reduction in drag which helps increase efficiency in aircraft by reducing something called a wing tip vortex which forms by the high pressure(under the wing) wraps around the top part of the wing which has the low pressure and results in a wing tip vortex. A winglet works by deflecting the air so less high pressure wraps the wing tip.
  • Increases lift(the winglet generates lift also like an aircraft wing)

Winglet disadvantages

  • Adds about 300 lbs of weight to the aircraft depending on the winglet

  • Reduces maneuverability which is why you don't see a winglet on a fighter jet

Now a sharklet and a winglet are essentially the same thing.

Bts: Its called a raked wing tip

Raked wing tip advantages

  • Does the same thing as a winglet by deflecting the air. With a raked wing tip you actually see a greater drag reduction than a winglet can give you which leads to great efficiency in aircraft

Raked wing tip advantages

  • You actually loose a little bit of lift due to the raked wing

Sharklet- The sharklet deflects air just like a winglet and acts in the same way and is a winglet, but Airbus just named it differently.

A350 design- The a350 uses a sharklet and a raked wing. You see great numbers of efficiency in the design because you include a raked wing and a sharklet.

Between the 3 you mentioned there is a big difference and all 3 have different advantages and disadvantages. They all act in the same way by deflecting the air the design is just different for each one. I hope this helped you understand a little bit more about these devices.

Ethan
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  • I provided a wiki link twice in the answer to help you learn more about the difference between the 3 devices. – Ethan Oct 15 '15 at 12:08
  • Please not too much negativity on my answer. I honestly do put a lot of thought ,effort, and lots of my time to answer questions. I was almost late to school this morning because I put 40 minutes of my time into my answer. – Ethan Oct 15 '15 at 12:22
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    Your answer will be judged on its merits. It won't be improved by you explaining the time spent or your lateness for school. –  Oct 19 '15 at 21:23