Conceptual design of a nonplanar wing airliner

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to compare three closed non-planar wing configurations with a reference conventional wing-plus-horizontal tail aircraft, considering structural aspects, weights and aerodynamic characteristics, as well as operational issues, such as cruise performance. Design/methodology/approach A vortex lattice code is used and coupled with an in-house code for structural beam calculation subroutine to evaluate the configurations as a function of the four main parameters identified in the study. Findings The study concludes that the non-planar wing configurations have better performances than a conventional aircraft. Moreover, the joined-wing configuration seems to be better than the others, including the box-wing configuration, achieving an increase of 17 per cent in the range for maximum payload compared to the reference aircraft and a 3 per cent reduction of maximum take-off weight. Research limitations/implications In the study, characteristic tools for a conceptual design are used, and, thus, absolute results should be considered with caution. Nonetheless, as all the cases are studied in the same way, there is a good precision in comparative or relative results. Practical implications The work shows that the non-planar wing configurations can be used as an alternative to the conventional aircraft to meet the objectives for the future of the aviation industry. Social implications Non-planar wing configurations are able to reduce fuel consumption. Their use could lead to reductions in pollutant emissions and the impact on the environment of commercial aviation. Originality/value This study considers aerodynamic and structural aspects at the same time, as well as several non-planar wing configurations, making possible to obtain a more realistic comparison between them.