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Boeing Adds Tiny Holes to Its Biggest Plane to Boost Efficiency
Boeing’s new 777X is getting a lot of attention for its composite wing with folding tips and its super-efficient engines, but one of the airliner’s most innovative features are the tiny holes in its tail that smooth airflow and improve fuel efficiency. (www.wired.com) المزيد...
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winglets ! ?
Winglets are probably a greater contributor to performance and savings. By reducing the drag of the vortices and by redirecting that energy into forward thrust, the winglets increase performance substantially. The winglets are almost the aerodynamic equivalent of much longer wings.
The dimples/ holes and/or thrusters will help save energy, will help improve airplane performance and maneuverability. The dimples/holes will have a positive impact on air flow. The air thrusters and eventual decrease in tail size will also contribute to less drag, so will also use less fuel and provide greater range.
When gas was cheap these feats of engineering had less value. But as oil and jet fuel get increasingly more costly, more and mire engineering trucks will be used to optimize use of costly fuel.
The dimples/ holes and/or thrusters will help save energy, will help improve airplane performance and maneuverability. The dimples/holes will have a positive impact on air flow. The air thrusters and eventual decrease in tail size will also contribute to less drag, so will also use less fuel and provide greater range.
When gas was cheap these feats of engineering had less value. But as oil and jet fuel get increasingly more costly, more and mire engineering trucks will be used to optimize use of costly fuel.
If any change somehow affects air flowing past the aircraft, it will affect the aerodynamics.
Captain Obvious here to save the day! Sorry, had to do it.
I hate to be captain obvious, but anyone who has opened a window in a moving car (40-50 mph or greater) or stuck an arm out of that open window, will have a clue about how small changes in the moving vehicle can greatly affect how air moves past the vehicle. You can hear the increased turbulence just from opening the window. You can feel the resistance of the air at speeds much slower than even the slowest passenger aircraft.
At 500 kts or higher of the larger commercial passenger aircraft, the affects on air flow would be much greater, of even small changes in the surface of that moving object. Even small differences in performance, when multiplied over the millions of miles flown add up to a lot of fuel and dollars saved.
So yes, as long as the changes in the surface affect air flow (how could it not affect air flowing past at better than 500 kts) then they change the aerodynamics of the aircraft. Even small changes add up lots of fuel saved over an entire fleet flying millions of miles.
At 500 kts or higher of the larger commercial passenger aircraft, the affects on air flow would be much greater, of even small changes in the surface of that moving object. Even small differences in performance, when multiplied over the millions of miles flown add up to a lot of fuel and dollars saved.
So yes, as long as the changes in the surface affect air flow (how could it not affect air flowing past at better than 500 kts) then they change the aerodynamics of the aircraft. Even small changes add up lots of fuel saved over an entire fleet flying millions of miles.
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