To test how aerodynamics affects efficiency, I have been using an airfoil simulator, developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center, which allows me to observe the airflow around different shapes of airfoils. The simulation software permits me to test how a wing that I have designed is able to cope with airflow that is simulated in an air tunnel. My initiative in using this program was to determine what affects in the design of a plane’s wing would increase efficiency by increasing lift, reducing drag, and reducing mass.

In general, the size of the wing is defined by its span (the distance from wing tip to wing tip), its chord (the distance from leading edge to trailing edge), its area (span multiplied by chord), and its aspect ratio (the ratio of the span to the chord).

For the first trial, I measured the lift generated from a plane wing’s that has a span of 100 feet, a chord (the thickness of the wing) of 5 feet, and an area of 500 square feet. The lift recorded in this trial was 7,755 lbs while the drag was 340 lbs.

For my 2^nd trial, I increased the span of the wing from 100 feet to 125.1 feet and increased the area of the wing from 500.5 feet squared to a 625.5 feet squared. As a result of this change, the lift generated increased to 9,711 lbs and drag increased to 403 lbs.

Lift is directly related to the surface area of the wing and is perpendicular to the flight direction. If you double the surface area of the wing, the lift generated doubles. Increasing the wingspan while keeping the chord constant (which increases the aspect ratio) leads to a higher lift to drag ratio (displayed as L/D in the images). This indicates how a longer wingspan leads to a gain in lift while enduring a smaller drag penalty. However, the challenge is how you increase the wing area without having to add more weight. A larger wing area results in more materials and structures used in the design, leading to an increase in the weight.