why do airliners have the wing tips turned up?

Answer 1

so they can fit in the garage at night

Answer 2

why do i have the feeling you already know the answer? this drag reduction idea is overrated. it must have been in a magazine somewhere. the tip vortex will still form, at the top of the vertical wing extension. besides, there are trailing vortices all along the wings, and most, at larger chords, are creating much more drag than a tip vortex. lastly, trailing vortices are a byproduct of lift. they can be minimized by designers, but not eliminated.

the real benefit of the tip extension is that it can be designed to create a negative bending moment in the wing, so that the wing trues out from the concave shape it tends to assume when loaded. this increases airfoil efficiency.

Answer 3

As most people already know, this is to decrease drag and thus gives fuel saving.

How this is done is that the usual wingtip vortices, the turbulent air trailing from normal straight wing tips are redirected back onto the wing so increasing a little more. This gives better wingtip control and also a more efficient wing.

Answer 4

There is a horizontal vortex trailing behind each wing tip. This vortex causes extra drag on the plane. The turned-up wing tips lessen or prevent the tip vortex from being created therefore decreasing the drag on the aircraft.

Answer 5

they are pronounced as Winglets, they cut back the severe stress ever touch the low stress off the wing, it acts like a barrier, and what that does, is decreasing the drag. which permits the wing to function greater effeciently and helps the plane to save on gas. specific they do cut back the quantity of Wake Turbulance off the wing, It in spite of the incontrovertible fact that would not cut back the Turbulance felt in the sky. it fairly is brought about via wind shifts, stress replaced and different variables in the sky. Turbulance in that nature isn't brought about via the plane.

Answer 6

They are called winglets and they cut the wingtip turbulence that you see on older aircraft (white line) Turbulant flow causes a Vacuum just behind the wingtip and sucks the plane back a bit, you need more fuel to compensate.

Answer 7

it increases the length of the wing in a manageable way thus increasing lift

Answer 8

ita ll to do with areodynamics, reduction of drag, uplift etc to get more air flowing under the wing than above it etc.

Answer 9

Makes them look cool

Answer 10

cuts down on drag, therefore saving gas, so saves $$$$$$$

Answer 11

To stop them fraying.