Summary Draft 2

The Boeing 787 Dreamliners iconic curved wings are one of many aviation achievements, (Boeing, 2010). Spanning 60 meters, the massive device can lift up to 227,950kg. It includes all standard flight control systems such as ailerons, flaps, slats and spoilers, as well as some advanced mechanisms such as gust suppression and load alleviation. The wing of a 787 is unique due to the fact that it can bend considerably. This feature is intended and provides a smoother ride for passengers (Hardiman, 2020). Additionally, the use of composite materials allows the wing to achieve its length, without compromising strength. (Hirst, 2008) reported that carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), was used extensively due its high strength-to-weight ratio. Unlike many other aircraft wings, the 787 wing does not feature winglets. Instead, they developed a new device known as raked wingtips which acts both as an improvement of winglets, and also increases the aspect ratio of the wing (Finlay, 2020), killing two birds with one stone and increasing performance. These features allow the Boeing 787 wing to decrease fuel consumption, which in turns lowers operational costs.

A feature that sets the wing of a Boeing 787 apart from traditional aircraft wings is the materials that were used in its construction. Composite materials were used extensively throughout the wing

 

Figure 1: Material Overview of Boeing-787

 

Figure 1 illustrates the general distribution of materials in the Boeing 787. Notably, almost the entire wing is made of carbon laminate composites. According to Burridge (2013), composites amount to more than 50% of the materials used in the aircraft. Composites are materials derived from other materials, allowing them to display the desired combination of properties of the materials used (Shivansh Sabhadiya, 2024).  As mentioned earlier, CFRP is the main composite involved in the construction of the wing. Penta (2023) states that CFRP is not only stronger than aluminum, the traditional material for the wing, but also 40% lighter. Additionally, CFRP is non-corrosive, allowing it to withstand prolonged harsh flight conditions without rusting at all, eliminating the need to refurbish or changing the finishes of the wing. This allows airline companies to save on fuel as well as maintenance, decreasing operation costs.

Another key feature unique to the Bowing 787 wing are raked wingtips. It shares many similarities with winglets but certainly are different devices. Both are used to reduce the induced drag caused by wingtip vortices, however they achieve this effect differently (Monroe Aerospace, 2023). Most commercial aircraft use winglets as they are effective on every aircraft type and size. However raked wingtips are only applicable to larger aircraft, such as the Boeing 787 variants. The key difference between winglets and raked wingtips is that they are shaped differently.

Figure 2: Raked Wingtips and Winglets

 

 

As seen in figure 2, winglets are protrutions at the end of the wing angled upwards, while raked wingtips are extenstions of the wing swept backwards. Both deisgns reduces induced drag, however the raked wingtips also increases the aspect ratio of the wing. An increased aspect ratio further improves fuel efficiency, as well as enhances the aircrafts ability to gain altitude when taking off or climbing.

 

Figure 3: Effect of different wingtips on aerodynamic efficiency

Figure 3 is from a study conducted by (Gharbia et al., 2024), comparing the increased aerodynamic efficiency from different wingtips. Raked wingtips cause an 8% increase, while the regular wingtip only saw a 3.5% increase.