Planes – wing moving parts

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In this installment, we analyze the elements and moving parts of the wing and how they act together, therefore they have been grouped together in this post

post writer by: Juan Matheus

Continuing with our specials on Why do planes fly?, We will continue to delve into the fascinating technical world of the wing and its different parts that make it equally or more important than the aircraft's engines themselves..

ailerons, flaps, slats y spoilers

Flaps

In Spanish it is known as a hyper-sustaining device but everyone refers to them as flaps. Unlike other items, these are not fixed and the pilot adjusts them according to the requirements at different stages of the flight. It is common that you have observed that before takeoff and before landing, the pilot extends the flaps. They are pieces that are designed to increase the wing chord, the larger the wing area, increased lift, during takeoff you need the greatest amount of lift available. Flaps can be positioned at different angles. usually between 0 and 45 degrees, at intervals of 5 degrees.

The physics behind them is pretty simple.. Extended flaps produce more lift at the same angle of attack. Positive pressure under the wing is increased. Let's think that it is a kind of barrier that "captures" more air in the lower part of the wing. Higher pressure differential, increased lift. The air under the wing literally pushes the plane up.. This is especially necessary at takeoff and landing so it is during these stages of flight that the pilot uses them.. When taking off and landing, the speed of the plane is much less than the speed of cruising for obvious reasons. And every plane has a "stall" speed at which it loses lift.. This phenomenon is extremely dangerous and occurs at certain combinations due to exceeding the lift coefficient.. A commercial airliner cannot start its climb at a very steep angle because it would fall. Nevertheless, flaps are designed to aid flight. So much so that a commercial aircraft could hardly take off without flaps because the runway would end and it would not achieve the necessary speed to rise..

Not everything is free and this increase in lift is also accompanied by a greater resistance to movement. This is why in cruising conditions they would be detrimental and that is why they retract. We understand why they are necessary when taking off, but why also to the landing? Well, it is necessary to land at a lower speed to be able to stop the plane on the runway. Without the flaps an airplane would not be able to make a landing at a reasonable speed nor would it be able to make a steep descent as is usually done.. This causes the pilot to require different flap position combinations. / speed as required in flight. On takeoff it is customary to deploy flaps up to ¼ of their travel because after that they would act as a brake instead of a help. Instead when landing, may require up to 40-45 degrees because you want to reduce the speed of the plane but stay in the air.

Aileron

The spoiler is another very important element of the wing. It is usually located in line with the flaps., more towards the end of it. Es, like the flaps, a piece that is not fixed. That element is what allows you to "bend" an airplane and not the rudder as you might think. And one more time, It has a fairly simple physical explanation..

In school you probably saw a "free body diagram" where the forces acting on an object are plotted.. Here we have already talked about the main forces that apply to an airplane in flight. You probably also remember that a force can be broken down into components. This is basically what happens when a plane is in flight. The lift force that keeps the plane in the air is “imbalanced” by operating the ailerons. The horizontal component is responsible for turning while the vertical keeps the plane in the air.. Basically if the pilot wants to turn left, the left aileron lowers and the right, goes up. They always operate together to generate that imbalance that generates a resultant force in the desired orientation.. Consider a ruler that is attached to a fixed point in the middle. If we put weight on one side, the other side will rise. This is what happens with the spoiler. It is not a turn similar to the one you make with a car when cornering.

Spoilers

Spoilers are very similar to ailerons and help to generate turns during flight.. It is a combination of the use of spoilers and ailerons that allows the plane to be balanced at all times. Remember that an airplane is a free body that has several degrees of freedom of movement.. A car, for instance, it is glued to the ground and therefore its freedom of movement only occurs along one axis and not in all directions.

The spoilers can be differentiated because they are located in the upper part of the wing. They are designed to generate a loss of lift in a controlled manner.. They help to generate the descent and in turn act as an aid to the brake of the aircraft on the runway once it lands.. You've probably seen them rise as soon as the plane hits the ground.

During the flight they prevent the aircraft from turning not only to one side or the other, but also up and down. The turn of an airplane could not be made without the cabin tilting sharply..

The use of the ailerons allows the plane to “bank” which makes the turn subtle and does not cause passenger discomfort..

SLATS

The slats are the equivalent of the flaps but these are located on the leading edge of the wing while the flaps are located on the trailing edge.. Its purpose is the same. The use of both helps to increase the useful area of ​​​​the wing and by obtaining a greater surface it can generate more lift during the critical stages of the flight such as takeoff and landing.. It is important for the pilot to monitor wing angles of attack along with speed and wing payload as required in flight.. As we can see the design of the wing can be fixed but its profile, shape and performance vary as required.

Pronto, the third part of this special.

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