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Wingtip vortices are circular patterns of rotating air left behind a wing as it generates lift.[1]: 5.14 The name is a misnomer because the cores of the vortices are slightly inboard of the wing tips.[2]: 369 Wingtip vortices are sometimes named trailing or lift-induced vortices because they also occur at points other than at the wing tips.[1]: 5.14 Indeed, vorticity is trailed at any point on the wing where the lift varies span-wise (a fact described and quantified by the lifting-line theory); it eventually rolls up into large vortices near the wingtip, at the edge of flap devices, or at other abrupt changes in wing planform.
Wingtip vortices are associated with induced drag, the imparting of downwash, and are a fundamental consequence of three-dimensional lift generation.[1]: 5.17, 8.9 Careful selection of wing geometry (in particular, wingspan), as well as of cruise conditions, are design and operational methods to minimize induced drag.
Wingtip vortices form the primary component of wake turbulence. Depending on ambient atmospheric humidity as well as the geometry and wing loading of aircraft, water may condense or freeze in the core of the vortices, making the vortices visible.
- ^ a b c Clancy, L. J. (1975). Aerodynamics. Pitman. ISBN 978-0-273-43342-2. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ McLean, Doug (7 December 2012). Understanding Aerodynamics: Arguing from the Real Physics. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-45422-0. Retrieved 10 February 2023.