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Delta wing

Why use a delta wing? · Standard part · basis: Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio

Also called: delta wing rc, delta wing design, delta wing vortex lift, triangle wing, delta wing aircraft, delta wing stall angle, foam delta wing, delta wing cg location

Exact dimensions. True size, with no printing tolerance added.

sizes
5 in table

Notes

  • A delta wing is a triangular, low-aspect-ratio planform; Leishman notes it approaches the optimal shape for sustained supersonic flight (ERAU).
  • At high angle of attack a sharp-edged slender delta builds steady leading-edge vortices that add lift: on NASA's ogee test aircraft the vortices stayed steady to 25 deg AoA, though induced drag rose and approach L/D fell from about 5 to 4 (NASA Ames). Concorde's lift kept increasing up to about 40 deg before vortex breakdown (Heritage Concorde).
  • Deltas behave like swept wings in roll, with a stable dihedral effect that rises quickly with lift coefficient (Kitplanes). Slender deltas stall later (34 deg, CLmax 1.26) than non-slender ones (21 deg, 0.99) (Frontiers WIG review).
  • Used on: Douglas F5D Skylancer, Concorde.
  • The file is a reference example built by Xem Studio from the numbers above. Sizes the sources do not fix are illustrative; scale the example to your own vehicle.

Delta wing size chart

parametervalue or rangesource
F5D basic LE sweep / AR52.5 deg / 2.02NASA Ames (Drinkwater & Rolls)
Slender delta stall / CLmax34 deg / 1.26Frontiers 2022 review
Non-slender delta stall / CLmax21 deg / 0.99Frontiers 2022 review
Approach L/D, sharp-edged ogee vs basicabout 4 vs about 5NASA Ames
Reference buildspan 600, root 580, LE sweep 52.5 degcomputed (F5D sweep)

Where the files are

Other publishers' files are linked, not hosted. "verify" = check the license at the link before commercial use.

Embry-Riddle (Leishman), Introduction to Aerospace Flight VehiclesWing Shapes and NomenclaturewebPublisher's page; dimensions are facts
NASA Ames (Drinkwater & Rolls), AGARD Report 538Flight Experience with the Ogee Wing at Low Speed (1966)webPublisher's page; dimensions are facts
Heritage ConcordeThe WingwebPublisher's page; dimensions are facts
Kitplanes (B. Wainfan)Wind Tunnel: Roll's role in lateral stability (2008)webPublisher's page; dimensions are facts
Frontiers in Aerospace Engineering (2022)Review of ground-effect experiments on rectangular, reverse-delta and delta wingswebPublisher's page; dimensions are facts

Free files

★ Free files 1 parts. Xem Studio design: free to use, print and sell things from; not to be republished as files. Xem Studio Design License. index.json

delta-wing-wingdelta planform: span 600, root 580, tip 0 mm, LE sweep 52.5°, dihedral 0°, NACA 0012STEP · STL
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Plain text: sheet.txt · JSON: /api/geometry?object=delta-wing

Delta wing, isometric render of a generated part
Render of delta-wing-wing from the free STEP; not to scale.

Fits with

Rectangular (constant-chord) wing, isometric render of a generated part
Rectangular (constant-chord) wing6 sizes★ 1 file
Tapered wing (taper ratio for minimum induced drag), isometric render of a generated part
Tapered wing (taper ratio for minimum induced drag)6 sizes★ 1 file
Elliptical wing, isometric render of a generated part
Elliptical wing5 sizes★ 1 file
Swept-back wing, isometric render of a generated part
Swept-back wing4 sizes★ 1 file
Forward-swept wing, isometric render of a generated part
Forward-swept wing4 sizes★ 1 file
Cranked arrow / double delta wing, isometric render of a generated part
Cranked arrow / double delta wing4 sizes★ 1 file

Questions

Why do deltas land nose-high?

Their lift comes partly from leading-edge vortices that need high angle of attack (NASA Ames; Heritage Concorde).