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Endplates on ground-effect wings

Why do WIG wings have endplates? · Standard part · basis: Design rules and figures from the cited sources; example geometry by Xem Studio

Also called: wig endplates, ground effect endplates, endplate wing, wing end plates, endplate aspect ratio, wig wing tips, ekranoplan endplates, end plate floats wig

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

sizes
3 in table

Notes

  • Endplates raise effective aspect ratio and stop air leaking from under the wing; smaller aspect ratios benefit more and most of the effect comes from the part below the wing (Rozhdestvensky).
  • NASA found endplates below the chord plane raised L/D and CL for an AR 1 wing very close to the ground, though going from AR 1 to AR 2 would likely help more (NASA TN D-926). In extreme ground effect they can be tilted or retracted to tune stability (Rozhdestvensky).
  • 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.

Endplates on ground-effect wings size chart

parametervalue or rangesource
Most effective portionbelow the wingRozhdestvensky 2006
Benefit vs ARlarger at smaller ARRozhdestvensky 2006; NASA TN D-926
Reference buildspan 300, chord 300 (AR 1), endplates 30computed

Where the files are

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

Progress in Aerospace Sciences (K.V. Rozhdestvensky, 2006)Wing-in-ground effect vehicles (review)webPublisher's page; dimensions are facts
NASA Langley (Fink & Lastinger)Aerodynamic Characteristics of Low-Aspect-Ratio Wings in Close Proximity to the Ground, NASA TN D-926 (1961)webPublisher'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

wig-endplates-wingendplated wing: span 300, chord 300 mm, anhedral 0°, endplates 30 mm (scale to your craft)STEP · STL
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Plain text: sheet.txt · JSON: /api/geometry?object=wig-endplates

Endplates on ground-effect wings, isometric render of a generated part
Render of wig-endplates-wing from the free STEP; not to scale.

Fits with

Ground effect: height/span ratio and induced-drag reduction, isometric render of a generated part
Ground effect: height/span ratio and induced-drag reduction6 sizes★ 1 file
Ground effect: height/chord ratio (ram / chord-dominated regime), isometric render of a generated part
Ground effect: height/chord ratio (ram / chord-dominated regime)7 sizes★ 1 file
Lippisch reverse-delta ground-effect craft, isometric render of a generated part
Lippisch reverse-delta ground-effect craft7 sizes★ 1 file
Ekranoplan layout (low wing + high tailplane out of ground effect), isometric render of a generated part
Ekranoplan layout (low wing + high tailplane out of ground effect)6 sizes★ 1 file
Tandem-wing ground-effect craft (Jorg type), isometric render of a generated part
Tandem-wing ground-effect craft (Jorg type)3 sizes★ 1 file
Power-augmented ram (PAR), isometric render of a generated part
Power-augmented ram (PAR)8 sizes★ 1 file

Questions

How deep should endplates go?

The part below the wing does most of the work (Rozhdestvensky).