Tumblewing
A rotating wing design that generates lift through alternating flight and stall.
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A tumblewing, also known as a tumbling wing, is a glider or kite wing design that rotates about an axis transverse to the apparent wind. It generates lift by alternately flying and stalling as the angle of incidence changes with the spinning motion, a mode of flight more akin to confetti than traditional fixed-wing aircraft. Tumblewings are notable for their use in wind turbines, such as the Savonius design, and in certain types of confetti, as well as in model aircraft and kite systems.
Quick Facts
- Designer
- John Collins
- Also known as
- Paper Airplane Guy
- Materials
- paper
- plastic
- metal
- composites
- wood
- Applications
- wind turbines (Savonius design)
- confetti
- model aircraft
- kite systems
- walkalong gliders
Facts from the source article.
Background
The tumblewing design is characterized by its rotation about an axis transverse to the apparent wind, which need not be horizontal. This rotation causes the angle of incidence to change continuously, producing lift through a cycle of flying and stalling, similar to the Magnus effect and Flettner rotor. Tumblewings can be made from any material that provides some stiffness, such as paper, plastic, metal, composites, or wood, and many falling leaves naturally become tumblewing gliders.
In model aircraft, tumblewings have been employed in Flettner airplanes and as the wing of rotary kite systems, with numerous patents existing for such designs. The paper plane version, designed by John Collins (the Paper Airplane Guy), is flown by using a piece of cardboard to create a draft that speeds the plane and increases spinning motion to generate lift. This design does not require ballast, resulting in lower wing loading, and is considered easy to make and fly as a walkalong glider.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Tumblewing (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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