The Story of Airplane Wings

TL;DR

This paper explores the history, technology, and physics of airplane wings, culminating in a novel method to design a wing by simulating airflow and optimizing its shape through gradient ascent.

Contribution

It introduces a new approach to wing design by simulating airflow and using optimization techniques to create wings from scratch.

Findings

Successful simulation of airflow around a rectangular occlusion

Development of a gradient ascent method for wing shape optimization

Insights into the evolution of wing technology and physics

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to explain how wings work and how they were invented. We use the lens of history, looking at the individual people who wanted to fly, the lens of technology, looking at the key inventions leading up to modern airplanes, and the lens of physics, looking at the equations of airflow that made it all possible. Finally, we derive our own wing from scratch. We do this by simulating a wind tunnel, placing a rectangular occlusion in it, and then using gradient ascent to turn it into a wing.