Unprecedented flex designed into 777X composite wings
With a 235-ft/71.8m wingspan, and the latest in composite material and design technology, the 777X will fly with wings designed to flex up during flight, giving the plane greater glide capabilities. A new Boeing video sheds some light on the design.
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This new video from Boeing gives a sense of the length and flexibility designed into the composite wings on the 777X.
When Boeing decided to redesign the 777 as the 777X, it opted to apply composites in the wings only, which might have come as a modest disappointment to the composites industry. But use of composites in the wings is not trivial. In fact, Boeing will be creating the longest — and possibly most flexible — composite wings on a commercial aircraft.
Boeing is building on lessons learned with the 787, the wings of which are notoriously flexible, as shown in this famous image from 787 static testing in 2010:
The 787's wingspan, however, is 197 ft/60m. Wingspan on the 777X will be 235.5 ft/71.8m. Boeing will use this length, and the latest design and materials, to create wings on the 777X that will be even more flexible, allowing it to glide more bird-like. Check out the above video for a short review of the theory and technology behind the flexible wing design.
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