The advantages of box wing?

This has always puzzled me since I saw these images. It looks like Lockheed is designing their future aircrafts with box wings (especially transports). I saw the Lockheeds SST buisnes jet project with box wing.
What are the advantages of this solution?

I am not privy to any technical data on this project so what follows is purely my own conjecture from looking at the picture.

A box is a naturally strong shape in the same way that biplanes were very strong making them the dominant form in early aviation, also both forward and rear surfaces would produce lift, as with canard designs, unlike a tailed design which creates downforce in order to balance the plane.

The first mentioned advantage would greatly reduce the structure weight of the aircraft which combined with the second makes for a much more capable and efficient transport.

Lockheed Martin claims that an advantage of the box-wing concept is that it can carry multiple refueling booms, increasing the number of fighters that one aircraft can support.
(Source: Lockheed Martin)

Janes

Joined wings and blended wing-body configurations are being considered for future airlift and tanker requirements. Lockheed Martin has proposed a variant of the joined-wing configuration, the "box wing"; this differs from the classic joined wing in that the tips of the front and rear wings are connected by endplates. As well as reducing potential interference problems at the tips, the endplates provide locations for outboard refueling booms: Lockheed Martin points out that such a design would allow the USAF to replace its KC-135s with a smaller number of new aircraft.

Phae

Could this be the 'new shape' we've been waiting for for airliners? Remember the 707 was completely revolutionary when it flew in 1954 and it took its adoption by the USAF as its new tanker/transport for that shape to become accepted before the full weight 707 airliner sales drive swung into effect.



[edit on 23-2-2005 by waynos]

Originally posted by waynos
Could this be the 'new shape' we've been waiting for for airliners? Remember the 707 was completely revolutionary when it flew in 1954 and it took its adoption by the USAF as its new tanker/transport for that shape to become accepted before the full weight 707 airliner sales drive swung into effect.

I don't know... But for me it looks like it has more drag than blended wing for example. But maybe the box would be lighter like you said in your first post...

The reason I can think of is that it would double the wings lift. Which would make it get off the ground quicker and land on a shorter runway.

The BWB still has some big hurdles ahead of it...Lockheeds design can be built with todays equiptment. One of the hurdles I was referring to was pressurization, since the BWB isn't the typical "tube" design.

The military wants/needs advancments.....But not big steps. This day and age with no major war it is hard to keep funding for a project, Lockheeds box-wing could be become operational and in production before Boeing could even get one BWB in the air. There for you wouldn't have to secure as much funding for the Lockheed approach...and congress would like the sound of that.

I am not in favor of any of them. I think they are both innovative designs...and I would like to see either of them in the skies.

It would have far less drag the the BWB by far. But wouldn't be able to hold as much.

Take a look at this.... its old, but im hunting down the blended wing wind tunnel model piccies for you...

www.twitt.org...

some nice ideas... and a brilliant buzzard pic maybe in the klingon?

Here you go, the blended wing wind test model...I actually would love to see this fly, as getting onto one for the first time would be a bit more exciting than a bulk standard 747.

www.dreamlandresort.com...

Just scroll down, and take a peek at all those sweet looking models.

[edit on 23-2-2005 by MadGrimbo]

My first thought was thinking it was using swept and straight wings in comination. The Boxwing design obviously gives more strength to the wings for refueling booms. swept wings offer less drag while still poviding lift. and the straight wings can provide the stregth, load points and lift

The really good thing about a box wing has a pretty big factor about the airplane. One, it gives good lift and two, it is more fuel efficient. This is because of the wing area. The larger wing area you have on an airplane, the more lift you have. If an airplane has alot of lift and doesnt need that much thrust to power it, it is way better fuel efficient. That would more than likely be the reason for a box design. Not only that, but the vertical parts that attach the wings at the wingtips, provide greater stability.

I think the box design, is an evolutionary step towards the "closed" box, the BWB designs....

It will certainly be cheaper to implement on your standard extended tubes than creating a blended wing from scratch although I must say the BWB has that beautiful and perfect manta ray shape, cant argue with hundreds of millions of years designexperience of mother nature...


[edit on 26-2-2005 by Countermeasures]