The wing-bound vortex

A major breakthrough in the development of theoretical aerodynamics came when it was realised that a wing or lifting surface thus behaves rather like a rotating vortex placed in an air stream. This apparently odd conceptual jump was important, because it was relatively easy to mathematically analyse the effect of a simple vortex placed in a uniform flow of air.

In the simplest version of the theory, the wing is represented by a single vortex, which is known as the wing-bound vortex. In later developments, the wing is considered to be replaced by a set of vortices, as described further in Chapter 2. In Chapter 2 we also show how this vortex concept is very helpful in understanding the flow around a wing, and in analysing the influences of wing planform and general geometry.