Induced drag force, often simply referred to as “induced drag,” is a type of drag that arises due to the generation of lift by an aircraft’s wings. When an aircraft is producing lift, it creates pressure differences between the upper and lower surfaces of the wings. This pressure difference leads to the creation of vortices at the wingtips, which results in the formation of circulating airflow known as wingtip vortices.Â
- Di is the induced drag force.
- q∞ is the dynamic pressure of the free stream airflow.
- S is the wing area.
- CL is the lift coefficient.
- e is the Oswald efficiency factor.
- AR is the aspect ratio of the wing.