Which load primarily acts to bend the wing upwards during normal conditions?

Bending loads are the primary forces that act on the wings of an aircraft during normal flight conditions. As the aircraft generates lift, the forces acting on the wing create a moment that tends to bend the wings upward. This bending moment arises from the distribution of lift along the wings, causing the wing's structure to experience both compression and tension across different sections.

In normal flight, the lift force is concentrated at the wing's center of lift, while the weight of the aircraft and any other loads applied to the wings create opposing force distributions. The combination of these forces leads to bending loads being exerted on the wing. The wing structure must be designed to effectively withstand these bending loads to maintain the aircraft’s structural integrity and performance during various flight maneuvers.

Other types of loads, such as compression and tension, do play a role in analyzing wing structures but do not primarily cause the upward bending effect observed during normal flight conditions. Shear loads, meanwhile, are related to how forces are distributed across different cross-sections of the wing but do not directly cause the upward bending; rather, they can contribute to other structural concerns. Thus, understanding that bending loads are the dominant forces that cause the wings to bend upwards during flight is essential for comprehending