NarrowWideProfile

NarrowWideProfile is a design concept used in engineering and product design to describe a profile whose width varies along its length, producing alternating narrow and wide sections. The approach aims to balance material efficiency, stiffness, and aerodynamic or hydrodynamic behavior by distributing material where it provides the most benefit while reducing where it does not.

In practice, the profile is defined by a width function w(s) along the selected path, with a sequence of narrow and wide regions. Smooth transitions are typically incorporated to minimize stress concentrations. The concept is independent of a single application and can be realized in 2D outlines, 3D extrusions, or surface profiles, often generated within parametric CAD tools or by optimization algorithms that consider constraints such as manufacturability, weight, and required stiffness.

Applications include lightweight structural components for aerospace, automotive, and consumer products, as well as additive manufacturing lattices, shell structures, and blade or wing cross sections where local stiffness must be tuned.

Advantages of NarrowWideProfile include material savings, improved local stiffness where needed, and potential aerodynamic benefits; drawbacks include more complex fabrication, potential stress risers at transitions, and the need for careful design rules or simulation to prevent weaknesses.

Related concepts include variable-width profiling, topology optimization, and lattice-based design. The term NarrowWideProfile appears in design discussions and CAD tutorials to describe this general strategy.