Originally Posted by
MickG0105
Thanks Dave.
Not a definitive, but bearing in mind the Max was re-engined (possible weight increase?) together with the increased torsional load at max power from these donks, (think Thrust x Distance from the donk thrust line to the centre of torsion of the wing structure), one would expect the pickle fork design will have been beefed up to cope with these additional stresses. This considers the static case.
There may may have also been different dynamic/vibrational characteristics (mindful that aeroelastic flutter has much to do with the coupling of torsional and bending characteristics of the structure) which may have resulted in an increase In the beefiness of the structure.
Changing something as simple as a winglet can have a massive impact on the torsional and bending loads placed on the root of the wing, as the pressure distribution is significantly changed.