Ovrhyp, Scramjet Test Aircraft STATE UNIVERSITY Student Authors: J

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Ovrhyp, Scramjet Test Aircraft STATE UNIVERSITY Student Authors: J https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19910000728 2020-03-19T20:21:21+00:00Z /z7 H OVRhyp, Scramjet Test Aircraft STATE UNIVERSITY Student Authors: J. Asian, T. Bisard, S. Dallinga, K. Draper, G. Hufford, W. Peters, and J. Rogers Supervisor: Dr. G. M. Gregorek Assistant: R. L. Reuss Department of Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering Universities Space Research Association Houston, Texas 77058 Subcontract Dated November 17, 1989 Final Report May 1990 03/0_ OVRhyp, Scramjet Test Aircraft UNIVERSITY Student Authors: J. Asian, T. Bisard, S. Dallinga, K. Draper, G. Hufford, W. Peters, and J. Rogers Supervisor: Dr. G. M. Gregorek Assistant: R. L. Reuss Department of Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering Universities Space Research Association Houston, Texas 77058 Subcontract Dated November 17, 1989 Final Report RF Project 767919/722941 May 1990 ABSTRACT (Gary Huff0rd} A preliminary design for an unmanned hypersonic research vehicle to test scramjet engines is presented. The aircraft will be launched from a carrier aircraft at an altitude of 4Q,0QQ feet at Mach 0.8. The vehicle will then accelerate to Mach 6 at an altitude of 100,000 feet. At this stage the prototype scramjet will be employed to accelerate the vehicle to Mach 10 and maintain Mach IQ flight for 2 minutes. The aircraft will then decelerate and safely land, presumably at NASA Dryden F[i_ht Test Center. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................ ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................... iii LIST OF FIGURES ......................... v INTRODUCTION .......................... vi CONFIGURATION .......................... WEIGHTS ANALYSIS ........................ 12 PURPOSE ............................. 12 METHOD ........................... 12 SYSTEMS .......................... 14 AERODYNAMIC SURFACES .................... 14 BODY STRUCTURE ....................... 15 THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEM ................. 15 LAUNCH AND LANDING SYSTEM ................. 16 PROPULSION SYSTEM ..................... 16 INLET SYSTEM ........................ 16 CRYOGENIC FUEL SYSTEMS ................... 16 CONTROLS AND AVIONICS ................... 17 PROGRAM ......................... 17 CENTER OF GRAVITY TRAVEL CALCULATIONS ........... 17 AERODYNAMICS .......................... 19 INTRODUCTION ........................ 19 SUBSONIC .......................... 20 SUPERSONIC ............ , ............ 21 HYPERSONIC .......................... 22 PROGRAM USE ........................ 23 LONGITUDINAL STABILITY ..................... 29 SONIC BOOM ........................... 32 PROPULSION ........................... 34 Introduction ....................... 34 Rocket ........................... 35 Design ........................ 37 Rocket Design Calculations .............. 37 Rocket Spreadsheet Design ............... 38 TurbofanRamjet ...................... 39 Data ......................... 4e Scramjet .......................... 42 Profile ................. " ......... 46 Fue| Percentages ...................... 46 iii GLIDE CALCULATION ........................ 52 FLIGHT PLAN .......................... 54 SCRAMJET INLET DESIGN ...................... 56 TURBOFANRAMJET INLET ...................... 6O COOLING ............................. 66 Introduction ........................ 66 Cooling Methods .................... 66 Configuration ....................... 70 SUPPORT SYSTEMS ........................ 73 Control .......................... 73 Communication ....................... 74 COST ANALYSIS .......................... 76 CONCLUSION ........................... 78 FINAL NOTE .......................... 79 REFERENCES .......................... 8@ APPENDICES ........................... 82 Appendix A ......................... 83 Appendix B ......................... 92 Appendix C.1 ........................ 99 Appendix C.2 ...................... 105 Appendix C.3 ................... • .... 110 Appendix D ....................... 114 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure I.I ........................ 6 Figure 1.2 ......................... 6 Figure 1.3: Final Configuration ................. 8 Figure 3.1: Current Configuration ............... 23 Figure 3.2:Reference Areas .................. 24 Figure 5.1: Surface Boom Pressure ................ 33 Figure 6.2: Rocket Equations ................. 38 Figure 6.3: Rocket Calculations ................. 39 Figure 6.4: Raw Data (Thrust/Drag) ............... 41 Figure 6.5: Fuel Flow Rate .................. 4t Figure 6.6: Raw Scramjet Thrust Data .............. 44 Figure 6.7: Scramjet Fuel Flow Rates .............. 43 Figure 6.8: Turbofan/Ramjet Spreadsheet ............ 44 Figure 6.9: Altitude vs. Mach No ................. 45 Figure 6.1@: Rocketed Fuel % ................... 47 Figure 6.11: Rocketless Fuel % .................. 47 Figure 6.12: Rocketed F Vs. M .................. 48 Figure 6.13: Rocketless F vs. M ................ 48 Figure 6.14: Rocketed Acc vs. M ................. 48 Figure 6.15: Rocketless Acc. vs. M ............... 48 Figure 6.17: Rocketed M vs. t ................. 49 Figure 6.18: Rocketless M vs. t ................. 49 Figure 6.19: Aft. vs. Dist .................... 5e Figure 6.2@: Alt. vs. t .................... 5O Figure 6.21: Dist. vs. t .................. 58 Figure 6.16: FFR vs. M ..................... 5O Figure 8.1: Flight Plan ................... 55 Figure [email protected]: Turbofan/Ramjet Inlet ............ 61 Figure [email protected]: External Ramps ................. 62 Figure [email protected]: Internal Ramps .................. 63 Figure [email protected]: Inlet Changes ................... 63 Figure [email protected]: Turbofan/Ramjet Inlet 3-view ............ 64 Figure [email protected]: Pressure Recovery ................. 65 Figure II.I: Transpiration cooling ............. 67 Figure 11.2: Direct cooling ................. 69 Figure II.3: Indirect cooling ................. 7O Figure 12.1: Control Diagram .................. 75 Figure 13.1: Cost Analysis ................... 76 Figure A.I: Initial configuration .............. 83 Figure A.2: Configuration 2 .................. 84 Figure A.3: Configuration 3 .................. 85 Figure A.4: Configuration 4 ................... 86 Figure A.5: Configuration 5 ................... 87 Figure A.6: Engine location .................. 88 F[_ure A.7: Reference values ................. 89 Figure A.8: Cut-away view .................... 9O Figure A.9: Final configuration ................. 9l V I NTRODUCT I ON (Gary Huff0rd) This report presents a preliminary design for a research vehicle to test scramjet engines. The goal of this vehicle is to test scramjet engines in a Mach 6 to Maeh 10 speed range. The purpose of this airplane is to use the vehicle to test scramjet engine technology. Since scramjets have not been flight tested, there reliability at present is questionable. Many flight tests will be necessary in the development of scramjet engines. A Mach 6 test must be successful before higher Mach number tests can be conducted since no other engine has an operating range above Mach 6. Thus, a vehicle design must be constructed that will allow many different Maeh number tests with a high degree of efficiency. The goal of this design of the research vehicle is to minimize the size and weight of the vehicle while still allowing the seramjets to be tested in the Maeh 6 to Mach 18 speed range. The vehicle is to be launched from a carrier aircraft at Mach 0.8 at 40,@@@ feet. By minimizing the size of the research vehicle, the size of the carrier aircraft can be minimized. A small vehicle (under 45@@@ pounds) may even have the capability to be launched from an existing airplane such as a B-52. Thus, a small vehicle may greatly reduce the cost of a scramjet engine flight test by reducing materia[ costs and by possibly eliminating the need to build a new carrier aircraft. The base design of the research vehicle is given in Figure i. Assuming the engine data given for the turbofanramjet and the scramjet vi is accurate, this vehicle has a maximum Mach number of 9.35. A two minute cruise can be conducted at any Mach number less than or equal to Mach 8.75. This design will allow initial scramjet tests to be conducted. Once the scramjets have been proven effective at Mach 8.75, rocket attachments can be made to the base design of Figure 1.2. These attach- ments are shown in Figure 1.3. The purpose of the rocket attachments is to increase the thrust in the transonic flight regime. An increase in thrust will eliminate the thrust pinch normally associated with this flight regime. A large increase in acceleration will reduce the fuel used by the turbofanramjet during transonic flight and will allow more fuel to be used by the scramjets at higher Mach numbers. The rocket attachments will increase the aerodynamic drag and the weight of the base design of the research vehicle. Thus, it is advantageous to eject the rockets after their fuel has been exhausted. Therefore, the drag and weight increases will be limited to the region where the rockets are in operation. Thus, the thrust gain will far outweigh the drag and weight penalty during the rockets region of operation. After the rocket fuel has been exhausted and the rockets ejected, the drag and weight of the vehicle will be the same as the base design of the research vehicle. The maximum Mach number of the design with rocket attachment is 9.9. The maximum Mach number for a two minute cruise is 9.25. Thus, the upper speed range for a scramjet test is increased by Mach .5 for the same vehicle design. Mach 9.9 is the maximum value the scramjet may be tested for any period of time for this vehicle. vii To obtain higher Mach number tests another scramjet
Recommended publications
  • Concorde Is a Museum Piece, but the Allure of Speed Could Spell Success
    CIVIL SUPERSONIC Concorde is a museum piece, but the allure Aerion continues to be the most enduring player, of speed could spell success for one or more and the company’s AS2 design now has three of these projects. engines (originally two), the involvement of Air- bus and an agreement (loose and non-exclusive, by Nigel Moll but signed) with GE Aviation to explore the supply Fourteen years have passed since British Airways of those engines. Spike Aerospace expects to fly a and Air France retired their 13 Concordes, and for subsonic scale model of the design for the S-512 the first time in the history of human flight, air trav- Mach 1.5 business jet this summer, to explore low- elers have had to settle for flying more slowly than speed handling, followed by a manned two-thirds- they used to. But now, more so than at any time scale supersonic demonstrator “one-and-a-half to since Concorde’s thunderous Olympus afterburn- two years from now.” Boom Technology is working ing turbojets fell silent, there are multiple indi- on a 55-seat Mach 2.2 airliner that it plans also to cations of a supersonic revival, and the activity offer as a private SSBJ. NASA and Lockheed Martin appears to be more advanced in the field of busi- are encouraged by their research into reducing the ness jets than in the airliner sector. severity of sonic booms on the surface of the planet. www.ainonline.com © 2017 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to Shaping the boom create what is called an N-wave sonic boom: if The sonic boom produced by a supersonic air- you plot the pressure distribution that you mea- craft has long shaped regulations that prohibit sure on the ground, it looks like the letter N.
    [Show full text]
  • Some Supersonic Aerodynamics
    Some Supersonic Aerodynamics W.H. Mason Configuration Aerodynamics Class Grumman Tribody Concept – from 1978 Company Calendar The Key Topics • Brief history of serious supersonic airplanes – There aren’t many! • The Challenge – L/D, CD0 trends, the sonic boom • Linear theory as a starting point: – Volumetric Drag – Drag Due to Lift • The ac shift and cg control • The Oblique Wing • Aero/Propulsion integration • Some nonlinear aero considerations • The SST development work • Brief review of computational methods • Possible future developments Are “Supersonic Fighters” Really Supersonic? • If your car’s speedometer goes to 120 mph, do you actually go that fast? • The official F-14A supersonic missions (max Mach 2.4) – CAP (Combat Air Patrol) • 150 miles subsonic cruise to station • Loiter • Accel, M = 0.7 to 1.35, then dash 25nm – 4 ½ minutes and 50nm total • Then, head home or to a tanker – DLI (Deck Launch Intercept) • Energy climb to 35K ft., M = 1.5 (4 minutes) • 6 minutes at 1.5 (out 125-130nm) • 2 minutes combat (slows down fast) After 12 minutes, must head home or to a tanker Very few real supersonic airplanes • 1956: the B-58 (L/Dmax = 4.5) – In 1962: Mach 2 for 30 minutes • 1962: the A-12 (SR-71 in ’64) (L/Dmax = 6.6) – 1st supersonic flight, May 4, 1962 – 1st flight to exceed Mach 3, July 20, 1963 • 1964: the XB-70 (L/Dmax = 7.2) – In 1966: flew Mach 3 for 33 minutes • 1968: the TU-144 – 1st flight: Dec. 31, 1968 • 1969: the Concorde (L/Dmax = 7.4) – 1st flight, March 2, 1969 • 1990: the YF-22 and YF-23 (supercruisers) – YF-22: 1st flt.
    [Show full text]
  • Aircraft of Today. Aerospace Education I
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 068 287 SE 014 551 AUTHOR Sayler, D. S. TITLE Aircraft of Today. Aerospace EducationI. INSTITUTION Air Univ.,, Maxwell AFB, Ala. JuniorReserve Office Training Corps. SPONS AGENCY Department of Defense, Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 71 NOTE 179p. EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC-$6.58 DESCRIPTORS *Aerospace Education; *Aerospace Technology; Instruction; National Defense; *PhysicalSciences; *Resource Materials; Supplementary Textbooks; *Textbooks ABSTRACT This textbook gives a brief idea aboutthe modern aircraft used in defense and forcommercial purposes. Aerospace technology in its present form has developedalong certain basic principles of aerodynamic forces. Differentparts in an airplane have different functions to balance theaircraft in air, provide a thrust, and control the general mechanisms.Profusely illustrated descriptions provide a picture of whatkinds of aircraft are used for cargo, passenger travel, bombing, and supersonicflights. Propulsion principles and descriptions of differentkinds of engines are quite helpful. At the end of each chapter,new terminology is listed. The book is not available on the market andis to be used only in the Air Force ROTC program. (PS) SC AEROSPACE EDUCATION I U S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO OUCH) EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIG INATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPIN 'IONS STATED 00 NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EOU CATION POSITION OR POLICY AIR FORCE JUNIOR ROTC MR,UNIVERS17/14AXWELL MR FORCEBASE, ALABAMA Aerospace Education I Aircraft of Today D. S. Sayler Academic Publications Division 3825th Support Group (Academic) AIR FORCE JUNIOR ROTC AIR UNIVERSITY MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, ALABAMA 2 1971 Thispublication has been reviewed and approvedby competent personnel of the preparing command in accordance with current directiveson doctrine, policy, essentiality, propriety, and quality.
    [Show full text]
  • Congress and the Supersonic Transport, 1960-1971 by John
    Congress and the supersonic transport, 1960-1971 by John Marion Bell A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in History Montana State University © Copyright by John Marion Bell (1974) Abstract: Aviation state-of-the-art advances in the 1940's and 1950's paved the way for development of a commercial SST in the 1960's. Military aviation advances were translated directly into subsonic transports and it was felt that the next step in progress would be the SST. Through military programs and basic research by NACA, the United States government aided the development of a commercial SST even before undertaking an active SST program in the 1960's. Foreign governments were also at work on SST's and when the British and French merged their development programs in 1962 the United States was spurred by their competition. President Kennedy announced an active program in June, 1963 a day following Pan Am's order of Anglo-French SST's. There was little opposition to the airplane at first; what little there was was based on the aircraft's unavoidable sonic boom. A design competition was conducted by the FAA to select the best possible American design. Boeing was selected the winner in 1966 on the basis of a radical, swing-wing design. The program then entered a two-prototype development stage. Boeing soon ran into development problems and in 1968 abandoned its swing-wing in favor of a conventional fixed-wing. The airplane's problems were also complicated by the great increase in cost of development as well as a growing opposition based on the possible negative environmental impact of the SST.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Ballistic Wave from Projectiles and Vehicles of Simple Geometry Jean Varnier, Marie-Claire Le Pape, Frédéric Sourgen
    On the ballistic wave from projectiles and vehicles of simple geometry Jean Varnier, Marie-Claire Le Pape, Frédéric Sourgen To cite this version: Jean Varnier, Marie-Claire Le Pape, Frédéric Sourgen. On the ballistic wave from projectiles and vehicles of simple geometry. AIAA Journal, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2018, 56 (7), pp.2725-2742. 10.2514/1.J056239. hal-01852518 HAL Id: hal-01852518 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01852518 Submitted on 1 Aug 2018 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. On the ballistic wave from projectiles and vehicles of simple geometry Jean Varnier*, Marie-Claire Le Pape° ONERA, 92320 Châtillon, France Frédéric Sourgen°° ONERA, 31400 Toulouse, France The ballistic wave is a shock wave generated by a solid body moving at supersonic speed in the atmosphere. It sounds like the crack of a whip for small projectiles, like a detonation (sonic boom) for large-sized objects. Their common signature is a N-shaped pressure profile, the formalism of which is well-known but presents a practical difficulty, namely the calculation of the “shape factor” which characterizes the aerodynamic behavior of the object flying at supersonic speed.
    [Show full text]
  • Examining Explanations for the Strange Phenomena Encountered by U.S
    AIRCRAFT DESIGN 14 LUNAR SPACESUITS 18 SUPERSONICS 36 Perlan 2 glider — explained More fl exibility for astronauts Listening for X-59’s sonic thump Mystery sightings Examining explanations for the strange phenomena encountered by U.S. Navy pilots. PAGE 26 NOVEMBER 2019 | A publication of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics | aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org The Premier Global, Commercial, Civil, Military and Emergent Space Conference Where Ideas Launch • Connections Are Made • Business Gets Done! SpaceSymposium.org SAVE $600 – Register Today for Best Savings! Special Military Rates! +1.800.691.4000 Share: FEATURES | November 2019 MORE AT aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org The Premier Global, Commercial, Civil, Military and Emergent Space Conference 14 18 36 26 Aiming for Exploring the Planning for 90,000 feet moon in new the sound of Mystery phenomena spacesuits Designers of Perlan 2 supersonic fl ight We look at possible explanations for those overcame formidable Former astronaut How NASA’s Low Boom fast and agile objects zipping across F/A-18 engineering Tom Jones examines Flight Demonstrator screens. challenges to NASA’s plans to give will test the public’s create a glider that explorers suits that tolerance for sonic By Jan Tegler and Cat Hofacker has reached the will let them walk, thumps. stratosphere and will lope, crouch and even try to beat its own kneel. By Jan Tegler record next year. Where Ideas Launch • Connections Are Made • Business Gets Done! By Tom Jones By Keith Button SpaceSymposium.org SAVE $600 – Register Today for
    [Show full text]
  • A High-Fidelity Approach to Conceptual Design John Thomas Watson Iowa State University
    Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2016 A high-fidelity approach to conceptual design John Thomas Watson Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the Aerospace Engineering Commons, and the Art and Design Commons Recommended Citation Watson, John Thomas, "A high-fidelity approach to conceptual design" (2016). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 15183. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/15183 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A high-fidelity approach to conceptual design by John T. Watson A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Major: Aerospace Engineering Program of Study Committee: Richard Wlezien, Major Professor Thomas Gielda Leifur Leifsson Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2016 Copyright © John T. Watson, 2016. All rights reserved. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... v NOMENCLATURE .................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Modified Linear Theory Aircraft Design Tools and Sonic Boom
    Modified Linear Theory Aircraft Design Tools and Sonic Boom Minimization Strategy Applied to Signature Freezing via F-function Lobe Balancing by Timothy Paul Jung B.S., United States Air Force Academy, 1992 M.S., South Dakota School of Mines, 2000 M.S., Air Force Institute of Technology, 2005 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences 2012 This thesis entitled: Modified Linear Theory Aircraft Design Tools and Sonic Boom Minimization Strategy Applied to Signature Freezing via F-function Lobe Balancing written by Timothy Paul Jung has been approved for the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences Dr. Ryan Starkey Dr. Brian Argrow Dr. Kenneth Jansen Dr. Kurt Maute Date The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. iii The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. iv Jung, Timothy Paul (Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering) Modified Linear Theory Aircraft Design Tools and Sonic Boom Minimization Strategy Applied to Signature Freezing via F-function Lobe Balancing Thesis directed by Dr. Ryan Starkey Commercial supersonic travel has strong business potential; however, in order for the Federal Aviation Administration to lift its ban on supersonic flight overland, designers must reduce aircraft sonic boom strength to an acceptable level.
    [Show full text]
  • Supersonic Aircraft: Views of the American Aerospace Industry
    SUPERSONIC AIRCRAFT: VIEWS OF THE AMERICAN AEROSPACE INDUSTRY Since aircraft first took to the skies over 100 years ago, aviation has evolved from what was once a risky pursuit undertaken by hobbyists in experimental structures to the safest form of transportation in the world – carrying over 4 billion passengers per year. Despite this history of innovation and progress, there is one area of aviation that hasn’t changed since the dawn of the jet age: the speed at which we fly. However, recent advances in supersonic technology– including the ability to travel faster than the speed of sound (Mach 1.0) without causing a loud sonic boom – will deliver a future of environmentally responsible supersonic flight, where people can fly to the far corners of the globe faster than ever before, creating new possibilities for how people travel and experience the world. AMERICA’S SUPERSONIC REVIVAL American manufacturers are aiming to build supersonic aircraft that will transport passengers as soon as the middle of the next decade. Aerion Supersonic has partnered with GE Aviation and Boeing to build the world’s first supersonic business jet. It will travel over land at up to Mach 1.2 without exposing communities to a sonic boom and reach speeds of Mach 1.4 over the ocean. Meanwhile, Boom Supersonic’s Overture airliner will travel at Mach 2.2 over the ocean, meaning you could travel from New York to London in just over three hours, or from Sydney to Los Angeles in less than seven. Work is also taking place that could completely redefine the possibilities of supersonic travel.
    [Show full text]
  • The Age of the Supersonic Jet Transport: Its Environmental and Legal Impact John R
    Journal of Air Law and Commerce Volume 36 | Issue 4 Article 2 1970 The Age of the Supersonic Jet Transport: Its Environmental and Legal Impact John R. Montgomery Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.smu.edu/jalc Recommended Citation John R. Montgomery, The Age of the Supersonic Jet Transport: Its Environmental and Legal Impact, 36 J. Air L. & Com. 577 (1970) https://scholar.smu.edu/jalc/vol36/iss4/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at SMU Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Air Law and Commerce by an authorized administrator of SMU Scholar. For more information, please visit http://digitalrepository.smu.edu. THE AGE OF THE SUPERSONIC JET TRANSPORT: ITS ENVIRONMENTAL AND LEGAL IMPACT By JOHN R. MONTGOMERYt I. INTRODUCTION W HEN supersonic jet air transports' become fully operational in the mid-1970s they will represent the culmination of a tremendous technological effort both by government and industry. As with all ad- vances, however, the benefits of the SST will not be enjoyed without serious drawbacks. There will perhaps be unprecedented noise around jetports, and millions of people will be exposed to sonic booms which will be generated continually as long as the SST is traveling faster than the speed of sound. When a supersonic jet transport was first proposed in 1959 by the Inter- national Air Transport Association and when design targets were prom- ulgated in 1962, the problems of airport noise and sonic booms received scant consideration The volume of air traffic projected for the immediate future was sufficient of itself to make a national development effort at- tractive for those countries with sufficient technical and financial resources.
    [Show full text]
  • 46 Reducing Sonic Boom
    REDUCING SONIC BOOM - A COLLECTIVE EFFORT STATUS REPORT BY CHARLES ETTER (GULFSTREAM) AND PETER G. COEN (NASA) Several members of the Aviation Industry believe that a new market segment, and possibly a new era of aviation, could be within reach in the next 15 years or less. This new era will reintroduce civil air travel at supersonic speeds. The technical challenges are significant, and progress is being made on many fronts. The economic impact of a new market segment is global, creating new jobs and new technologies. Industry views the development of a socially responsible enroute supersonic noise standard as a parallel effort to technology devel- opment. This new noise standard, in conjunction with relevant environmental standards is beginning to take shape within the ICAO CAEP (Committee for Aviation Environmental Protection) process. The new era of supersonic civil flight could be reintroduced in one of two ways. One way would be to operate at supersonic speed over both water and land, utilizing a low boom aircraft design (unrestricted supersonic flight). The other operational scenario would be to fly at design speeds above Mach 1 over water and unrestricted areas, while slowing down to subsonic speeds, or just over Mach 1, in restricted areas. Flying just over Mach 1.0, between Mach 1.0 and 1.15, is referred to as Mach cut-off. Flying below the Mach cut-off speed will result in the sonic boom waveform not reaching the ground. The actual Mach cut-off speed depends on the prevailing atmospheric conditions. The achievement of commercial supersonic flight will be accomplished via technology breakthroughs developed for smaller aircraft such as business jet aircraft.
    [Show full text]
  • Sound Propagation of Sonic Booms Through Real Atmospheres Emitted from a New Supersonic Business Aircraft
    SOUND PROPAGATION OF SONIC BOOMS THROUGH REAL ATMOSPHERES EMITTED FROM A NEW SUPERSONIC BUSINESS AIRCRAFT Martina Kästner and Dietrich Heimann Institute of Atmospheric Physics, German Aerospace Center, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany E-mail: [email protected] Abstract: Supersonic air transport generates sonic booms that can affect people, animals and structures. There is a renewed interest in high-speed transport for civilian application. The widely used standard atmosphere for sonic boom prediction is neither capable of describing topographical variation, nor temporal variations, nor the impact of wind on the propagation of a sonic boom. However, within the frame of the 6th FP EU-project HISAC (HIgh Speed AirCraft), our ray tracing studies are performed through real atmospheres from emissions of a supersonic aircraft that can impact people in case of overland flights. Obviously, the mountains are affected more often by the noise carpet than the lowlands. The used ERA-40 data over the domain of Europe are appropriate to define flight tracks for supersonic aircrafts that avoid the noise carpet of sonic booms at the ground depending on the actual state of the atmosphere. A key role plays the atmospheric refraction due to temperature and wind gradients and the atmospheric absorption due to the humidity. Primary use of improved prediction possibility is expected to operational route planning, especially as supersonic activity increases. Recently, flight demonstration of shaped sonic boom that generates low overpressure N-waves show the potential for quiet overland supersonic flights. Keywords: supersonic aircraft, sound propagation, mountainous area INTRODUCTION The human response to aircraft noise is complicated because of the multitude of factors involved.
    [Show full text]