scholarly journals Design and operational assessment of a low-boom low-drag supersonic business jet

Author(s):  
Yicheng Sun ◽  
Howard Smith

There has been a worldwide interest to develop a supersonic business jet (SSBJ) for a minimum range of 4000 nm with low sonic boom intensity and high fuel efficiency. An SSBJ design model is developed in the GENUS aircraft conceptual design environment. With the design model, a low-boom low-drag SSBJ concept is designed and optimized. This article studies the design concept for its operational performances. The sustained supersonic cruise flight is studied to find out the fuel-efficient Mach number and altitude combinations. The combined supersonic and subsonic cruise flight scenarios are studied to evaluate the feasibility of boom-free flight routes. The one-stop supersonic cruise flight scenario is studied to compare the fuel consumption and time advantage over subsonic airliners. The off-design sonic boom intensity is studied to explore the operational space assuming there would be a sonic boom intensity limit in the future. Through the studies, it is revealed that there is a corresponding most fuel-efficient operating altitude for a specific cruise Mach number. To operate the aircraft near the cutoff Mach number leads to both increases in the fuel consumption (6.3%–8.1%) and the mission time (11.7%–13.1%). The business-class supersonic transport (231 g/PAX/km) consumes nearly three times fuel as the economic-class supersonic transport (77 g/PAX/km), which is still far more than the economic-class subsonic transport (20 g/PAX/km). Off-design sonic boom intensity studies reveal different trends against the common understanding: the sonic boom intensity does not necessarily decrease as the altitude increases; the sonic boom intensity does not necessarily decrease as the Mach number decreases.

Author(s):  
Yicheng Sun ◽  
Howard Smith

AbstractThis paper introduces a supersonic transport aircraft design model developed in the GENUS aircraft conceptual design environment. A conceptual design model appropriate to supersonic transports with low-to-medium-fidelity methods are developed in GENUS. With this model, the authors reveal the relationship between the sonic boom signature and the lift and volume distributions and the possibility to optimise the lift distribution and volume distribution together so that they can cancel each other at some region. A new inspiring design concept—sonic boom stealth is proposed by the authors. The sonic boom stealth concept is expected to inspire the supersonic aircraft designers to design low-boom concepts through aircraft shaping and to achieve low ground impacts. A family of different classes of supersonic aircraft, including a single-seat supersonic demonstrator (0.47 psf), a 10-passenger supersonic business jet (0.90 psf) and a 50-seat supersonic airliner (1.02 psf), are designed to demonstrate the sonic boom stealth design principles. Although, there are challenges to balance the volume with packaging and control requirements, these concepts prove the feasibility of low-boom low-drag design for supersonic transports from a multidisciplinary perspective.


2018 ◽  
Vol 173 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-60
Author(s):  
Małgorzata PAWLAK ◽  
Andrzej MAJKA ◽  
Michał KUŹNIAR ◽  
Jowita PAWLUCZY

Among the most important problems currently faced by air transport, we can distinguish the adverse impact of aircrafts on the natu-ral environment, as well as the rising costs of transport. One of the possibilities to improve this situation is better adjustment of aircraft characteristics to the performed transport tasks, taking into account all the requirements and limitations that exist in air traffic and the adverse impact of air transport on the natural environment. It is reflected in the research tasks conducted under the SESAR program. The aspiration to minimize the adverse impact of aircrafts on the environment is executed, among others, through determining such trajectories that are characterized by minimal fuel consumption or minimal emission of harmful substances in the engines exhausts. These goals are corresponding with the research conducted and described in the paper. The main aim of the work was to analyse the impact of wind speed and direction on the emission of harmful substances of a jet aircraft performing a flight on a given route. For research purposes, the route between two Polish cities Gdansk and Rzeszow was considered. The distance between the two airports was divided into sections for which wind direction and strength were determined (read from the windy.com website). Next, the aircraft per-formance was determined and the fuel consumption and the amount of harmful compounds (CO2, NOx, CO and HC), emitted in the en-gines exhausts were determined for the route from Gdansk to Rzeszow (under favourable wind conditions) and on the return route – from Rzeszow to Gdansk (under unfavourable wind conditions). For comparative purposes, emission of these substances for windless condi-tions was also determined. The results are presented in tables and depicted in the graph, as well as discussed in the conclusions of the paper.


2021 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 558
Author(s):  
А.В. Потапкин ◽  
Д.Ю. Москвичев

The problem of a sonic boom generated by a slender body and local regions of supersonic flow heating is solved numerically. The free-stream Mach number of the air flow is 2. The calculations are performed by a combined method of phantom bodies. The results show that local heating of the incoming flow can ensure sonic boom mitigation. The sonic boom level depends on the number of local regions of incoming flow heating. One region of flow heating can reduce the sonic boom by 20% as compared to the sonic boom level in the cold flow. Moreover, consecutive heating of the incoming flow in two regions provides sonic boom reduction by more than 30%.


1967 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Scherhag ◽  
Gunter Warnecke ◽  
Werner Wehry

In 1965, following the Eastbourne Conference, the British, French and German Institutes of Navigation formed a Working Group to make a study of the environment in which the supersonic transport will operate and of its implications for the navigation of such aircraft. The Group's initial task has been one of education, largely through discussion of a series of papers submitted to it. Some of the papers considered have already been published in the Journal (Vol. 19) and a further selection is published below. Table I was contributed by Mr. G. E. Beck. The illustrations to these papers have not all been reproduced.1. Atmospheric Conditions. It will be useful to distinguish between different kinds of atmospheric influences on supersonic aircraft operations. They may be classed as follows:(a) Sporadic effects near the ground(b) Sporadic effects in the free atmosphere(c) Effects on sonic boom(d) Effects of atmospheric ozone(e) Permanently effective atmospheric parameters, such as temperature, density and wind.


Author(s):  
H Smith ◽  
D Sziroczák ◽  
GE Abbe ◽  
P Okonkwo

The design of aircraft has evolved over time from the classical design approach to the more modern computer-based design method utilizing multivariate design optimization. In recent years, aircraft concepts and configurations have become more diverse and complex thus pushing many synthesis packages beyond their capability. Furthermore, many examples of aircraft design software focus on the analysis of one particular concept thus requiring separate packages for each concept. This can lead to complications in comparing concepts and configurations as differences in performance may originate from different prediction toolsets being used. This paper presents the GENUS Aircraft Design Framework developed by Cranfield University’s Aircraft Design Group to address these issues. The paper reviews available aircraft design methodologies and describes the challenges faced in their development and application. Following this, the GENUS aircraft design environment is introduced, along with the theoretical background and practical reasoning behind the program architecture. Particular attention is given to the programming, choice of methodology, and optimization techniques involved. Subsequently, some applications of the developed methodology, implemented in the framework are presented to illustrate the diversity of the approach. Three special classes of aircraft design concept are presented briefly.


2007 ◽  
Vol 111 (1126) ◽  
pp. 761-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Smith

Abstract Key issues relating to the Supersonic Business Jet (SBJ) concept are reviewed with the intent to assess the readiness of enabling technologies and hence the concept itself. The multidisciplinary nature of aircraft design precludes an in-depth analysis of each specific aspect, which could individually be the subject of a separate discipline review, hence an overview is presented. The review looks at the market, environmental issues, with particular reference to the sonic boom phenomenon & solutions, technological issues, including prediction methods, flight testing, systems, certification and interested aerospace companies and design organisations. It is apparent that the need to reduce the sonic boom signature is vital if the vehicle is to be permitted to operate over land and hence be economically viable. It is clear that sonic boom acceptability requirements must be set if resources are to be effectively focused and designs are to converge. Despite this challenge, considerable investment is aimed at de-risking many of the enabling technologies and raising readiness levels. Many technologies are moving beyond theoretical and numerical analysis into the experimental and flight test domains. Collaboration between the civil and military sectors is increasing. Clearly, supersonic air travel is not an efficient means of personal conveyance; however, concerns for the environment are difficult to balance against the ‘value of time’ benefits offered by the SBJ concept. Air travel, of which this is a specialised form, is important to the global economy. Continued effort in the areas of human factors, customer demand and certification & requirements would be beneficial.


1981 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 425-430
Author(s):  
H. V. Hattingh

2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (1129) ◽  
pp. 141-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Chudoba ◽  
G. Coleman ◽  
A. Oza ◽  
P. A. Czysz

Abstract The first generation of supersonic commercial transportation has seen three serious attempts to arrive at an economically and environmentally viable aircraft. The US B2707-200/300 design was cancelled early before a prototype could emerge; the Russian Tu-144 design succeeded to become the first supersonic transport but spanned only a few years of restricted airline service; the Anglo-French Concorde endured more than 27 glamorous airline service years until the last of its species was retired on 30 August 2003. This first generation was followed by a second generation of supersonic commercial transport projects in the time period between 1986 until about 1999, designs which did not proceed towards the production hardware stage. This study critically examines the anatomy of two generations of supersonic commercial transport design failures and successes in order to arrive at lessons learned free of ‘wishful thinking’. The design conditions leading to the identification of the product ‘solution space’ for an economically and environmentally acceptable supersonic commercial transport are discussed. Having assembled an understanding of the product metrics valid for supersonic commercial transports, the paper then provides an outlook for the first generation of supersonic corporate and cargo jet projects. This first generation of supersonic business jet (SSBJ) and supersonic cargo jet (SSCJ) projects spans a period of nearly two decades of development, starting from 1988 until today. The present study identifies that the product development metrics of this class of aircraft is radically different compared to the metrics valid for supersonic commercial transports. The challenges in VIP transportation and dedicated freight transportation at supersonic speeds are portrayed leading to two principal trains of thought targeting the development of the first supersonic business jet and/or supersonic cargo jet hardware: the development based on a new airframe, and alternatively the development based on an existing airframe.


Author(s):  
William H. Levison ◽  
Ozgur Simsek ◽  
Alvah C. Bittner ◽  
Steven J. Hunn

The Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM) is a high-priority research area for FHWA. IHSDM is a software system for evaluating the safety of alternative highway designs in a computer-aided design environment. The initial phase of this research program is to develop IHSDM for use in the design of two-lane rural highways. IHSDM includes a driver-vehicle module that simulates the moment-to-moment actions of a single driver-vehicle unit. Reviewed are the computational approaches that have guided the implementation of the driver performance model (DPM) that along with a vehicle model and other components constitute the driver-vehicle module. Five major computational functions of DPM are reviewed: perception, speed decision, path decision, speed control, and path control. Comparison of model results with data from a driving simulator demonstrates the ability of DPM to account for the horizontal curve deflection angle on the speed profile.


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