Chap F: High Speed Flight Flashcards
what is transonic flight?
flight range between high subsonic and low supersonic
definition of mach number
ratio of true airspeed to local speed of sound
VTAS/a
a - local speed of sound
speed ranges in terms of M
low subsonic (incompressible): below M0.3
subsonic (compressible): M0.3 ≤ M ≤ M0.75
transonic: M0.75 ≤ M ≤ M1.2
supersonic: M1.2 ≤ M < M5.0
hypersonic: ≥ M5.0
what is sound created?
propagation of weak pressure waves
what happens when the sound emitter increases the speed?
pressure waves cannot outrace the soundwaves at M1.0 causing shock waves to occur
is maximum local speed greater or lower than flight speed?
greater than
some parts of the wing may experience M1.0 locally if flying at neat sonic speed
formation of incipient shock wave is due to?
rapid increase in pressure and density
definition of critical mach number
Mach number at which airflow at any part of the wing attains a velocity equal to local speed of sound
where is airflow fastest at?
maximum thickness
why is there a region of separated flow immediately aft of shock waves?
presence of large adverse pressure gradient
what is shock stall?
shock waves forms at the aft boundary of the supersonic flow causing the airflow to separate behind the shock waves, leading to loss of lift
difference between shock stall and high AOA stall
shock stall can occur at low AOA
how does shock stall happen?
flow after shock is turbulent and separated, causing region after shock to lose capability to produce pressure reduction for lift generation
behaviour of aircraft at shock stall
1) loss of lift
2) large increase in drag
3) rearward movement of CP
4) increased nose down pitching moments
reason for loss of lift at shock stall
due to boundary layer separation on upper surface
does lift coefficient increase or decrease after flow is fully supersonic?
decrease
what is transonic drag rise?
wave drag on highspeed aircraft increase substantially as flight speed approaches M1.0
what is the reason of transonic drag rise?
formation of shock waves around M0.8
how does drag coefficient increase/decrease in supersonic speed?
increase until bow wave attaches to the leading edge
decreases further once flow is fully supersonic
what is the force divergence mach number?
mach number where wave drag becomes very significant
where does CP move due to shock waves?
from 1/4 chord to 1/2 chord once flow is fully supersonic
how does movement of CP due to shock waves affect aircraft performance?
1) increase nose down pitching moment
2) increase longitudinal stability
3) more difficult to manoeuvre aircraft
what is buffeting?
result of unsteady flow caused by separation, shock waves move back and forth rapidly
what will buffeting cause?
structural failure if buffet frequency is the same w resonance frequency
where does the first shock wave appear first on the wing?
at the thickness part of the aerofoil on the upper surface as it is where velocity is sonic
what is tuck under effect?
shock waves appear at the wing root, resulting in flow separation and shock stall at the wing root
where does CP move during a shock stall? and what does it cause
rearwards and outwards, towards the wing tip
rearwards movement results in nose-down pitching moments
what is control reversal?
adverse effect on the controllability of aircraft (aircraft move in the opposite direction that the pilot chose)
when does control reversal occur?
when hinged trailing edge device type control surfaces deflect downwards resulting in CP moving aft
when amount of airflow over wing is large enough for forces generated by aileron twist the wing by itself