Engineering Stack Exchange
Engineering Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [aircraft-design]

For questions about how certain features of an aircraft affect its performance and function, such as engine type or wing configuration.

69 questions
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If aircraft are pressurised, why do our ears pop during liftoff and landing?

Something hit me during my last flight: our ears feel that the pressure around us changes quickly during liftoff and landing, they hurt more and more until we make them pop. However, the cabin must maintain a level of oxygen higher than outside the…
Mister Mystère
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Detailed dimensions of an aircraft engine compressor blade

I am working on rub-induced vibrations in compressor stages of aircraft engines. The work is carried out in partnership with a company, therefore there is a limited amount of it that could be published openly. Is it feasible to release open source…
Nicolas
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How are wind tunnel models used when designing supersonic aircraft?

There are two things involved: wave drag and boundary layer separation. The wave drag depends on the Mach number while the latter depends on the Reynolds number of the flow. It's easy to maintain the incoming Mach number as it is independent of the…
Subodh
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Could air-launched space planes reach escape velocities?

Rockets like the Ariane 5 weigh hundreds of tons, but with about 85% of that weight being fuel, the payload fraction is only about 3% (~10-20 tons). Virgin Galactic is building suborbital space planes, mostly for tourism purposes. They fly at about…
NoDataDumpNoContribution
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Can we add treadmill-like structures over the airplane surfaces to reduce friction, decrease drag and producing energy?

I am curious about a method to enhance the efficiency of passenger aircraft during cruise speeds by integrating treadmill-like structures on the fuselage and beneath the wings without changing the original shape of the aircraft and the…
Siames
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Efficiency in a gas turbine or aircraft engine

Most modern aircraft engines, such as the one depicted below taken from Wikipedia, are composed of several compressor stages which are driven by a turbine (or several), and a combustion chamber in-between, in order to increase the temperature of the…
Nicolas
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What are the advantages of chemical oxygen generation over compressed tank storage?

Chemical oxygen generation (COG) is used in commercial airliners to supply emergency oxygen to passengers and crew if the plane is depressurized. Weight for weight it produces far more oxygen than compressed oxygen tanks. I read the original paper…
Leavenotrace
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How is fuel mixed with air in a jet engine?

I am working on an idea that involves a jet engine, but I don't quite know how the fuel system works. In a combustion engine like that in a car, you have nozzles that spray the fuel into the piston chambers (I think, correct me if I am mistaken),…
cluemein
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Did Otto Lilienthal ever experiment with non-human-powered aircraft?

Otto Lilienthal, sometimes hailed as the first aviator, became famous for his many gliders, which pioneered new experiments in aeronautics. However, powered aircraft didn't take off - pun intended - until the Wright brothers successfully flew their…
HDE 226868
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What are the engineering challenges in WIG craft development?

Wind In Ground (WIG), is an old concept. In short: Wing-tip vortices create an additional drag on the aircraft known as the induced drag. However, when the flying craft (or bird) flies close to the ground or water, these vortices don't get enough…
Subodh
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Do all airfoils have a lift curve slope of $2\pi$?

I know that according to the thin airfoil theory all airfoils (symmetric or not) have lift curve slope of $2\pi$. I also know that finite wings should have less inclined lift curve because of the downwash. Then I saw this formula used for finite…
emcyaman
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How to store gas on little pulsejet plane?

I am thinking about building small plane with a pulsejet but the engine would need to be roughly 2 cm in diameter. Is it even possible to fit something to store gas on that sized plane? At least for like 10 seconds of running.
valli3
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Is a wing that runs the length of an aircraft viable?

I was thinking about fighter aircraft like the Harrier which have thrust vectoring and computer-controlled stabilisation nozzles. Also an anhedral angle on the (small) wings. The aircraft relies so much on the computer stabilisation, and flies like…
jhabbott
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How an airfoil works

I have read on many sites that for lift to occur, the pressure below a wing must be higher than the pressure above it. This happens by somehow moving air faster over the top of the air foil so the pressure above the wing decreases. What I can't…
Fady basem
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How does a helicopter hover

I am wondering how a helicopter manages to stay balanced and stay in one spot while it is in the air. I understand that there is a second rotor that is used to counteract the angular momentum and also the use of swashplate to direct the helicopter…
ychnh
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