Mach 1 and Beyond: The Illustrated Guide to High-Speed Flight

by Reithmaier, Larry

• ISBN13: 9780070520219
• ISBN10: 0070520216
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1994-08-22
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education

Summary

This compelling book opens up the world of high-speed flight to readers who do not have extensive technical backgrounds. Covering both subsonic and supersonic flight, it demystifies the world of high-speed aerodynamics, flight principles, gas turbine jets, and more. You'll learn why there are no supersonic airliners, what problems confront designers of 2,000-mph aircraft, and whether or not a hypersonic, or Mach 5, airplane is likely to be built.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Introduction	1	(8)
The atmosphere	9	(9)
The standard atmosphere	9	(4)
The real atmosphere	13	(2)
Air as fluid	15	(1)
Airspeed measurement	15	(3)
The basic airplane	18	(8)
Aerodynamic concepts for high-speed flight	26	(24)
Lift	28	(1)
Drag	29	(3)
Effects of high-speed flight	32	(1)
Speed of sound, aircraft velocity, and Mach number	33	(1)
Compressibility drag, wave drag, and transonic flight	33	(9)
Supersonic flight	42	(3)
Performance	45	(1)
Straight and level flight	45	(3)
Sonic boom	48	(1)
Hypersonic flight	49	(1)
The high-speed airplane at low speeds	50	(23)
Lift of a wing	50	(5)
Development of lift by a wing	55	(10)
Slowing down the high-speed airplane	65	(8)
The jet engine (gas turbine engine)	73	(37)
Development of the gas turbine engine	73	(1)
The basic jet engine	74	(1)
How a turbojet operates	75	(1)
Types of gas turbine engines	75	(1)
The gas turbine	76	(3)
Basic engine components and their operation	79	(3)
Compressor stall	82	(2)
Combustors	84	(1)
Turbines	84	(6)
The high-bypass turbofan engine	90	(4)
Aircraft engines for short takeoff and vertical takeoff and landing	94	(2)
Thrust reversers	96	(3)
Air inlet duct	99	(5)
Jet fuels	104	(1)
Engine instrumentation and controls	105	(1)
Typical gas turbine engines	105	(5)
Stability and control	110	(11)
Stability characteristics	112	(9)
Trade-offs for design	121	(39)
Compressibility	121	(4)
Typical supersonic flow patterns	125	(5)
Airfoil sections in supersonic flow	130	(4)
Configuration effects	134	(3)
Characteristics of transonic flight	137	(1)
Characteristics of supersonic flight	138	(1)
Transonic and supersonic configurations	139	(18)
Aerodynamic heating	157	(3)
Supersonic transports	160	(11)
High-speed civil transport	165	(5)
Conclusion	170	(1)
Beyond supersonic toward hypersonic flight	171	(18)
Lifting bodies---the shape of hypersonics	172	(2)
Propulsion systems	174	(1)
Temperature environment	175	(1)
Materials selection criteria	176	(3)
Structural design requirements	179	(1)
Interior environment requirements	179	(1)
Structural concepts	180	(1)
Structural configuration	181	(2)
National Aero Space Plane (NASP)	183	(4)
Judgment	187	(2)
Quest for the fuel-efficient airliner	189	(68)
Benefits of airframe-related technologies	191	(1)
Composite structures	192	(1)
Active controls/control-configured vehicles	193	(2)
Longitudinal stability augmentation	195	(1)
Aerodynamic improvements	195	(4)
Propulsion system improvements	199	(5)
Appendices
A High-speed airplanes	204	(34)
B Development of the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird	219	(19)
C Evolution of Lockheed's SST design	238	(19)
Glossary	257	(10)
Bibliography	267	(1)
Index	268