Questions tagged [supersonic]
Use for questions relating to flight at speeds greater than sound and related effects from doing so.
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Can you tell me how I can describe the flow over this flat plate? [on hold]
In the image, you can see the flow over a flat plate. The flow is going from right to left. I would like to know what is shown in the picture (i.e. shock wave, separation on the flow...). Just need to ...
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1answer
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Could the Olympus 593 have been windmill-restarted during supersonic flight?
The Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593 (which powered the Concorde) used a complex intake-ramp system to improve the engine's efficiency and prevent an engine shutdown or failure during supersonic flight ...
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Aerospike nose cones for supersonic jets?
Not to be confused with aerospike nozzles. This is about the big pin-like rod in front of ICBM nose cones.
This answer (from Space) about aerospike nose cones notes that one of the potential ...
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2answers
555 views
How is the camera positioned for these plane-to-plane Schlieren images of shock waves?
These two popular press articles discuss the use of schlieren photography to image shock waves of jets during flight using a special schlieren camera on a third plane.
Gizmodo: NASA Captures First-...
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1answer
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Are there any special considerations involved in designing manual flight controls for supersonic/hypersonic aircraft?
What things, if any, might need to be taken into account in the design of manual flight controls for supersonic or hypersonic aircraft that wouldn’t need to be taken into account with manual controls ...
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1answer
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How does a weak shock-wave boundary-layer interaction create wave drag (other than through direct shock losses)?
I'm trying to understand the physical cause of wave drag, beyond the simple statement "the presence of shockwaves increases the drag".
As far as I understand, in the case of a weak BLSWI (so without ...
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2answers
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Could anyone (non-military) in the present day “exceed mach 1 over a regulated area”?
There is a question What would happen if I exceeded mach 1 over a regulated area?
I wonder, could anyone in civil aviation (not military) actually carry out this violation? I know there are privately ...
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4answers
607 views
What would happen if I exceeded mach 1 over a regulated area?
What would happen if I exceeded mach 1 over a regulated area? Are there any penalties in place for this violation?
Would ATC actually know I’m flying supersonic or would they have to go out of ...
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1answer
242 views
Can electro-aerodynamic propulsion be applied to circumvent sonic BOOM
MIT researchers have created and flown the first plane that doesn’t require any moving parts.
and I quote "“Although it is still a long way off from commercial gas turbine propulsion … ...
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1answer
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Is high speed buffet possible at supersonic speed?
Since high speed buffet is caused by boundary layer separation due to shock wave and at supersonic flight there is no shock wave directly onto the airfoil (it is attached to the trailing edge), is ...
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1answer
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Why does strong shock wave-boundary-layer interaction produce a bubble reattachment?
The picture represents a lambda type shock wave, separating the boundary layer at its foot. Separation causes a recirculation bubble to appear. I understand why separation has happened, but what is ...
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1answer
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What are some of the fastest UAVs? How do the pilots ensure that their controls are being transmitted to actions?
I would clarify that the drones I refer to are UAVs that were piloted using a control station. I know many military projects include such capabilities but I want to know how pilots work on such ...
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1answer
123 views
What kind of flight termination measures are taken for supersonic aircraft?
Having recently read an article that hyper-sonic airplanes carry enough energy that just flying into some target makes them as powerful as some missiles and I wonder if the supersonic planes have ...
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1answer
184 views
What kind of damage would low-level supersonic flight inflict?
I was watching a video about "The Big Stick" aka Project Pluto, a nuclear powered SLAM. In the video (I couldn't find the exact video) it said that after deploying its weapon payload a SLAM could fly ...
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What is the importance of Mach number (M) on shock waves?
My primary question is: what is the importance of Mach number (M) on shock waves? Although I believe confirming and/or answering the below will help clarify my misconceptions.
When a wave moves ...
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How to determine maximum loads on control surfaces for supersonic flight
I checked control surface sizing and actuator selection having some estimates, but are largely meant for subsonic flight adhering to FAR regulations which dictate the maximum loads and flight ...
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Why do so many supersonic aircraft feature delta wings and elevons? [duplicate]
Commercial and military supersonic aircraft constantly favor the delta configuration if they exceed the sound barrier, and also tend to be tailess or twin tail. What is the reason behind such designs? ...
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2answers
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Why do suborbital planes feature H-tail and/or large wingtips?
Spaceplanes that are suborbital are mostly supersonic and feature H-tail or rather large wingtips. This looks to be similar to a H-tail configuration but I'm unsure abut how it works, which is why I ...
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1answer
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What is primary cause of shock induced separation (shock stall)?
In the video link above describing Prandtl Meyer Waves, lecturer stated (at 22:40) a very important fact on which he based his first half of the lecture. "Mach wave (mach lines) deflect the flow ...
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1answer
169 views
How can one approximately guesstimate wave drag?
Wave drag is an especially high drag that affects supersonic vehicles above mach 1, but I've found it hard to find source materials to estimate wave drag. I'm looking at the transonic region till Mach ...
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What happens to the neutral point of a fighter jet during supersonic flight? [duplicate]
I understand that for a fighter aircraft, it would have to be inherently unstable. To do this I believe that the neutral point needs to be aft of the cg. I was told that during supersonic flight this ...
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What would need to change for supersonic airliners to be the norm? [duplicate]
I know that supersonic airliners have never been widespread, by reason of cost, engine technology, aerodynamics. Yet can these difficulties be overcome within the next 20 years?
I know of Concorde's ...
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How are the Tupolev Tu-95's blades shaped?
The Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" seems like an awfully cool piece of innovation with its unusual contra-rotating supersonic-tipped props. From what I've been reading it sounds like it's been the only mass ...
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1answer
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What might the business model be for a hypersonic jet? [closed]
According to this video, NASA and Boeing are doing research into a new generation of hypersonic passenger planes that can travel at Mach 5. The designs look really cool and I would love to see them in ...
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What are the procedures for flying supersonic over international waters?
Supposing I owned a supersonic aircraft eg a MiG-21 and wanted to fly the jet out into international waters for a supersonic speed run. Are there any particular ATC procedures for doing so?
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3answers
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What mechanism or design aspect prevents jet blast from escaping the front of a Ramjet or scram jet?
Enormous air pressures result in the thrust of a Scram jet or ramjet engine, more so the pressure required to drive the aircraft forward at supersonic and hypersonic speeds. Given that these engines ...
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1answer
394 views
Could Mach 1.4 be a better design point for SST?
There's been a number of recent proposals for design work on low-supersonic bizjets that would cruise at Mach 1.1-1.6, the common theme being avoiding a sonic boom.
I'm wondering if this range of ...
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4answers
480 views
What is this transport aircraft, and why does it sometimes cary an air data boom when the Soviet Buran Space Shuttle is on top of it?
This comment in chat points to a "google search of the day" which was for Buran the Soviet version of the Space Shuttle. Looking there I saw images of a large transport aircraft with the Buran shuttle ...
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Why did the FAA ban all supersonic flights over the United States, rather than only supersonic flight in densely-populated areas?
A major part of why the Concorde was far less of a hit than predicted, and of why the many 1980s and 1990s supersonic transport projects never got off the drawing board, was that the FAA had banned ...
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1answer
550 views
Did Concorde's sonic booms affect other air traffic?
Given that Concorde's sonic boom reached the ground, it also must have reached other nearby air traffic.
How was this dealt with? I imagine passengers would not welcome hearing a loud boom during ...
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Why are there no supersonic propellor driven aircraft? [duplicate]
Pretty self explained in the title.
Yes, I realize there is no widespread demand for them; this is not what I'm looking for in an answer.
I'm looking for an answer that covers more why they can't be ...
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1answer
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At what Mach Number do variable cycle engines (VCEs) start showing benefits over turbofans?
Currently, most supersonic engines engines are low bypass turbofans. However turbofans start becoming infeasible as the mach number increases. Variable Cycle Engines, still have noise and weight ...
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Would pressurised air holes on supersonic aircraft mitigate the heat problem?
Would air holes or tubes of 50mm diameter blowing pressurised air outside the surface of a hypersonic or supersonic aircraft mitigate the problem of heat? They would be placed such that when they blow,...
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1answer
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Is there a limit to the possible altitude for electric jets?
So I was thinking about Elon Musk's supersonic electric jet idea. Assuming we have sufficiently energy-dense batteries, where would the limits be in terms of speed and altitude.
His logic seems to ...
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2answers
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How will the Boom SST not require an afterburner?
The company Boom is developing a supersonic airliner (SST).
In one of their blog-entries1 they state they would not need to use after-burners because they use modern turbo-fan engines.
Does this ...
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1answer
295 views
what is the highest and lowest air pressure induced by an aircraft at supersonic speeds?
When an aircraft is supersonic, is the greatest pressure at the wing leading edge, below the wing surface or in front of the shock wave, or another location all together.
Also is the lowest pressure ...
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1answer
171 views
Could the Busemann's biplane concept be used in a turbofan engine?
Would incorporating the Busemann's biplane concept in the turbofan engine fan blades and engine casing make it more efficient, if fan tip speeds were allowed to move above the speed of sound by ...
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1answer
154 views
Is there any common research model for supersonic transport?
Is there any common research platform, like the Common Research Model of NASA for supersonic transport flight?
I assume that in aerospace industry, every company has his own research platforms ...
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Could supersonic transport make a comeback? [duplicate]
When the Concorde was retired from service, reasons given included:
It was expensive to operate; it burned a lot of fuel and had high maintenance costs, resulting in high ticket prices
Could only ...
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2answers
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What are the pros and cons of using shielding as opposed to liquid cooling the skin of supersonic aircraft?
What are the pros and cons of using shielding as opposed to liquid cooling the skin of supersonic aircraft? This is in light of the fact that most shielding materials used in aircraft, like ceramics, ...
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What is the effect of Mach number on efficiency, thrust and specific fuel consumption of a ramjet engine?
My graphs show that overall efficiency and thrust first increase, reach a peak and then fall in the supersonic range (M=1-5) whereas SFC first and then increases rapidly near M 5.
Why does this ...
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Do USAF fighter jets go supersonic over land?
Does the US Air Force operate supersonic fighter jets over land?
I heard that the FAA banned supersonic flight over America due to the shockwaves creating loud booms and breaking windows on the ...
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3answers
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Are there any planes that have ramjet or scramjet engines?
Are there any planes that have ramjet or scramjet engines? If so, how did they reach the required mach speed for the engines to start functioning?
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Why are there no Mach 4+ fighter planes?
Why are there no Mach 4+ fighter aircraft? It seems that such aircraft would have massive advantages when it comes to being able to fire longer range missiles and evade return fire.
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Is hypersonic flight possible with a Busemann's Biplane?
The modifications to the Busemann's Biplane design reported in this article have proven that it is possible to design a modified Busemann's Biplane wing design that actually produces lift at ...
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What is the maximum speed for regulation of sonic boom noise?
If fuel cost and fuel efficiency were not the issue, what is the maximum speed (air speed and ground speed) that business jets or airliners could travel at without exceeding the maximum noise and ...
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If no low-speed compromises were made, what would an ideal Mach-3 wing look like?
Things like the Concorde and Tu-144 and many other supersonic craft need a wing that has good high-speed and good low-speed performance. After all, it needs to be able to take-off and land. Good low-...
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Is it possible to hear a sonic boom when the aircraft is exactly at Mach one?
Will an observer on the ground hear a sonic boom if a plane passes overhead at exactly the speed of sound? That is, the plane does not cross the sound barrier. The plane just hits Mach one - and ...
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How could aerodynamicists reduce the intensity of the sonic boom? [duplicate]
My understanding of the sonic boom is that it is caused when shockwaves being emitted from an object travelling at Mach 1 or above compress and superimpose on each other because they cannot move out ...
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368 views
Can a lifting body work at supersonic speeds?
Can lifting bodies be made for supersonic flight, say up to Mach 3? What would they look like? How would they differ from lifting bodies for normal subsonic flight?
