Running head: AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONCORDE

Aerodynamic Characteristics of the Concorde Brennan C. Beikert Student ID #22761161 Liberty University

AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONCORDE Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to inform the reader about the unique aerodynamic qualities that the Concorde supersonic transport jet uses. There are many physical aspects that make the Concorde unique aerodynamically, but this paper will focus on just three of them; those are the air intake system, the delta wing, and a complex fuel distribution system tailored specifically for this aircraft. The air intake system must slow down the air to subsonic speeds while the plane is in supersonic flight in order to be properly processed by the compressor. The intake system on the Concorde is unique because by design of the intake system, and while in supersonic flight, much of the power is generated by the intake and not from the jet engine. Unlike most passenger transport jets, the Concorde was built with a delta wing like a fighter jet, giving many advantages while in supersonic flight. The plane required a large amount fuel, and because of that and its size, a unique fuel distribution system had to be created to keep the airplane stable in flight while switching between subsonic and supersonic flight.

AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONCORDE Aerodynamic Characteristics of the Concorde All transportation jets find a specific engine that works best to give the proper performance and power needed for their most efficient flying. Usually that is where most engineers stop when thinking and designing the power plant system for the plane. But the Concorde was no ordinary transportation airliner. What makes the Concorde different from any other ordinary transportation jet was the fact that it was supersonic. Herein also lies a great amount of aerodynamic problems and barriers that must be reached and broken through in order to establish safe, stable, efficient flight. From the design of the air intake system, which takes supersonic moving air and slows it down to usable subsonic speeds, to the shape of the delta style wing, to the complex fuel distribution system implemented in the Concorde, were all engineering and aeronautic difficulties that were overcome in order to create the brilliantly designed Concorde. The typical airline transport jet is flown at subsonic speeds, and therefore not much

attention is put into the air intake system. A large fan spins and sucks air into the compressor and it gets cycled through the jet turbine engine just as it should, and everything is happy. When it comes to the Concorde however, everything would not be happy if it happened the same way. Dole and Lewis explain this quite well: The compressor blades of a turbine engine can be made to operate either subsonically or supersonically, but not both. The necessity for slow-speed flight, as well as supersonic flight, rules out the use of supersonic flow in the compressor. Therefore, the flow must be slowed to subsonic when the aircraft is flying supersonically. This can be done only by the airflow passing through a normal shockwave. (p297)

AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONCORDE In order for the Concorde to overcome the issue of flying at both subsonic and supersonic speeds, the engineers had to design an air intake system that would receive the incoming supersonic air, send it through a normal shockwave which would slow it down to subsonic speeds, in order for the compressor to be able to handle it. What they came up with almost 50

years ago is still quite advanced for todays modern supersonic flight. The Concorde had a series of adjustable ramps at the front of the intake system that were digitally controlled depending on what speed the aircraft was flying. For subsonic flight, the ramps were almost flush with the top of the intake, the auxiliary inlet on the bottom of the intake is fully open, and the secondary air doors are opened, allowing the maximum amount of air to flow freely in and reach the compressors. However, when the aircraft starts to reach supersonic flight, the auxiliary inlet closes shut and the ramps start to move downward to create an angle at which the supersonic air hits creating an initial oblique shockwave. According to Benson (2011), When a shock wave is inclined to the flow direction it is called an oblique shock. This shockwave doesnt slow the air down completely to subsonic speeds but rather it starts to build the compression of the air which NASA says is quite common, In high-speed inlets, oblique shocks are used to compress the air going into the engine (Benson, 2011). After these oblique shocks are created at the very front of the intake, they run into the flat surface of the intake, which then creates a normal shockwave that slows the air down to subsonic speeds as well as increasing the temperature and pressure. This is great for the engines on the Concorde, because it relieves most of the work that the compressors have to do by already compressing the air while slowing it down. According to Gordon, During the Supersonic cruse only 8% of the power is derived by the engine with the other 29% being from Nozzles and an impressive 63% from the intakes. So why then is this such an important factor for the Concorde? Well, in order for the airliner to reach supersonic

AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONCORDE speeds it requires the use of an afterburner system, much like the ones commonly seen on

military fighter jets. As these systems require large amounts of fuel to power them, running them constantly throughout the flight would be impossible. Thanks to the ingeniousness of the Concordes air intake system, not only do the afterburners not have to run, but also the turbines themselves dont have to work at full power in order to keep the plane sustained in supersonic flight. With all the fuel required to power the fuel-hungry engines and afterburners, and the shift in aerodynamic center of pressure with the change from subsonic to supersonic flight, the Concorde had to have a unique fuel distribution system that took these effects into account. There were a total of 13 different fuel tanks on the aircraft, and while most of them were to supply fuel to the engines, there were a few other tanks used only as a way to shift weight on the plane, therefore changing its center of gravity. As Wilson (1992) describes: The fuel is primarily contained in the wings, but two supplementary tanks are located in the fuselage, one in the front and the other in the back. They contain approximately a third of the fuel. In the climb and acceleration, fuel is pumped rearward into the tanks of the wing and tail. The center of gravity will thus move back at the same time as the center of pressure. What this really means, is that as the Concorde accelerates from subsonic to supersonic speeds, the center of pressure moves rearward, approximately 2 meters. Therefore, in order to balance the center of pressure and the center of gravity, the plane pumps nearly 9,000 gallons of fuel to the back tank causing the center of gravity to also move backwards. The same action happens in reverse as the plane slows down from supersonic flight to subsonic. This shift is not only

AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONCORDE relevant aerodynamically by means of making the plane more stable, but also it makes it more efficient. As explained by Wilson (1992): Shifting the center of gravity aft (from 51 to 52 percent Mean Aerodynamic Chord for takeoff to 58 percent at 2.0 Mach) keeps the center of lift relatively stationary and the elevons relatively flush. This is extremely important as any control deflection creates drag and drag equals increased fuel consumption.

Were it not for this well designed fuel distribution system, the Concorde would not have had the proper stability to maintain supersonic flight. The final great contribution to this planes impressive aerodynamic qualities is the Delta wing. The Delta wing is the same type as those used on modern military fighter jets. It is shaped like a triangle with the wings swept backwards at a 55 degree angle. This gives it great stability during high-speed flight and has an increase in ground effect, which makes for a smoother landing at higher speeds. This type of wing is extremely different from the common type of wing most airliners use as Gordon explains: On the wing of a traditional subsonic aircraft there may be well over 50 moveable devices, including those for control and trim of the aircraft and the often-complex flaps and leading edge slats for the generation of additional lift at slower speeds. (The) Concorde has none of this; in fact the Concorde delta wing only has 6 trailing edge "elevons" that replace the traditional elevators and ailerons that allow control of both pitch and roll of the aircraft. These factors make the Delta wing of the Concorde stand out as a key player in the aerodynamic capabilities this plane has.

AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONCORDE As seen by the various components on the Concorde, it was no ordinary airliner. Its

brilliant air intake system slowed supersonic air down to slow enough speeds for the compressors while increasing temperature and pressure that created most of the thrust to propel the aircraft in supersonic flight. It had a complex fuel distribution system that shifted fuel to change the center of gravity when the center of pressure changed entering and exiting supersonic speeds, and the Delta wing allowed for stable flight at high and low speeds. The Concorde was surely a jet well ahead of its time and will be looked on for years as an aerodynamic and engineering marvel.

AERODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONCORDE

References

Gordon. (n.d.). CONCORDE SST : Technical Specs. CONCORDE SST : Technical Specs. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from http://www.concordesst.com/techspec.html Benson, T. (2011). Oblique Shock Waves. Oblique Shock Waves. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/airplane/oblique.html Dole, C. E., & Lewis, J. E. (2000). Flight theory and aerodynamics: a practical guide for operational safety (2nd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. Wilson, G. (1992). Concorde supersonique jet / Engineering / Features. Concorde supersonique jet / Engineering / Features. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from http://www.concordejet.com/e_transfert_carburant.htm