Aircraft Preliminary Takeoff Weight

Estimation

Courtesy Pointwise Gridgen

05A_Aircraft-sizing.ppt
Copyright Don Edberg 2006-present
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Required Requirements
Must have specific, hard numbers to begin an aircraft layout:

Payload weight, dimensions, & peculiar needs

Avionics weight, dimensions, & peculiar needs

Range and/or endurance

Speeds - max., approach, stall,...

Takeoff/landing

Turn rate

Rate of climb or Ps

Structural load factor

Target stability

Dimensional constraints

Need for Wo & Wf

Solve for T/W & W/S

If you dont have them, get them or make them up

Initial values of requirements will be refined by trade studies using first
layout as an analytical tool
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Aircraft Sizing
Sizing determines takeoff weight and fuel weight
(range & payload specified)
Range & payload are independent variables, aircraft
size and weight are the answer
Have to work backwards
sizing

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Begin With The Takeoff Weight

W0 = Wempty + Wfuel + Wpayload + Wcrew (R3.1)
W0 = Maximum takeoff weight
Wempty = operating weight empty (OWE) of basic
aircraft
Wfuel = Fuel to do mission
Wpayload = Payload weight (passengers, cargo, bombs,
missiles, crop dusting chemicals, etc.)
Wcrew = Weight of all crew members: includes pilot(s),
crewmembers such as flight attendants
(quantity specified by FARs), and their
baggage
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A Little Algebra Yields:

(R3.2, R3.4)

W 0 = W crew + W payload
W0 =

"W f %
"We %
+$
'W 0 + $ 'W 0
# W0 &
#W0 &

W crew + W payload
1 (W f W 0 ) (W e W 0 )

Here W f W 0 = Fuel Weight fraction and

W e W 0 = Empty Weight fraction

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Statistics: Empty Weight Fraction vs W

(Raymer fig. 3.1)

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Empty Weight Fraction vs. Takeoff Weight

(from Mattingly et al, Aircraft Engine Design)

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Typical Mission Profiles (Raymer fig. 3.2)

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Heres a Nice Mission Profile Diagram

Cruise

t1
cen

2
Takeoff
1

Des

Clim

b1

Cruise

9 10 Loit
er 2
11

Attem 7
pt
Land to

12
Land

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Definition of Mission Segment Weight

Fractions
(2nd Case, 2 Slides Previous)

W1/W0
W2/W1
W3/W2
W4/W3
W5/W4
W6/W5
W7/W6
W8/W7

Warmup and takeoff

Climb 1
Cruise 1
Loiter 1
Climb 2
Cruise 2
Loiter 2
Land

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Historical Mission Segment Weight Fractions

Phase
Warmup &
Takeoff
Climb

Nicolai &
Carichner 5.4
0.970 0.975

Raymer
(Wi/W
i-1 ) 3.2
Table
0.970

Depends on
0.975
cruise Mach no.
Refer to Table 5.2

Descent

Not given

1.0
(consider part of
range)

Landing

Not given

0.995
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CRUISE WEIGHT FRACTION

Cruise

R=

V L W i1
ln
c D Wi

Breguet Range Equation

(N&C 5.2 or 5.3; R 3.5)

Rc

or

Wi
= e V (L D)
W i1

R
c

= range
= SFC = specific fuel consumption
= cpV/p = cbhpV/(550p) for props

= TV/P = TV/(550 HP) prop efficiency

V
L/D

= velocity
= lift-to-drag ratio

Be careful with Units!!!

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L/D Estimation, Method 1 (N&C)

(L /D) max =

1
2 CD0 K

CD0 from N&C Table 5.2, p. 129

K = 1/( e AR)

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L/D
Estimation,
Method 2
(Raymer)
Guess or
extract
from
Raymer,
Fig. 3.6

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c (SFC) Estimation
Use references or Raymers Tables 3.3, 3.4 below:
JET Specific Fuel Consumption, c
Typical jet SFCs: lbm/hr/lbf {mg/Ns}

Cruise

Loiter

Pure turbojet

0.9 {25.5}

0.8 {22.7}

Low-bypass turbofan

0.8 {22.7}

0.7 {19.8}

High-bypass turbofan

0.5 {14.1}

0.4 {11.3}

Propeller Specific Fuel Consumption, cBHP

Prop: c = cpower V/p
= cBHP V/(550 p),
use p= 0.8 0.85
SFC units: lbm/hr/BHP {mg/Ws}

Cruise

Loiter

Piston-prop (fixed pitch)

0.4 {0.068}

0.5 {0.085}

Piston-prop (variable pitch)

0.4 {0.068}

0.5 {0.085}

Turboprop

0.5 {0.085}

0.6 {0.101}
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Example: Cruise Weight Fraction Calculation

For Cruise 1 and 2 (military jet cargo bomber)

R = 500 NM = 3,038,065 ft

c = 0.7 lbm/h/lbf = 0.000194 lbm/s/lbf

V = 400 kt = 675.1 ft/s

h = 30,000 ft

L/D = 15 0.866 = 12.99

W3/W2 = W6/W5 = 0.935

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Loiter Weight Fractions

(Nicolai & Carichner 5.6, 5.7; Raymer 3.7, 3.8)

Endurance
or

E=

L D W i1
ln
c
Wi

W i1
=e
Wi

Ec
L D

where E = endurance or loiter time

BE SURE to use consistent units,
either (ft, lbf, s) or (m, kg, s)

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Loiter Weight Fraction Example

For Loiter 1

Ec

W i1
= eL D
Wi

E = 4 h = 14,400 s
c = 0.000167 lbf/s/lbm
L/D = 15

W4/W3 = 0.852

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General Fuel Fraction Calculation

Mission Segment Weight Fractions
Total Mission Weight Fraction
Mission Fuel Fraction
Total Fuel Fraction

Wi
Wi 1

W x !# W1 $& !# W 2 $& !# W3 $&

=
...etc
W 0 " W0 % " W1 % " W2 %

Wx
W0

"
Wf
W %
= 1.06$ 1 x '
W0
#
W0 &

Note: 6% extra added for reserve and trapped fuel

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Weight Estimation Calculations Example

Now multiply all mission segment weight fractions: the
result is
W8/W0 = 0.687
Then get the fuel weight fraction
Wf/W0 = 1 W8/W0 = 0.332
The empty weight fraction is obtained from Raymer
Table 3.1 (military cargo bomber):
We/W0 = 0.93 W00.07

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Weight Estimation Calcs. (cont.)

Make a table using a guessed W0, We/W0, and the
calculated W0 using

W0 =

W crew + W payload
1 (W f W 0 ) (W e W 0 )

Plot the calculated versus the guessed W0 and find the

intercept.

This is the MTOGW to use.

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Calculated Weight Values (Example)

W0 Guess

We/W0

W0 Calculated

40000

0.4429

67466

45000

0.4393

66394

50000

0.4361

65471

55000

0.4332

64664

60000

0.4305

63948

65000

0.4281

63307

70000

0.4259

62729

75000

0.4239

62202

80000

0.4220

61719
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Plot of Weight Numbers

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Another Way to Find MTOGW

Courtesy Dr. Mark Anderson, UCSD

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2nd Weight Estimation Example

Mission Segment Weight Fractions

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Weight Estimation Calculations (2nd Example)

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Alternate Weight Estimation Method

Wo guess
Sizing
1000
1500
2000
2500

Wo Calculated

3000.0

We/Wo

Graph
0.6680
0.6440
0.6276
0.6151

We
Wo calculated
668.0
2403.2
966.0
2087.3
1255.1
1914.2
1537.7
1801.0

2500.0
2000.0
1500.0
1000.0
500.0
0.0
0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Wo Guess
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Trade Studies

Courtesy Dr. Mark Anderson, UCSD

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Spreadsheet Data

Courtesy Dr. Mark Anderson, UCSD

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Final Spreadsheet

Courtesy Dr. Mark Anderson, UCSD

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Final Carpet Plot

Courtesy Dr. Mark Anderson, UCSD

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Takeoff Gross Weight Carpet Plot

Courtesy VPI Casper Team

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References
Fundamentals of Aircraft & Airship Design, Nicolai
& Carichner, Ch. 5
Aircraft Design, Raymer, Ch. 3
Aircraft Engine Design, Mattingly, Heiser, and Daley,
Chs. 2 & 3
The Elements of Aircraft Preliminary Design,
Schaufele (alternate sizing method)

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Direct Operating Costs vs. Wing Area and Aspect Ratio

www.mh-aerotools.de/company/paper_9/global_transport_aircraft.htm

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Fuel Mass (kg) vs. Wing Area & AR

www.mh-aerotools.de/company/paper_9/global_transport_aircraft.htm

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