HOW PLANE FLIES

Presentation for Air Port Planning & Design

M.Sc. Transportation Engineering By: Teacher Incharge: Dr. Wasim Mirza

Wajiha Qamar
2006-MS-TE-09

LIST OF CONTENTS
HISTORY AIRCRAFT MAJOR PARTS BASIC DEFINATIONS HOW PLANE..

History

Observations
How birds fly? How birds move forward? How birds changes direction? How birds gain height ?

History of Flight

The first demonstrated flight of a hot air balloon took place on June 4, 1783, France

Pioneer Years

German Fokker

The Golden Years

Modern Era

Modern Era

AIRCRAFT

Aircraft
What is an aircraft ? Any machine or device that qualifies the definition of flight All man made flying machines which can fly or which are kept in air by forces produced by the air are called aircraft

Airplane
Air plane is the general name given to the power driven flying machine which are heavier than air and can sustain their flight with the help of fixed wings

Boeing 777-300

Airbus A-320

MAJOR PARTS

Major parts of Airplane

The Basics
Fuselage
Wings Aileron Flap

Empennage
Landing Gear Power plant( Propeller)

Cockpit

Major parts of Airplane

Cockpit

Airplane parts

Airplane Axis

Aircraft Components
Wings
Purpose Provide Lift Carry aircraft weight in-flight Store fuel

Aircraft Components
Wings(Aileron & Flap)

Aircraft Components
Empennage
Components

Aircraft Components
Empennage (feathers)
Tail Section Contains Vertical Stabilizer
Rudder

Horizontal Stabilizer
Elevator

Trim devices
Trim Tabs

Aircraft Components
Landing Gear
Functions Supports aircraft
Parked Taxi Takeoff Landing

Allows for aircraft steering on the ground

Aircraft Components
Powerplant- ENGINE
Engine

Converts chemical energy (fuel) into mechanical energy which turns the propeller Provides
Energy to create Thrust Electrical power Suction for instruments Heat for cabin

Aircraft Components
Powerplant- PROPELLER
Function

Converts mechanical energy into thrust. Attached to engine by crankshaft. Rotates clockwise, as seen from cockpit. Can be of two or more blades

Aircraft Components
Powerplant- ENGINE
Cowling

Ducts air over engine for cooling. Makes airflow around engine as smooth as possible. Firewall Location Protection Mounting of Engine

BASIC DEFINATIONS

Aerodynamic Basic Terms

Aerofoil Leading edge of an airfoil Trailing edge of an airfoil Chord line

Mean chord line (Camber)

Cross section of aerofoil

Aerodynamic Basic Terms

Aerofoil
Aerofoil is a curved or cambered surface designed to produce lift when driven through the air

Cross section of aerofoil

Aerodynamic Basic Terms

Leading edge of an aerofoil
The leading edge of an aerofoil is the portion that meet the air first The shape of leading edge depends upon the function of aircraft For high speed a/c the leading edge will be sharp of its aerofoil For a/c to produce great amount of lift at low speed the leading edge will be thick and fat

Aerodynamic terms
Trailing edge of aerofoil
The portion of aerofoil at which the air flow over the upper surface joins the airflow

Aerodynamic terms
Chord line
Straight line Join the leading edge to the trailing edge of on aerofoil is called chord line

Aerodynamic terms
Mean Chord line
A line joining the leading edge and trailing edge of an aerofoil equal distance from the upper and lower surface of the aerofoil If the line is curved the aerofoil is said to be cambered

Aerodynamic Basic Terms

Angle of incidence
The angle between the cord line of wing and fore and aft datum line of the aircraft

Aerodynamic Basic Terms

Angle of Attack It is an angle between the chord line of aerofoil and the direction of coming air flow

ASPECT RATIO
Relationship between span of wing and its

width or chord It is computed by dividing the span by the average chord It can also dividing the square of span by the wing area High aspect ratio will generate more lift

Aerodynamics BasicTerms
Forces acting on Airplane during flight

Aerodynamic Basic Terms

Center of pressure
An imaginary point on the aircraft at which the total (resultant) lift acts

L
CP

Aerodynamic Basic Terms

Center Of Gravity
An imaginary point on the aircraft at which the total weight of the aircraft (contents) acts

CG

LIFT
Lift is the upward force that holds an aircraft in the air

Lift is mostly generated by the wings

Lift acts thru CP

Note P1 > P2

DIHEDRAL
Wing which is inclined upward (tip) from the lateral axis Dihedral is the angle between the wings axis and the lateral axis For most light aircraft this angle can be as small as zero to as large are 7 or 8 degrees

HOW PLANES FLY

HOW PLANES FLY or HOW PLANE FLIES

How Airplanes Fly:

Commonly three descriptions of lift 1. Mathematical Aerodynamics Description: used by aeronautical engineers 2. Popular Explanation: based on the Bernoulli principle 3. Physical Description : based primarily on Newtons laws

Explanation of lift by Bernoullis principle

wing generates lift because the air goes

faster over the top creating a region of low pressure, and thus lift It explains the theory of "principle of equal transit times".

We would find that in order to generate the required lift for a typical small airplane, the distance over the top of the wing must be about 50% longer than under the bottom. Figure 1 shows what such an airfoil would look like.

Fig 1 Shape of wing predicted by principle of equal transit time.

If we look at the wing of a typical small plane, which has a top surface that is 1.5 - 2.5% longer than the bottom,it means something extra is there

Fig 2 Simulation of the airflow over a wing in a wind tunnel, with colored "smoke to show the acceleration and deceleration of the air.

 There is nothing wrong with the

Bernoulli principle, or with the statement that the air goes faster over the top of the wing. We are just missing the phenomena of power which is work done / time.

Newtons laws and lift

First law
Third law: compare two figures

Fig 3 Common depiction of airflow over a wing. This wing has no lift.

Fig 4 True airflow over a wing with lift, showing upwash and downwash.

Effect of Upwash & Downwash

Fig 7 Direction of air movement around a wing as seen by an observer on the ground.

Fig 6 Downwash and wing vortices in the fog.

 To generate lift a wing must

divert air down; lots of air. lift of a wing is equal to the change in momentum of the air it is diverting down. m=MV Momentum = amount of air diverted down x downward velocity of air For more lift the wing can either divert more air (mass) or Fig 5 How downwash appears to a pilot increase its downward velocity. and to an observer on the ground. This downward velocity behind the wing is called "downwash".

 air is coming off the wing at roughly the angle of

attack The greater the angle of attack, the greater the vertical velocity
Increase the speed Increase angle of attack Increases vertical arrow Increase wing lift

Lift as a function of angle of attack

It is this angle of attack

that is the primary parameter in determining lift. The inverted wing can be explained by its angle of attack, A pilot adjusts the angle of attack to adjust the lift for the speed and load. "effective" angle of attack Stall:

Fig 9 Coefficient of lift versus the effective angle of attack.

The wing as air "scoop"

wing as a scoop diverting

a certain amount of air from the horizontal to roughly the angle of attack, The length of the scoop is equal to the length of the wing and the height is somewhat related to the chord length scoop is proportional to the speed of the plane and the density of the air, and nothing else.

Fig 10 The wing as a scoop.

Wing efficiency
Induced power of a wing is proportional to the vertical velocity of the air. If the length of a wing were to be doubled, the size of our scoop would also double, diverting twice as much air. So, for the same lift the vertical velocity (and thus the angle of attack) would have to be halved.so, lifting efficiency of a wing is proportional to one over the length of the wing.

Fig 14 Angle of attack versus speed for straight and level flight and for a 2-g turn.

Lift requires power

power is supplied by the airplanes engine
Lift of a wing the amount of air diverted

down x downward velocity of that air. Power = Load x Vertical Velocity of air Drag = Power / speed Parasitic drag: V2 Induced drag: 1/ V2

Fig 11 Power requirements versus speed.

Fig 12 Drag versus speed.

Conclusions
The amount of air diverted by the wing is

proportional to the speed of the wing and the air density.

The vertical velocity of the diverted air is

proportional to the speed of the wing and the angle of attack.

The lift is proportional to the amount of air

diverted times the vertical velocity of the air.

The power needed for lift is proportional to the

lift times the vertical velocity of the air.