S. J. C.
Institute of Technology
Department of Aeronautical Engineering
FLIGHT VEHICLE DESIGN
MODULE - 1
Subject incharge: ADITYA A. R.
adityaamidal@[Link]
INTRODUCTION
PHASES OF DESIGN
CONCEPTUAL DESIGN PROCESS
INITIAL SIZING
TAKE-OFF WEIGHT BUILD UP (Ref: Raymer)
Crew and payload weight will be defined by the customer and it will be the design requirement
Fuel weight and empty weight of the Aircraft should be found by iterative process.
To simplify the calculation fuel weight and empty is expressed as the fractions of total take-off
weight
Therefore W0 can be determined if fuel weight fraction and empty weight fraction can
be estimated.
EMPTY WEIGHT ESTIMATION
FUEL FRACTION ESTIMATION
Cruise segment mission weight fractions can be found using the Breguet range equation
Loiter segment mission weight fractions can be found using the Endurance equation
Historical SFC trends
Typically, 6% of fuel will be allocated as reserve and trapped fuel
TAKE-OFF WEIGHT CALCULATION
Thrust to weight ratio and wing
loading
Aircraft with higher T/W accelerates quickly, climb rapidly, fly at
higher speed and sustain higher turn rate.
Higher T/W leads to more consumption of the fuel for the mission
in turn which will increase the gross take-off weight
T/W varies as fuel is burnt
Thrust varies with respect to altitude
T/W of Aircraft stand for zero velocity
Irrespective of the Aircraft, T/W of the Aircraft will be close to 0.05
Power loading:
Typically it refers to propeller powered Aircraft
Higher the power loading, smaller the engine
Acrobatic aircraft will have power loading of 6
Pitts Samson Aircraft
Thrust matching:
It refers to comparison of selected engines thrust available
during cruise to the estimated Aircraft drag
In level flight thrust must be equal to drag, and weight must
be equal to lift
Thrust of the selected engine will be different at the cruise
conditions. These factors influences the selection of required
engine for the mission.
Cruise thrust at altitude is less than the maximum take-off
thrust at sea level
WING LOADING
Normally wing loading refers to the take-off wing loading.
Wing loading affects stall speed, climb rate, take-off and
landing distance and turn performance.
Very importantly, wing loading determines the design lift
coefficient
For higher performance the Aircraft, designer has to select
lowest wing loading
Stall speed
Stall speed can be determined by knowing wing loading and
maximum lift coefficient
FAR 23 certified Aircraft should not stall below 61 knots.
Civil Aircrafts should have approach speed of at least 1.3
times the stall speed, whereas for military Aircraft it should be
1.2
Take-off distance
The lift off speed for a normal take-off is 1.1 times the stall
speed
Usually obstacle clearance will be of 50 ft for military Aircraft
and 35 ft for civil Aircraft
Balanced field length is the length of the field required for
safety if in case of engine failure in the multi engine Aircraft
Balance field length should be as per FAR regulations
Catapult take-off:
Catapult accelerates the Aircraft to flying speed in very short
distance
Catapults are steam operated, and can produce maximum
force on the Aircraft depending on the steam pressure used.
Total air speed is the sum of catapult end speed and wind
over the deck of carrier
Landing distance
As per FAR 23 landing field length includes 50 ft of height to
clear the obstacle
After obstacle, Aircraft will be slowed down, typically 1.15
times the stall speed.
Thumb rule says, obstacle clear distance, roughly doubles the
ground role distance
As per FAR 25, landing field length includes 50 ft of obstacle
clearance, and two third of total distance for safety margin.
Arrested landing:
Aircrafts are stopped by cable and gear arrangement called,
arresting gear.
Wing loading for cruise
Zero lift- drag coefficient and oswald’s efficiency to be
defined. Zero lift drag coefficient will be equal to 0.015 (jet),
0.02 (propeller). Oswald’s efficiency is a measure of drag due
to lift efficiency and will be approximated as 0.6(military) and
0.8(Civil).
Wing loading for loiter and endurance
Most the Aircraft requires loiter, typically 20 min before
landing
Best loiter occurs at maximum L/D
Wing loading for Instantaneous turn rate
An aircraft designed for air to air dog fighting must be capable
of high turn rate. A turn rate of 2 deg/sec is said to be
remarkable.
If Aircraft turns quickly, drag becomes greater than the thrust.
So the Aircraft will slow down or it will lose altitude
Instantaneous turn rate is the highest turn rate possible,
ignoring the altitude lose.
Fighter aircraft will be designed to fly at 7.5 g, whereas
advanced flights are designed to fly at 8 to 9 g.
In dog fights, pilots try to fly in corner speed as quickly as
possible by providing highest turn rate
Sustained turn rate:
Aircraft turns at a rate which the thrust of the Aircraft is sufficient to
maintain thrust and altitude
Wing loading for climb and gliding
Spread sheet in design
THANK YOU !!