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Transonic Flight
In the early 1950s, Convair—now General Dynamics—built a prototype of a very high-performance jet fighter for the U.S. Air Force. It promised to bring supersonic speed, but the prototype XF-102 had one problem: it couldn’t break the sound barrier. The reason was because of the shape of the airframe, and the solution involved the application of the theory that seems counter intuitive by the standards of non-compressible flow dynamics: area rule.
Based on World War II German research, NACA engineer Richard Whitcomb developed it into “area rule” and the waspwaisted look of supersonic aircraft fuselages of the 50s and 60s were a direct result. Area rule is still effective today, and Boom Supersonic’s new Overture airliner is an elegant, modern example.
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Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.
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By Engineering.comIn the early 1950s, Convair—now General Dynamics—built a prototype of a very high-performance jet fighter for the U.S. Air Force. It promised to bring supersonic speed, but the prototype XF-102 had one problem: it couldn’t break the sound barrier. The reason was because of the shape of the airframe, and the solution involved the application of the theory that seems counter intuitive by the standards of non-compressible flow dynamics: area rule.
Based on World War II German research, NACA engineer Richard Whitcomb developed it into “area rule” and the waspwaisted look of supersonic aircraft fuselages of the 50s and 60s were a direct result. Area rule is still effective today, and Boom Supersonic’s new Overture airliner is an elegant, modern example.
* * *
Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.