PROBLEMS chapter 2 Introduction to Aircraft Technology

Use: g = 9.81 m/s2

2.1 Consider the low-speed flight of the Space Shuttle as it is nearing a landing. If the air pressure
and temperature at the nose of the shuttle are 1.2x105 N/m2 and 300 K, respectively, what are the
density and specific volume?

2.2 Consider a mass of 1 kg of helium at 500 K. Assuming that the total internal energy of helium is
due to the mean kinetic energy of each atom summed over all the atoms, calculate the internal
energy of this gas. Note: The molecular weight of helium is 4. Recall from chemistry that the
molecular weight in kg/kmol is the mass per kmol of gas; that is, 1 kmol of helium contains 4 kg
of mass. Also, 1 kmol of any gas contains 6.02 x 1026 molecules or atoms (Avogadro's number).

2.3 Calculate the mass of air contained within a room 7 m long, 5 m wide, and 2.5 m high. Assume
standard atmospheric pressure and temperature of 1.01325x105 N/m2 and 15°C, respectively.

2.4 Comparing with the case of Prob. 2.3, calculate the percentage change in the total weight of air
in the room when the air temperature is reduced to -23°C (a very cold winter day), assuming the
pressure remains the same at 1.01325x105 N/m2.

2.5 If 700 kg of air is pumped into a previously empty 25 m3 storage tank and the air temperature in
the tank is uniformly 21°C, what is the air pressure in the tank in atmospheres?

2.6 In Problem 2.5, assume the rate at which air is being pumped into the tank is 0.2 kg/s. Consider
the instant in time at which there is 400 kg of air in the tank. Assume the air temperature is
uniformly 10°C at this instant and is increasing at the rate of 0.5°C/min. Calculate the rate of
change of pressure at this instant.

2.7 Assume that, at a point on the wing of the Concorde supersonic transport, the air temperature is
-10°C and the pressure is 1.7 x 104 N/m2. Calculate the density at this point.

2.8 At a point in the test section of a supersonic wind tunnel, the air pressure and temperature are
0.5 x 105 N/m2 and 240 K, respectively. Calculate the specific volume.

2.9 Consider a flat surface in an aerodynamic flow (say a flat sidewall of a wind tunnel). The dimen-
sions of this surface are 0.2 m in the flow direction (the x direction) and 0.6 m perpendicular to
the flow direction (the y direction). Assume that the pressure distribution (in N per square meter)
is given by p = 1.01x105-50x N/m2 and is independent of y. The pressure outside the wind tun-
nel, the reference pressure is 101325 N/m2 Assume also that the shear-stress distribution (in N
per square meter) is given by τw = 4500/(x + 0.3)1/2 N/m2 and is independent of y. In the above
expressions, x is in m, and x = 0 is at the leading edge of the surface. Calculate the two compo-
nents of the net aerodynamic force on the surface.
2.10 A pitcher throws a baseball at 135 km per hour. The flow field over the baseball moving through
the stationary air at 135 km per hour is the same as that over a stationary baseball in an airstream
that approaches the baseball at 135 km per hour. (This is the principle of wind tunnel testing, as
will be discussed in Chapter 4.) This picture of a stationary body with the flow moving over it, is
what we adopt here. Neglecting friction, the theoretical expression for the flow velocity over the
surface of a sphere (hence the baseball) is V  32 V sin . Here, V∞, is the airstream velocity
(the free stream velocity far ahead of the sphere). An arbitrary point on the surface of the sphere
is located by the intersection of the radius of the sphere with the surface, and  is the angular
position of the radius measured from a line through the center in the direction of the freestream
(i.e., the most forward and rearward points on the spherical surface correspond to  = 0° and
180°, respectively). The velocity V is the flow velocity at that arbitrary point on the surface.
Calculate the values of the minimum and maximum velocity at the surface, and the location of
the points at which these occur.

2.11 Consider an ordinary, helium-filled party balloon with a volume of 0.06 m3. The lifting force on
the balloon due to the outside air is the net resultant of the pressure distribution exerted on the
exterior surface of the balloon. Using this fact, Archimedes principle can be derived, namely
that the upward force on the balloon is equal to the weight of the air displaced by the balloon.
Assuming the balloon has a negligible weight and is at sea level, where the air density is 1.225
kg/m3, calculate the maximum weight that can be lifted by the balloon. Note: The molecular
weight of air is 28.8 and that of helium is 4.

2.12 The conditions in the reservoir (or stagnation chamber) of a high-speed wind tunnel are that the
pressure is 6x106 N/m2 and the temperature is 750 K. Compute the density of the air in the
reservoir?

2.13 The air in the wind tunnel is expanded through a convergent/divergent (Laval) nozzle to the test
section where the air reaches a Mach number of 8. The static pressure is 600 N/m2 and the
temperature is 55 K. Calculate the value of the density and that of the velocity, assuming that the
speed of sound is 125 m/s.

2.14 In the four-stroke, reciprocating, internal combustion engine that powers most
automobiles as well as most small general aviation aircraft, combustion of the fuel-air
mixture takes place in the volume between the top of the piston and the top of the
cylinder. (Reciprocating engines are discussed in Chap. 9.) The gas mixture is ignited
when the piston is essentially at the end of the compression stroke (called top dead
center), when the gas is compressed to a relatively high pressure and is squeezed into the
smallest volume that exists between the top of the piston and the top of the cylinder.
Combustion takes place rapidly, before the piston has much time to start down on the
power stroke. Hence, the volume of the gas during combustion stays constant; that is,
the combustion process is at constant volume. Consider the case where the gas density
and temperature at the instant combustion starts are 11.3 kg/m3 and 625 K, respectively.
At the end of the constant volume combustion process, the gas temperature is 4000 K.
 Calculate the gas pressure at the end of the constant volume combustion. Assume that
the specific gas constant for the fuel-air mixture is the same as that for pure air.
Calculate the force exerted on the top of the piston by the gas at (a) the beginning of
combustion and (b) the end of combustion. The diameter of the circular piston face is
0.09 m.

2.15 In a gas turbine jet engine, the pressure of the incoming air is increased by a compres-
sor; the air then enters a combustor that vaguely looks like a long can (sometimes called
the combustion can). Fuel is injected in the combustor, burns with the air, and then the
burned fuel-air mixture exits the combustor at a higher temperature than the air coming
into the combustor. (Gas turbine jet engines are discussed in Chap. 9.) The pressure of
the flow through the combustor remains relatively constant; that is, the combustion
process is at constant pressure. Consider the case where the gas pressure and
temperature entering the combustor are 4 x 106 N/m2 and 900 K, respectively, and the
gas temperature of the gas exiting the combustor is 1500 K. Calculate the gas density at
(a) the inlet to the combustor and (b) the exit of the combustor. Assume the specific gas
constant for the fuel-air mixture is the same as that for pure air.