...begin by defining exactly what an airplane is and how they work. An airplane is a powered, fixed-wing vessel that travels through the air (Airplane, n.d.). The airplane has wings that provide the force of lift in order for the airplane to overcome the force of gravity and climb off the ground and stay airborne. In order for the wings to do their job of providing lift, the airplane must be propelled forward so that the wings can get sufficient airflow to generate the necessary force and overcome the force of drag. The propulsion methods usually employed are through use of engine driven propellers or jet engines. These provide the force of thrust to move the aircraft forward. Many variations exist as to the configuration of these methods to generate propulsion. Some common configurations are propellers in a forward pull location, a rearward push location, wing mounted, or a push-pull arrangement. Jet engines are typically mounted either on the wings or aft on the fuselage of the...
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...flight of a machine. This feat started the race what is todays Aviation world. In todays world of Aviation, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Stealth Fighters and massive cargo and airline jets are a thing of the norm. Being a part of the Aviation world, I have seen many variations of all the above. From single seat T-38 Trainer Jets to the Airbus 480, they come in all sizes in shapes with one thing in common, powered flight. Thrust is the essential component for the air vehicle to leave the hold of gravity closest to the Earth. Gravity is equal to 9.8 meters/second. This means that the center of an object in relativity to the center of the Earth has a force equal to 9.8 meters of force. As you move further away from Earths center or, Gravitational Pull, the force becomes lesser. For instance, at 1000KM above the surface you force becomes 7.33 m/s and at 5000KM force is 5.68 m/s. A jet engines thrust is what forces the mass or Air Vehicle away from the earths surface causing the effect of “lift off”. Thats just the tip of the iceberg. Flight characteristics is what keeps an air vehicle in “sustained flight”. Lift, pitch, yaw, and roll are the key factors within these characteristics. Newtons third law states that forces always come in equal and opposite pairs. When the thrust of engine measured at the conical point of exit goes against the air in which it sits the law becomes apparent. This law is involved with many if not all aspects of flight. The wing is a model of...
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...The Generation of Electricity Redbud (A combination plant) The Generation of Electricity Redbud (A combination plant) The Redbud Plant Driving up to the plant was remarkable in that the plant occupied so much space that it was practically inconceivable that I had never seen it before. The sheer amount of steam pouring off the cooling towers provided an easily seen waymark upon the approach to the plant and from a distance it appeared to be a manufacturer facility for clouds. Upon the drive up, security was quickly notated as they requested my ID and provided me a pre-printed name tag indicating that our presence had already been vetted and accounted for. Key note, it was very very cold outside. I’m curious whether the steam generation would have been as spectacular from a viewing perspective if it had been a lot warmer outside. That being said, they quickly split us up into groups and we had the great fortune of both going inside (mmm warmth) and we got to learn about the integral pieces of what we were about to see which gave us some perspective on what we’d observe. In this case we were observing a combination cycle power plant which combines the Rankine (steam) power cycle with a Brayton (gas turbine) cycle. In order to combine these two processes, the combustion gases from the Brayton cycle are actually funneled into a Rankine cycle system. The efficiency gains of the combination were compared and in their presentation they notated that a steam power plant users...
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...How Jet Engines Work and Produce Thrust Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction 3 2.0 Basic Components of a Jet Engine 4 2.2 Compressor 4 2.3 Combustor 5 2.4 Turbine 5 2.5 Exhaust Duct/Nozzle 5 4.0 Creation of Thrust in a Turbojet Engine 7 5.0 Conclusion 9 6.0 References 10 1.0 Introduction According to Hunecke (1997), jet engines, also known as gas turbine engines, are the most widespread and most efficient method used for airplane propulsion currently. The Jet engine uses basic principles and concepts of motion but applying it using a combination of complex mechanical systems to achieve thrust. There are many types of jet engines; however, this paper will concentrate on the Turbojet Engine to explain the workings of the jet engine to achieve thrust and propulsion. 1.1 How the turbojet Engine Works Turbojet Engines apply Newton’s Third Law of Motion that states, “For every motion there is an equal and opposite reaction” (Hünecke, 1997, p. 4). Simply, when a burnt mixture is ejected backwards from an engine, a forward force is generated on the engine and thus on the aircraft. The bigger the backward force the bigger the forward force (reaction force). Thrust is created when the burnt mixture pushed out the back is ejected at higher velocity than that of the air being sucked in. (Hünecke, 1997, p. 4) The engine’s fans suck air in at the front. A compressor, made up of fans with many blades and attached to the shaft, elevates the pressure of the air...
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...leaders in engine production. This approach includes resources both financially and managerially. Financially General Electric has invested $50 million in new engine technology, with an additional $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion being required to help them bring new engine designs to the forefront. General Electric has also received a $20 million grant from NASA in order for them to create the first tester UDF engine. General Electric’s Aircraft Engine Business Group (AEBG) manages the production of GE’s engine technology. AEBG has successfully put together a list of resources including Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, and others in an attempt to put their engine group at the front of the market. According to industry segmentation models, General Electric’s AEBG occupies around $4.7 billion in revenue sales. Using the segmentation model it is also clear that AEBG’s profitability is net yearly earnings of $381 thousand. In order to develop a good product, AEBG spends a lot of time making sure that the area of research and development is given close attention. AEBG invested 20% of its total revenue in company funded research and development, which is a high amount, even in the high technology sector of aircraft engines. To properly develop the new UDF engine, General Electric will have to spend $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion. This is after an initial investment of $50 million. General Electric will be able to use their AEBG division as a vital resource in making the UDF engine a real possibility...
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...Propellers are usually powered by fuel engines that work a lot like a car, however “Turbo Props” is usually a modified jet engine with an extra turbine in the jet to drive the propeller (Digest,265). The propeller has been called as somewhat of an airscrew, referring to the way a screw pulls itself through wood.(Digest,265) As the blades spin in air they generate a forward force this force is much of the same way as lift on a plane. Propeller blades are not only twisted they were made that way in order to improve the angle. This idea goes hand in hand with pitch, however the angle of attack is constantly adjusted to keep the plane steady especially near the hub where the power comes from. The angle more commonly known as the angle of attack does not generate power from inside the propeller but feeds from the air around it. In order for the propeller to spin there must be some engine/motor in order for it to gain that power. In my project I used a motor on my Lego Car in order for the propeller to...
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...FUNDAMENTALS OF GAS TURBINE ENGINES INTRODUCTION The gas turbine is an internal combustion engine that uses air as the working fluid. The engine extracts chemical energy from fuel and converts it to mechanical energy using the gaseous energy of the working fluid (air) to drive the engine and propeller, which, in turn, propel the airplane. THE GAS TURBINE CYCLE The basic principle of the airplane turbine engine is identical to any and all engines that extract energy from chemical fuel. The basic 4 steps for any internal combustion engine are: 1. Intake of air (and possibly fuel). 2. Compression of the air (and possibly fuel). 3. Combustion, where fuel is injected (if it was not drawn in with the intake air) and burned to convert the stored energy. 4. Expansion and exhaust, where the converted energy is put to use. In the case of a piston engine, such as the engine in a car or reciprocating airplane engine, the intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust steps occur in the same place (cylinder head) at different times as the piston goes up and down. In the turbine engine, however, these same four steps occur at the same time but in different places. As a result of this fundamental difference, the turbine has engine sections called: 1. 2. 3. 4. The inlet section The compressor section The combustion section (the combustor) The turbine (and exhaust) section. The turbine section of the gas turbine engine has the task of producing usable output shaft power to drive the propeller...
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...Policies A policy is a broad guideline for decision making that links the formulation of a strategy with its implementation. Companies use policies to make sure that employees throughout the firm make decisions and take actions that support the corporation’s mission, objectives, and strate- gies. For example, when Cisco decided on a strategy of growth through acquisitions, it estab- lished a policy to consider only companies with no more than 75 employees, 75% of whom were engineers.67 Consider the following company policies: 3M: 3M says researchers should spend 15% of their time working on something other than their primary project. (This supports 3M’s strong product development strategy.) Intel: Intel cannibalizes its own product line (undercuts the sales of its current products) with better products before a competitor does so. (This supports Intel’s objective of mar- ket leadership.) General Electric: GE must be number one or two wherever it competes. (This supports GE’s objective to be number one in market capitalization.) Southwest Airlines: Southwest offers no meals or reserved seating on airplanes. (This supports Southwest’s competitive strategy of having the lowest costs in the industry.) Exxon: Exxon pursues only projects that will be profitable even when the price of oil drops to a low level. (This supports Exxon’s profitability objective.) Policies such as these provide clear guidance to managers throughout the organization. (Strategy formulation is discussed...
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...courses of action to be taken to address unethical behavior and what can be done to monitor it so as to prevent it from reoccurring. We intend to deglamorize this behavior as much as possible by addressing it as quickly as possible and encouraging the reporting of any actions that may be a clear indication of unethical behavior during the process of performing this research. Safety should always be paramount while conducting our research as well as performing any maintenance action. Having said that, we also intend to highlight any safety concerns associated with the performance of this research and maintenance that expose our researchers and maintainers to injury. We will begin the research on the removal and installation of an aircraft jet engine on the Navy Fighter Attack, Super Hornet. The subject matter...
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...(Holzwarth, 150 kW, constant volume combustion) 1923 First exhaust-gas turbocharger to increase the power of diesel engines 1939 World’s first gas turbine for power generation (Brown Boveri Company), Neuchâtel, Switzerland (velox burner, aerodynamics by Stodola) The man behind the early steam and gas turbine Prof. Aurel Stodola (1859-1942) Final Grade report at ETH Zurich: GPA = 6 (A+) [courtesy ETH Zurich] back to top Seminal work by Stodola English Translation of “Die Dampfturbinen” 1906 One-dimensional treatment – Velocity Triangles back to top World’s first industrial gas turbine – 1939 From the paper collection of Eddie Taylor, the first director of MIT GTL (1947–1969) back to top Commissioning of world’s first industrial gas turbine, Neuchatel, 1939 (Stodola at age 80) [picture courtesy ETH Zurich] Drawing of first gas turbine [from Eddie Taylor’s paper collection] back to top World’s first industrial gas turbine “Neuchatel”, 2007 ASME Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in Birr, Switzerland (ALSTOM Headquarters) GT Neuchatel operated for 63 years (generator failure in 2002) [picture courtesy of ASME] back to top No future for aircraft gas turbine engines... National Academy of Sciences, Committee on Gas Turbines (June 1940): “In its present state … the gas turbine engine could hardly be considered a feasible application to airplanes mainly because of the difficulty in complying with stringent...
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...TUCKER COMPANY I. Summary Around 1993, Tucker Company has experienced a very crucial change and that is the extensive reorganization which the company divided into three different divisions which embodies the primary product line. Mr Harnett, Tucker’s president, comprehensively explained what the basis of such restructuring through a memo. It was stated that the three new divisions are namely the commercial jet engines, military jet engines and utility turbines. Every division is to be managed by a newly appointed vice president who will directly report to the company's president, Mr. Harnett. All of these divisions will have their own engineering, manufacturing, accounting departments etc. Also, it will sometimes be necessary for divisions to utilize the services of other divisions or departments so that no additional staffing and facilities costs would be realized. One example of a shared department is the laboratory. The manager of the laboratory directly reports to the manager of the military jet engine division. In 1999, Mr. Garfield, the laboratory manager retired, and during his service, little interdepartmental conflict was experienced. Ms. Hodge replaced Mr. Garfield, and Ms. Hodge was eager to gain the attention of management. Most of her colleagues alleged her as someone who was more interested in her own advancement than in the company's welfare. After six months of Ms. Hodge in position with Tucker, she was involved in several interdepartmental conflicts...
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...DIFFERENT TYPES OF AIRCRAFT ENGINE AIR INLET Air intake (inlet) — For subsonic aircraft, the inlet is a duct which is required to ensure smooth airflow into the engine despite air approaching the inlet from directions other than straight ahead. This occurs on the ground from cross winds and in flight with aircraft pitch and yaw motions. The duct length is minimized to reduce drag and weight.[1] Air enters the compressor at about half the speed of sound so at flight speeds lower than this the flow will accelerate along the inlet and at higher flight speeds it will slow down. Thus the internal profile of the inlet has to accommodate both accelerating and diffusing flow without undue losses. For supersonic aircraft, the inlet has features such as cones and ramps to produce the most efficient series of shockwaves which form when supersonic flow slows down. The air slows down from the flight speed to subsonic velocity through the shockwaves, then to about half the speed of sound at the compressor through the subsonic part of the inlet. The particular system of shockwaves is chosen, with regard to many constraints such as cost and operational needs, to minimize losses which in turn maximizes the pressure recovery at the compressor. An intake, or especially for aircraft inlet, is an air intake for an engine. Because the modern internal combustion engine is in essence a powerful air pump, like the exhaust system on an engine, the intake must be carefully engineered and tuned...
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...Operating principles of reciprocating and turbine engines Robert Zimmerman Embry Riddle Operating principles of reciprocating and turbine engines. Many airplanes are equipped with reciprocating engines. This is due to their reciprocating or back and forth movement of the pistons. Two kinds of these motors are. 1. by cylinder arrangement with respect to the crankshaft—radial, in-line, v-type or opposed, or 2. By the method of cooling—liquid or air-cooled. The main advantage of a radial engine is the favorable power-to-weight ratio. V-type engines usually have more horsepower than in-line engines. The horizontally-opposed engine is the most popular engine on smaller aircraft. Opposed engines always have a even number of cylinders. Most are air cooled and have a high power-to-weight ratio due to a light crankcase. The main parts of a reciprocating engine include the cylinders, crankcase, and accessory housing. The intake/exhaust valves, spark plugs, and pistons are located in the cylinders. The crankshaft and connecting rods are located in the crankcase. The magnetos are normally located on the engine accessory housing. Operating Principles Federal Aviation Administration. (2013, July 1) found the basic principle for reciprocating engines involves the conversion of chemical energy, in the form of fuel, into mechanical energy. This occurs within the cylinders of the engine through a process known as the four-stroke operating cycle. These strokes...
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...Turbine Engines The history of turbine engines date back to nearly a century ago when Frank Whittle was the first to register a patent in 1930; six years later Hans von Ohain registered his independent work (Bellis, 2012). Frank Whittle, as an English aviation engineer and pilot, gained private financial support to start designing and manufacturing his first turbojet in January 1930 (Bellis, 2012). His first engine was a single-stage centrifugal compressor attached to a single-stage turbine was tested in 1937 (Bellis, 2012). The jet engine has become very complex engine based on simple concepts; in simplest terms, the jet engine produces thrust for flight by compressing, combustion, and accelerating air out the exhaust faster than when it came in the inlet. Throughout my career, I have maintained, troubleshot, and repaired several different types of turbine engines, all of which are similar because of this theory of operation. When looking at a jet engine, everyone usually sees the fan blades, but before this component, there is the inlet, or intake, which is the structure in front of the fan. For aircraft that cannot fly supersonically, the inlet is a basic housing that directs air straight into the fan; for much faster aircraft, the inlet is longer and contains a slight curve as it leads to the fan. This is because when the aircraft is flying at supersonic speeds, the air entering the jet engine must be slowed to subsonic speeds (“the jet engine,” n.d.). It is...
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...Brayton Cycle Reading 9-8 → 9-10 Problems 9-78, 9-84, 9-108 Open Cycle Gas Turbine Engines • after compression, air enters a combustion chamber into which fuel is injected • the resulting products of combustion expand and drive the turbine • combustion products are discharged to the atmosphere • compressor power requirements vary from 40-80% of the power output of the turbine (remainder is net power output), i.e. back work ratio = 0.4 → 0.8 • high power requirement is typical when gas is compressed because of the large specific volume of gases in comparison to that of liquids Idealized Air Standard Brayton Cycle • closed loop • constant pressure heat addition and rejection • ideal gas with constant specific heats 1 Brayton Cycle Efficiency The Brayton cycle efficiency can be written as η = 1 − (rp )(1−k)/k where we define the pressure ratio as: P2 P1 P3 P4 rp = = 2 Maximum Pressure Ratio Given that the maximum and minimum temperature can be prescribed for the Brayton cycle, a change in the pressure ratio can result in a change in the work output from the cycle. The maximum temperature in the cycle (T3 ) is limited by metallurgical conditions because the turbine blades cannot sustain temperatures above 1300 K. Higher temperatures (up to 1600 K can be obtained with ceramic turbine blades). The minimum temperature is set by the air temperature at the inlet to the engine. 3 Brayton Cycle with Reheat • T3 is limited due to metallurgical constraints...
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