CBL - Campus del Baix Llobregat

Projecte llegit

Títol: Study of transonic and supersonic airfoils

Estudiants que han llegit aquest projecte:

Director/a: MELLIBOVSKY ELSTEIN, FERNANDO PABLO

Departament: FIS

Títol: Study of transonic and supersonic airfoils

Data inici oferta: 07-03-2025     Data finalització oferta: 07-03-2025


Estudis d'assignació del projecte:
    GR ENG SIST AEROESP
Tipus: Individual
 
Lloc de realització: ERASMUS
 
Paraules clau:
Subsonic, Transonic, Supersonic, Airfoil, Supercritical airfoil, Whitcomb,
 
Descripció del contingut i pla d'activitats:
 
Overview (resum en anglès):
Transonic commercial flights appear to be making a comeback. Since the Concorde's final flight in 2003, there has been no supersonic commercial travel, that is, until the emergence of new technologies and innovative start-ups, making high-speed commercial flights seem possible again. While today's commercial aircraft already cruise at transonic speeds (around Mach 0.8-0.9), new designs aim to push into supersonic regimes, drastically reducing flight times while maintaining efficiency and safety.

This thesis focuses on the aerodynamic design of a supercritical airfoil-a specialised airfoil shape developed to optimise performance in transonic and low-supersonic conditions. The study begins with an analysis of aerodynamic behaviour in subsonic flight, helping build an understanding of how lift and drag behave under incompressible conditions. From there, it examines how these forces evolve as the aircraft approaches the speed of sound, where compressibility effects, shock waves, and flow separation begin to dominate.

Building on the research of Charles D. Harris and Richard T. Whitcomb, key figures in the development of supercritical airfoils at NASA, along with data from existing high-speed aircraft, this thesis examines how airfoil geometry affects aerodynamic efficiency. Elements such as camber or trailing edge shaping are explored in depth. Then, some supercritical airfoil prototypes were designed following the supersonic airfoil parameters, and they are intended for wind tunnel testing. The wind tunnel tests could not be conducted; however, the design process is based on previous tests and methods for estimating the transonic performance of airfoils, giving an accurate result of an optimal supercritical airfoil.

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