Aircraft Design & Sizing

Based on Aircraft Design: A Conceptual

Approach by Raymer

1 1/24/06

Required Requirements
Must have specific, hard numbers to begin an aircraft layout:

Payload weight, dimensions, & peculiar needs

Avionics weight, dimensions, & peculiar needs

Range and/or endurance

Speeds - max., approach, stall,...

Takeoff/landing

Turn rate

Rate of climb or Ps

Structural load factor

Target stability

Dimensional constraints

Need for Wo & Wf

Solve for T/W & W/S

If you dont have them, get them or make them up

Initial values of requirements will be refined by trade studies
using first layout as an analytical tool
2 1/24/06

Aircraft Sizing
Sizing determines takeoff weight and fuel weight (range
& payload specified)
Range & payload are independent variables, aircraft size
and weight are the answer
Have to work backwards

sizing

3 1/24/06

Begin With The Takeoff Weight

W0 = Wempty + Wfuel + Wpayload + Wcrew (R3.1)

W0 = Maximum takeoff weight
Wempty = operating weight empty (OWE) of
basic aircraft
Wfuel = Fuel to do mission
Wpayload = Payload weight (cargo, bombs,
missiles, etc.)
Wcrew = Weight of all crew members

4 1/24/06

A Little Algebra Yields:

(R3.2, R3.4)

W 0 = W crew + W payload
W0 =

"W f %
"We %
+ $ 'W 0 + $ 'W 0
# W0 &
#W0 &

W crew + W payload
1( (W f W 0 ) ( (W e W 0 )

Here W f W 0 = Fuel Weight fraction and

W e W 0 = Empty Weight fraction

5 1/24/06

Statistics: Empty Weight Fraction vs W0 (R fig. 3.1)

6 1/24/06

Typical Mission Profiles (R fig. 3.2)

7 1/24/06

Definition of Mission Segment Weight Fractions

(3rd Case, Previous Slide)

W1/W0
W2/W1
W3/W2
W4/W3
W5/W4
W6/W5
W7/W6
W8/W7

Warmup and takeoff

Climb 1
Cruise 1
Loiter 1
Climb 2
Cruise 2
Loiter 2
Land
8 1/24/06

Historical Mission Segment Weight Fractions

(Wi/Wi-1 )
Warmup and takeoff
Climb
Landing
(use as given)

0.970
0.985
0.995

9 1/24/06

CRUISE WEIGHT FRACTION

Cruise
or

R=

V L Wi !1
ln
CD
Wi

Breguet Range Equation (R 3.5)

Wi
! RC
= exp
Wi !1
V (L / D)

= range

= specific fuel consumption

= CpV/p = CbhpV/(550p) for props

= velocity

L/D

= lift-to-drag ratio

Be careful with Units!!!

10 1/24/06

Parameter Estimation

L/D: Extract from Raymer, Fig. 3.6

c (Specific Fuel Consumption): Extract from
Raymers Tables 3.3 & 3.4

11 1/24/06

Example Cruise Weight Fraction Calculation

For Cruise 1 and 2 (military cargo bomber)

R = 500 NM = 3,038,065 ft

C = 0.000194 lb/s/lb

V = 400 kt = 675.1 ft/s

h = 30,000 ft

L/D = 15 x 0.866 = 12.99

W3/W2 = W6/W5 = 0.935

12 1/24/06

LOITER WEIGHT FRACTIONS

(Raymer 3.7, 3.8)

L D W i"1
E=
ln
c
Wi

Loiter

or

W i"1
=e
Wi

"Ec
L D

where E = endurance or loiter time

BE SURE to use consistent units,
either (ft, lb, s) or (m, kg, s)
13 1/24/06

!
Loiter Weight Fraction Example

For Loiter 1

"Ec

W i"1
= eL D
Wi

E = 4 hours = 14,400 s
C = 0.000167 lb/s/lb
L/D = 15

W4/W3 = 0.852

14 1/24/06

General Fuel Fraction Calculation

Mission Segment Weight Fractions

Total Mission Weight Fraction

Mission Fuel Fraction

Wi
Wi !1
W x !# W1 $& !# W 2 $& !# W3 $&
=
...etc
W 0 " W0 % " W1 % " W2 %

1!

Wx
W0

"
Wf
W %
= 1.06$ 1 ! x '
W0
#
W0 &

Total Fuel Fraction

Note: 6% extra added for reserve and trapped fuel

15 1/24/06

Sizing Calculations Example

Now multiply all mission segment weight

fractions: the result is
W8/W0 = 0.687
Then get the fuel weight fraction
Wf/W0 = 0.332
The empty weight fraction is obtained from
Raymer Table 3.1 (military cargo bomber):
We/W0 = 0.93 W0-0.07

16 1/24/06

Sizing Calcs. (cont.)

Make a table using a guessed W0, We/W0, and

the calculated W0 using

W0 =

W crew + W payload
1" (W f W 0 ) " (W e W 0 )

Plot the calculated versus the guessed W0 and

find the intercept.

This is the MTOGW to use.

17 1/24/06

Calculated Sizing Values (Example)

W0 Guess

We/W0

W0 Calculated

40000

0.4429

67466

45000

0.4393

66394

50000

0.4361

65471

55000

0.4332

64664

60000

0.4305

63948

65000

0.4281

63307

70000

0.4259

62729

75000

0.4239

62202

80000

0.4220

61719

18 1/24/06

Plot of Sizing Numbers

Raymer Sizing Method for MTOGW
100000

W0 Calculated (lbs)

90000
80000
70000
60000
50000
Calculated Weight

40000

Guessed Weight

30000
20000
50000

55000

60000

65000

W0 Guess (lbs)

70000

75000

80000
19 1/24/06

2nd SIZING EXAMPLE

Mission Segment Weight Fractions

20 1/24/06

Sizing Calculations (2nd Example)

21 1/24/06

Alternate Sizing Method

Wo guess
Sizing
1000
1500
2000
2500

Wo Calculated

3000.0

We/Wo

Graph
0.6680
0.6440
0.6276
0.6151

We
Wo calculated
668.0
2403.2
966.0
2087.3
1255.1
1914.2
1537.7
1801.0

2500.0
2000.0
1500.0
1000.0
500.0
0.0
0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Wo Guess
22 1/24/06