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Aircraft Performance

Where,

α – is angle of attack

αT – is angle of inclination b/w flight path direction and thrust vector.

 - is climb angle (angle between flight path and horizontal)

β – is pitch angle (angle between chord line and horizontal)

β=α+ 

(i.e).Pitch angle = AOA + Climb angle

Four physical forces:-

L – Lift perpendicular to flight path direction (relative wind)

D – Drag parallel to relative wind.

T – Thrust (at an angle αT w.r.t to flight path)

W – Weight perpendicular to horizontal.

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According to Newton’s second law (for curvilinear motion)

dv mv2
F | |el m
dt
F r 
rc

Where, rc – is radius of curvature.

Resolving forces ||el and r to flight path we get,

dv
F | |el  T cos T  W sin   D  m
dt

mv2
F r  L  W cos   T sin  T 
rc

Un-accelerated flight performance:-

For un-accelerated flight,

dv v2
 0,  0
dt rc

Then,

T cosT  W sin   D  0

L  W cos  T sinT  0

In case of straight steady and level flight,

T  0,   0

T D0 ; L W  0

Consider for straight and level flight

T=D ; L=W
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I). Condition of minimum drag:-

L=W,T=D

L D
1
D T

W
T= (1)
L
 
D

TR min  Dmin  1

W
L
 
 D max

Where,

CD = a + b CL2

a = CD,O

1
b
AR

L
For minimum drag,   should be maximum
D

1 1
TR  D  CD   v 2 s L  W  CL   v 2 s
2 2

2 1 W
 (a  bCL )   v s CL 
2

2 1
  v 2 s
2
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 
 1  2  W  1
2
  a  s v  b   2
 2  1
  s  v
2 

k2
TR  k1v 
2
2
(1A)
v

TR = profile drag + induced drag

Where,

1
k1  a   s
2

bW 2
k2 
1
 s
2

dTR
0
dv
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2k 2
k1 (2v )  3
0
v

k2
v  4
k1

2W
vmd  4 b (1B)
a s

Sub (1B) in (1A) we get

Dmin = 2W ab (1C)

Minimum drag is independent of attitude from equ (1)

W W
TR  
 L   CL 
   
 D   CD 

For TR minimum drag is minimum.

C   CD 
(i.e)  L  is maximum.(i.e)   should be minimum.
 CD   CL 

CD
d
CD a  bCL
2
CL
(i.e) 0 
dCL CL CL

CD
d
CL (a  bCL ).1  CL (2bCL )
2
 2
0
dCL CL

2
bC
a  L2  0
CL
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a  bC L  0
2

a  bC L
2
(i.e). CDo = CDi

CLmd  a
b

CDmd  2a

 CL  1
  
 CD  md 2 ab

It is the condition for max endurance of jet engine aircraft and condition for ma range of piston
engine aircraft.

(2). Minimum power required:-

p R  TR v from equ (1A)

 k 
 k1v   22 v 
2

 v  

k2
p R  k1 v  
3
(2A)
v

For pR to be minimum,

dp R
0
dv

k2
3k1 v   0
2
2
v

k2
3k1 v  
2
2
v
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k2
v  4
3k1

b 2w
v mp  4 (2B)
3a  s

1
v mp  v md
4
3

v mp  0.7598v md (2C)

p R  TR v

w 2w

 CL    sC L
 
 CD 

w3 / 2 2
pR 
 CL 3/ 2
  s
 
 C 
 D 

1
p R
 CL3/ 2 
 
 C 
 D 

 p R min  1
 CL 3/ 2

 
 C 
 D  max

 CL3/ 2   CD 
For minimum power required   should be maximum (i.e)   should be minimum
  C 3/ 2 
 CD   L 
for min p R
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 C 
d  3D/ 2 
 C D a  bCL
2
 CL  0  3/ 2
dC L CL CL

a  bC 3 / 2C   C
L
2
L
1/ 2
L
3/ 2
2bCL 
0
3
CL

On simplification we get

1
3a  bC L (i.e) C Do  C Di
2

3a
C Lmp  C Lmp  3C Lmd
b

C Lmp  .732 C Lmd

C Dmp  4a C Dmp  2( 2a )

 2(C Lmd )

C Dmp  2C Lmd

L 3 1 L
    0.866 
 D  mp 2 2 ab  D  md

It is the condition for max endurance for piston engine aircraft.

(3). Minimum drag to velocity ratio

k2
T R  D  k1 v  
2
w.k.t 2
v
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D k
 k1v  23 (3A)
v v

D 
For min  
 v 

D 
d  
 v  0
dv

3k 2
k1  4
0
v

3k 2
v  4
k1

3b 2w
V 4 (3B)
 D
m 

 a  s
 v 

V  D 
 4 3Vmd
m  
 v 

D 
Vm   1.316Vmd (3C)
 v 

D w 1

v  C L  v
 
 CD 

1 w

 CL  2w
 
 CD    sC L
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D 1 w  s

v  C L 1 / 2  2
 
 C 
 D 

D  1
  
 v  min  C L 
1/ 2

 C 
 D  max

D  C L1 / 2   CD 
For   then   should be maximum (i.e)  1/ 2  is minimum.
 v  min  C  C 
 D   L 

 C 
d  1D/ 2 

 CL  0
dC L

 a  bCL 1 / 2 
d  1/ 2
 a  bC 2
 L   12 C L
1 / 2 
  C L 2bCL 
1/ 2

 CL    0
dCL CL

On simplification we get

2bCL  a
2
(i.e) C Do  3C Di

a
C  D 

Lm  3b
 v 

1
C  D 
 C L md  0.577C Lmd
Lm  3
 v 

a
 a  bCL  a  b 
2
C  D
Dm  
 v 
 3b 
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4a 2
C  D 
  ( 2a )
Dm   3 3
 v 

2
 C Dmd
3

D 
CDm   0.667C Dmd
 v 