Cruise-efficient, low-noise, short-takeoff-and-landing vehicle concept.
Long description of figure.
A novel, low-noise, short-takeoff-and-landing vehicle concept with a distributed propulsion system is being investigated to meet the growing future aviation market. For this concept, the blended-wing body configuration was selected for its cruise-efficient airframe with sufficient wing volume available for an embedded-wing, distributed propulsion system.
The saturation of airports and the impact to the surrounding airspace and terrestrial communities are rapidly increasing limits to world aviation travel. Breakthrough concepts that enable increased air traffic and performance and decreased noise are required for growing future aviation markets. Subsonic commercial concepts appearing on the 25-year horizon must facilitate an increase in air traffic more than 4 times greater than current levels, while complying with more stringent respect for the surrounding communities across the expanding world market. Attacking these issues holistically is the concept of a short-takeoff-and-landing high-speed subsonic transport, which enables 24-hr expanded use of the untapped regional airspace. The concept is a high-lift-capable airframe, which employs embedded-wing, spanwise-distributed propulsion to meet rigorously defined airport operation requirements while maintaining efficient cruise capability.
The initial concept was conceived by NASA Glenn Research Center’s Aeropropulsion System Analysis Office, and a proposal was submitted to NASA Headquarters’ Revolutionary System Concepts for Aeronautics project. The proposal was competed among NASA’s aeronautics centers and selected for funding. For the vehicle configuration, Boeing’s Phantom Works Division (Huntington Beach, CA) was selected to develop a conceptual aircraft. The current vehicle concept has a 40,000-lb payload capability with a 3000-nautical mile range at a cruise mach number of 0.8. Because of its short-takeoff-and-landing characteristics, the vehicle will be able to take off and land within a 5000-ft field length, which captures 84 percent of all U.S. regional airports. For the noise study of distributed propulsion concepts and the new vehicle configuration, Diversitech, Inc. (Cincinnati, OH), is investigating the benefits of distributed propulsion systems and the effect of the vehicle on the airport community. To reduce the aircraft noise well below the current requirements, designers have employed noise shielding using the large blended-wing body upper surface, acoustic treatment of inlets and nozzles, and distribution of the thrust streams next to each other to attenuate noise propagation.
At the end of this conceptual study, a final report will be written and presented at NASA Headquarters. The report will include a technology assessment to determine technology gaps and to identify relevant technology challenges and investments for future research.
Glenn contacts: Hyun D. Kim, 216–433–8344, Hyun.D.Kim@nasa.gov; Jeffrey J. Berton, 216–977–7031, Jeffrey.J.Berton@nasa.gov; and Scott M. Jones, 216–977–7015, Scott.M.Jones@nasa.govLast updated: September 14, 2006
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