Filtering by
- All Subjects: Aerospace
- Creators: Takahashi, Timothy
- Creators: School of Earth and Space Exploration
- Creators: Materials Science and Engineering Program
The following analysis was conducted at the Arizona State University open loop wind tunnel. Two 1/24-th scale NASCAR models were placed in a wind tunnel test section and were adjusted to study drafting that commonly occurs at superspeedway racetracks. The purpose of the experiment was to determine how drafting affects a leading and trailing car through changes in distance. A wind tunnel model was developed consisting of two 2019 NASCAR Chevy Camaro race car models, two bar-style load cells, and a programmed Arduino UNO. Two trials were run at each drafting distance, 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 car lengths apart. Each trial was run at a wind tunnel velocity of 78 mph (35 m/s) and force data was collected to represent the drag effects at each drafting location. Based on previously published experimentation, this analysis provided important data that related drafting effects in scale model race cars to full-scale vehicles. The experiment showed that scale model testing can be accurately completed when the wind tunnel Reynolds number is of the same magnitude as a full-scale NASCAR. However, the wind tunnel data collected was proven to be fully laminar flow and did not compare to the flow characteristics of typically turbulent flow seen in superspeedway races. Overall, the analytical drag analysis of drafting NASCAR models proved that wind tunnel testing is only accurate when many parameters are met and should only be used as a method of validation to full-scale testing.
Today, the vision of Commercial Supersonic Travel is often dreamed possible with innovation. Modern tech-business plans to reinvent commercial SuperSonic Transport (SST), while gaining reliable venture capital investment and proactive social backing. However, the concept’s global viability remains questionable, as regulation opposes its integrability. As a result, SST has become industrially forgotten. This research paper challenges the neglect of SST through routing optimizations derived from an industry’s collective research, while outlining decisive use-cases. Initially, this paper describes the difficulty in SST’s integration through its logistical tasks, demanding designs, and lacking efficiency. After that, the paper defines an optimization strategy, through software-analyzed flight paths, for overall supersonic operations. This strategy was proven to shorten established SST flights by 6%, while enabling the implementation of newfound SST paths. Here, optimization averaged 3.3% on density-derived routes and 5.4% on software-derived routes. More importantly, this paper demonstrated routing optimization enables MACH 1.6 aircraft to achieve MACH 2 flight times. Further, this paper attempts to justify SST through an analysis of its market, financials, and social perspectives. With that, the paper justifies an ideal SST customer earns 630$/hr, while such measurements vary amongst flight types. Finally, this paper conceptualizes that SST, with optimization, promises a noteworthy business, while developments in aircraft designs may revamp the aerospace industry completely.