Aeroplanes, shower curtains and climate change…

Professor Dame Julia King DBE FREng Kingsbury School 15th March 2013

Flight = Lift + Thrust

Lift: curved streamlines = lower pressure

The Peregrine Falcon: aerofoil wings (and more)

Wingspan: 1m Fuel: 100g per day, 10% body mass

Flight = Lift + Thrust

Thrust: Newton’s 3rd Law

Equilibrium Reaction Action

Thrust = Mass x Velocity (MV)

MV

Jet Engine Layout

Compressor Combustion Chamber

Turbine

Shaft

Exhaust Nozzle

mvaircraft mVjet

Climate change

●  Business as usual: a high probability of global average temperature rise in excess of 4o, possibly as early as 2060

●  Europe 8o warmer,12o on hottest day: London hits summer highs of 50oC

●  Maize and wheat yields reduced by up to 40% at low latitudes

●  Rice yields down 30% in China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia

●  2080 40% of the world’s population has less than 3 litres of water a day

Making flight more efficient

Increase lift

More efficient engines Renewable fuel

Reduce weight

Reduce drag

Speed of stoop: 200 mph

Wingspan: 1m

Fuel: 100g per day, 10% body mass

The Peregrine Falcon: drag reduction

Speed of stoop: 200mph

The most expensive aircraft ever: F111

The Bird of Prey?

Reduce drag: the morphing plane

Reduce drag: winglets

VCOM8569

Engine efficiency: sealing

Trent 900 engine

And you could find lots more solutions to making flying more efficient….