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Over-Wing Engine Placement

Project Number: 050
Category: Aircraft Technology Innovation

The research is the fundamental support of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the development of technical standards for civil supersonic aircraft under  the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP). This effort provides FAA with technical noise expertise in the development of noise certification standards for future civil supersonic passenger aircraft, primarily in the area of en­route noise (sonic boom) minimization and/or abatement. The project will provide a number of benefits including predictive capabilities for sonic boom impacts, applicability of certain metrics, testing of signal processing methodologies for sonic boom signals, and scheme assessment for sonic boom certification. Upon the development of internationally agreed-upon noise certification standards, supersonic   aircraft would  once  again  be enabled to operate   across the globe.  

Outcomes

The primary expected outcome of this project is an assessment of an over-the-wing nacelle placement for a single aisle transport, with a focus on environmental metrics such as fuel burn and noise.  The project will attempt to identify, through the MDAO approach, a configuration that reduces engine noise significantly while also realizing the best fuel burn benefit possible.  A secondary outcome of the project will be a computationally efficient multi-disciplinary design environment that is capable of handling vehicle, propulsion, and aerodynamic optimization.

Last Updated 9/20/2022

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