Apparatus and method for reducing a sonic boom signature
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsEric E. Adamson, David A. Treiber
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Abstract
An apparatus and method using an interference body to shape a sonic boom signature is provided herein. The interference body can be installed on various control surfaces, including a vertical control surface. The interference body can be sized and positioned to create a desired amount of interference with expansion wave s generated by one or more components of an aircraft. In one configuration, the interference body can be operative to reduce the sonic boom formed by an aircraft operating at or above supersonic speeds.
Claims11
An interference body for reducing a sonic boom, comprising:
- an expander section positioned completely aft of wings of an aircraft and forward of a leading edge of a vertical control surface extending from a tail of the aircraft and operative to create an interference pattern to interfere with an expansion wave generated by a component of the aircraft, the vertical control surface defining a tip at an outboard extent of the vertical control surface, and the expander section being supported at a height that is inboard of the tip;
- and
- a closeout section coupled to the expander section and operative to produce a benign terminal expansion of compression waves from the interference body.
An aircraft configured to have a reduced a sonic boom signature, the aircraft comprising:
- wings;
- a vertical control surface extending from a tail of the aircraft;
- and
- an interference body installed completely aft of the wings, the interference body comprising
- an expander section positioned completely forward of a leading edge of the vertical control surface and operative to create an interference pattern to interfere with an expansion wave generated by a component of the aircraft, and
- a closeout section coupled to the expander section and operative to produce a benign terminal expansion of compression waves from the interference body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.