China developed perforated wing design that prevents sonic boom!

Aircraft breaking the sound barrier are known for the shock waves and explosion-like sounds they bring with them. These sonic booms not only break the surrounding glass, but also pose a major obstacle to the widespread use of supersonic flights. However, scientists from Northwestern Polytechnic University in China developed a perforated wing design to solve this problem. Here are the details…

China’s perforated wing design prevents sonic boom

The perforated wing design uses strategic holes opened on the wing when the aircraft exceeds the speed of sound. Computer simulations and wind tunnel tests show that these holes reduce vibrations by disrupting shock waves, which in turn reduces aerodynamic efficiency. more than 10 percent showed that it increased. So, will it be easier to produce supersonic jets in this way?

Few countries today can produce supersonic jets because such aircraft require a special and costly construction process to withstand the forces encountered at high speeds. Additionally, the sonic booms caused by these flights caused supersonic travel to be restricted in densely populated areas. These restrictions were one of the main reasons behind Concorde’s retirement in 2003.

Chinese scientists’ perforated wing design solution is simple but effective. The holes on the wing open when the plane exceeds the speed of sound and direct the air flow, reducing the effect of shock waves. A hole in these holes air pumpBy adjusting the intensity of the jet stream, it limits turbulence in front of the wing and reduces wing vibrations. In this way, although there is a slight loss of lift, overall drag is reduced and lift-to-drag ratio is increasing.

The science team plans to conduct additional wind tunnel tests to further develop this technology. However, there are other teams around the world trying to find solutions to the challenges facing supersonic flight. For example, the X-59 supersonic jet, developed in collaboration with NASA and Lockheed Martin, is expected to make its first test flight this year. This aircraft will have a long nose and a forward-facing windshield-free cockpit to reduce noise generated during supersonic flight.

The Chinese team, led by Professor Gao Chao, believes that the solution they developed is extremely effective. “When you suppress the shockwave shock using jet stream control, although there is a slight loss of lift, the overall drag is reduced, so the lift-to-drag ratio increases,” they state.

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