Design and development of an air intake for a supersonic transport aircraft.

Abstract

The reasons for choice and the characteristics of an external-compression intake geometry for operation at Mach numbers up to and beyond 2.0 are described, and the problems of application to SST aircraft are discussed. Mounted under the wing of the Concorde, this inlet is divided to provide independent supplies of air to a pair of engines, an arrangement that introduces particular problems in allowing for the wing flowfield and avoiding interaction between the twin inlets. The precise definition of an intake geometry for a supersonic transport should have regard for the over-all performance of the propulsion system. The choice of controlling parameters and the design of the control system must give good performance and engine handling in a wide range of off-design conditions without demanding excessive complexity. The aerodynamic and other development tests required to make the appropriate decisions are described in detail. The results underline the suitability of this basic geometry in association with the other components of the propulsion system for SST operation.