Propulsion Integration: Supersonic Transport Aircraft

Abstract

The integration of the propulsion system is one of the most important aspects of the design of a supersonic aircraft, as it has a strong influence on performance, safety, and reliability. Here we examine some of the propulsion integration issues specific to transport aircraft cruising at Mach numbers between 1 and 2.5, a performance bracket that includes Concorde, the only commercial passenger transport ever to have entered regular airline service. Most of the chapter is centered on the fundamental design decisions related to the design of the general layout of the propulsion system and to the conceptual design of the air intake system. The latter merits particular attention as the wide range of freestream velocities encountered by the intakes during a typical mission demand a robust, usually variable geometry, closely integrated with the design of the rest of the airframe. We devote a section to a more detailed analysis of Concorde's propulsion system and we also touch on some of the computational engineering aspects of modern propulsion integration design.