Sonic Boom Prediction, Focusing and Mitigation

摘要

Supersonic travel over land would be a reality, if new aircraft are designed such that they produce quieter ground sonic booms, no louder than 0.3 psf according to FAA requirement. To accomplish this challenging goal, research has to be focused on three phases of research work, which are addressed in this paper. The first phase is focused on development of advanced prediction tools for shock waves emanating from aircraft and propagating to the ground, 6-8 miles away from the aircraft. This phase is completed and two applications are demonstrated, which cover the F-5E aircraft and a double cone configuration. The second phase is focused on development of prediction tools for sonic boom focusing (superboom), which develops during aircraft accelerations during climbing, turning and maneuvering. Several schemes, which use the numerical solution of the nonlinear Tricomi equation, have been developed and their results are demonstrated through several computational applications. The third phase is focused on the development of mitigation techniques of sonic boom strength to reduce the ground boom signature. A few applications; which use the wing dihedral angle and addition of a boom piece to the aircraft nose, are presented.