The Evolution of Jet Engines
The jet engine is a complex propulsion device which draws in air by means of an intake, compresses it, heats it by means of an internal combustion engine, which when expelled it turns a turbine to produce thrust, resulting in a force sufficient enough to propell the aircraft in the opposite direction
(Morgan 67). When the jet engine was thought of back in the 1920's the world never thought it would become a reality, but by 1941 the first successful jet flight was flown in England. Since then the types of engines have changed, but the basic principals have remained the same.
In 1921 thoughts of a jet engine were based upon adaptations of piston engines and were usually very heavy and complicated. These thoughts were refined in the 1930's when the turbine engine design lead to the patent of the turbojet engine by Sir Frank Whittle of Great Britian. It was Sir Whittle's design that lead Great Britian into the jet age with the first successful flight.
At the same time, the Germans were designing there own jet engine and aircraft which would be one of the factors that kept Germany alive in World War II. With technological advances by the allies a prototype turbojet known as the "Heinkel
He 178" came into a few operational squadrons in the German, British, and the
American air forces towards the end of World War II. These jets finally helped the allies to win the war against the axis powers(Smith 23-27).
A later development in the jet industry was the overcoming of the sound barrier and establishing normal operations up to and beyond twice the speed of sound. Also air force bombers and transports were able to reach and cruise at supersonic speeds(Silverstein 56-70). In the late 1950's civil transcontinental jet services started with the Comet 4 and the Boeing 707. In the mid 1960's all major jet manufacturing companies revised their present engines with new materials such as aircraft aluminium which made them lighter and turbine changes so they could compress the air at a much higher pressure so the engine can produce much more thrust.The first supersonic airliner is the twin turbojet
Concorde which flies at over twice the speed of sound which was brought into regular service in 1976(Smith 27-30). The one company that dominates the private jet industry is Bombardier which makes the Learjet turbofans, they have an approximate cruising distance of 1880 nautical miles(Jennings 103).
In the future, turbojet engines will continue to further develop due to the technological advances made. As in graphite composite wings, thermoplastic
The history of flying dates back as early as the fifteenth century. A Renaissance man named Leonardo da Vinci introduced a flying machine known as the ornithopter. Da Vinci proposed the idea of a machine that had bird like flying capabilities. Today no ornithopters exist due to the restrictions of humans, and that the ornithopters just aren’t practical. During the eighteenth century a philosopher named Sir George Cayley had practical ideas of modern aircraft. Cayley never really designed any workable aircraft, but had many incredible ideas such as lift, thrust, and rigid wings to provide for lift. In the late nineteenth century the progress of aircraft picks up. Several designers such as Henson and Langley, both paved the way for the early 1900’s aircraft design. Two of the most important people in history of flight were the Wright Brothers. The Wright Brothers were given the nickname the “fathers of the heavier than air flying machine” for their numerous flights at their estate in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville and Wilbur Wright created a motor-powered biplane in which they established incredible feats of the time. The Wright Brothers perfected their design of the heavier than air flying ma...
The Wankel rotary engine named after the designer, Felix Wankel, was engineered in the early 1930’s. The rotary engine was unlike the conventional four stroke internal combustion engines and lacked the need for pistons, valves and camshafts. With only three moving parts involved in the design, this engine showed great promise in reliability and efficiency. The first Wankel rotary model was shown in 1960, not as an engine, but as a pump drive. Instead of the very complicated system involved in a conventional reciprocating piston engine, the wankel engine incorporated triangular “rotors” (see figure 1) that rotate within an epitrochoidal chamber around an eccentric shaft. Not only is this engine much more simple (only 3 moving parts rather
In 1940, Preston Tucker created the Tucker Aviation Corporation, and wanted to manufacture aircraft and marine engines. He designed a fighter aircraft, the Tucker XP-57, which the U.S.A.A.C. took an interest in. Again, this n...
the years after that, in 1907 the MHD pump was designed by Northrup. In 1910,
"1920's Aviation." The 1920's - Roaring Twenties - The Nineteen Twenties in History. 2005. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. .
Starting in the late 1700's, European engineers began tinkering with motor powered vehicles. Steam, combustion, and electrical motors had all been attempted by the mid 1800's. By the 1900's, it was uncertain which type of engine would power the automobile. At first, the electric car was the most popular, but at the time a battery did not exist that would allow a car to move with much speed or over a long distance. Even though some of the earlier speed records were set by electric cars, they did not stay in production past the first decade of the 20th century. The steam-driven automobile lasted into 1920's. However, the price on steam powered engines, either to build or maintain was incomparable to the gas powered engines. Not only was the price a problem, but the risk of a boiler explosion also kept the steam engine from becoming popular. The combustion engine continually beat out the competition, and the early American automobile pioneers like Ransom E. Olds and Henry Ford built reliable combustion engines, rejecting the ideas of steam or electrical power from the start.
Following World War II and the jet engine technology that emerged largely toward its end, aerospace engineers knew well that the technology had great potential for use in the commercial aviation industry. The Comet was the first aircraft to utilize jet propulsion; however, its designers failed to consider the metallurgy of the aircraft’s materials under flight conditions or the consequences of their atypical window design. The aircraft was designed by Britain’s De Havilland Aircraft Company and entered service in May 1952. After a year of service, however, the design issues mentioned above resulted in the failure of several Comet aircraft. Extensive evaluations revealed that repeated pressurization stress on the aircraft’s main cabin had caused its structure to fail.
His first invention was a lubricator for steam engines, U.S. 129,843, which issued on July 12, 1872. The invention allowed machines to remain in motion to be oiled; his new oiling device revolutionized the industrial machine industry.
Starting in the late 1700’s, European engineers began messing with motor powered vehicles. By the mid 1800’s, steam, combustion, and electrical motors had all been attempted. By the 1900’s it wasn’t very clear on which type of engine would really power the automobile. At that time, electric cars were the most popular but there were no batteries at that time that would allow a car to move very fast or a long distance. Commercial production in the United States began at the beginning of the 1900’s. In the early 1900’s, the United States had about two thousand firms producing one or more cars.
...hese two topics, the aspect that influenced the development of the aviation industry was World War 2. World War 2 basically was the basis that sparked the advancement of the aviation industry. Without this event happening the aviation industry would lack the jet-powered engines, radar and advanced navigation systems. The comfort and luxury within the aircraft and the actual design of the airframes on commercial aircraft was inspired by the B-29. Aerospace companies within the United States grew to maturity during the Second World War and piston technology had been broken down nearly to its limits. Being still visible today on its basic structure, have been overlaid the effects of post-war drastic technological improvements. Throughout the midst of 1944 aviation was the largest industry in the world and still is due to the advancements in aircraft during World War 2.
...tical and economic woes attributed to reunification, Germany would be able to fortify its status as a reunified nation in the years to come.
The steam engine was an innovative new way to produce power. In 1698 British inventor and engineer Thomas Savery obtained the first patent on the steam engine. In 1769 James Watt patented an improved version of the steam engine. In 1782 James Watt developed the double-acting steam engine. The double-acting steam engine doubled the steam engine’s output. The double-acting steam engine was quickly adopted by the people working on the first steamboat. The creation of the steam engine allowed the extraordinary idea of a steamboat to become rea...
The invention of the Internal Combustion Engine has completely altered and changed not only the way we transport ourselves through automobiles, planes and trains but also at the way in which Industry evolves and with it closes the gap from an agricultural economy to an Industrial economy. As Modern technologies advanced through the 18th and 19th century the internal combustion people have relied on its power. The Internal combustion engine is not simply a Over 150 years ago...
The history of steam engines goes back so far as the 1st century A.D. - the aeolipile - the first documented basic steam mechanism by Hero of Alexandria (Greek mathematician) and during the ensuing centuries, only some steam mechanisms recognized were fundamentally investigational mechanisms made to exhibit steam properties [Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark, 2008]. An undeveloped steam turbine apparatus was illustrated in 1551 by Taqi al-Din and Giovanni Branca in 1629. In 1679, Denis Papin invented the digester and piston in 1690 - both using steam engines. In 1698, Thomas Savery invented a water-pumped steam engine. Howeve...
The creation of the airplane dates back to December 17, 1903 in Kitty Hawk North Carolina(inventors.about), which was created by Orville and Wilbur Wright. The experiment for the first plane consisted of taking a man and placing him in the plane and then having the plane raise by its own power, in result this would cause it to fly in a natural manner at even speeds and then defending without any damage (Bellis). The craft they created was called a biplane. A biplane, an aircraft of early design, consists of two sets of wings placed at different levels in a vertical stack with the fuselage(the body of an airplane, containing the cockpit, passenger seating, and cargo) between them. Also the first airplane soared at a height of ten feet and went one hundred twenty feet and touched back down after fifty nine seconds in the air (Bellis). Today theres 1,568 commercial airlines and 23,844 aircrafts in commercial service (Fact Sheet: