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IT Home reported on August 12 that a research team from Northwestern Polytechnical University in China made a breakthrough and developed a new wing design with holes, which is expected to effectively reduce sonic booms and improve the aerodynamic efficiency of the aircraft.

Image source: Pexels

As we all know, sonic boom is the shock wave generated by supersonic flight, which not only causes huge noise pollution, but may even cause the glass of buildings to break.This is also the key obstacle restricting the development of supersonic civil aircraft.The design of traditional wings follows Bernoulli's principle, that is, the air on the upper surface of the wing flows faster and the pressure is lower, while the air on the lower surface flows slower and the pressure is higher, thus generating lift. However, when the aircraft approaches the speed of sound, shock waves are formed around the wing, causing turbulence and increased drag, which reduces lift and produces harmful vibrations.

The research team, led by Professor Gao Chao of the School of Aeronautics, found through computer simulations and wind tunnel experiments thatDesigning specific holes in the wings can effectively disrupt shock waves and reduce vibrations, while also improving aerodynamic efficiency by more than 10%.

Currently, there are only a few countries that can build supersonic aircraft, because it requires special and expensive materials to withstand the huge pressure generated by supersonic flight. In addition, the sonic boom problem has led to strict restrictions on supersonic aircraft flying in densely populated areas, and ultimately led to the retirement of the Concorde supersonic passenger aircraft in 2003.

The team's solution is simple and ingenious. They installed a device on the wing holes that only opens when the aircraft exceeds the speed of sound, thereby effectively controlling the airflow around the wing. The hole is also equipped with an air pump that can adjust the jet intensity and reduce turbulence at the leading edge of the wing, thereby reducing wing vibration. Although this design will slightly reduce lift, the reduction in overall drag has improved the lift-to-drag ratio.

at present,The team is planning further wind tunnel testing to refine the technology.At the same time, IT Home noticed that many research teams around the world are also actively exploring ways to solve the problem of supersonic flight, including adding grooves or protrusions on the wing surface, using mechanical devices to suppress shock waves, and applying piezoelectric films to control airflow. The experimental supersonic aircraft X-59, developed by NASA and Lockheed Martin, is scheduled to make its first test flight this year. The aircraft uses a slender nose and a cockpit without a front windshield, which is designed to significantly reduce the noise of sonic booms.

Professor Gao Chao's team is confident in their solution. They pointed out in their research report: "Using jet control to suppress shock wave vibration can reduce the total drag, although there is a slight loss of lift, so the lift-to-drag ratio is increased."

The team's research results have been published in the Journal of Aerodynamics.