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MachWire Comics #12: EchoeSs^2

machnbirdsparoPosted for Everyone to comment on, 5 years ago4 min read

Imagine seeing something --and then-> hearing it. Isn’t that like an echo of dynamic expression. The idea of a sonic wave crashing upon itself.

Could, what sounds like a boom, an explosion, actually be closely spaced echoes?

These and other silly questions are important considerations of HYPERSONIC flight.

MachWire Comics #12: EchoeSs^2
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First, allow me to go into the most important discovery of the history of aviation- THE CAMBERED WING DESIGN. This is why the Wright Brothers are known throughout the world. This is why they succeeded while so many others failed.

The Wrights discovered that air must flow faster over the top of a wing whose surface area is greater than that of its underside.


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And there we have it:

  • Why there must be curves in the air?
  • Why do we draw clouds with curves?
  • Why do feathers bend?
  • Why do (airplane) wings flap?
  • And why are longer wings, which are more economical, more prone to snapping in half.

Or must it?

An Overview of the Science behind Hypersonic Flight


(or as Speed Racer likes to call it - Mach 5)

Flying triangles.
No, not those found in the Stargate media franchise. These are now popular projects that are no longer limited to the United States.


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That is?.. NOT ...a paper airplane...

Understanding how curved wing designs move toward flying triangles/wedges becomes easier upon observing basic concepts.

Speed over the top of the wing is what is important to provide lift even after reaching Mach 1, the sonic boom. If you notice though, faster jets have more equal top and bottom wing designs.

At Mach 5, five times the speed of sound, something special happens. Instead of the speed of sound crashing upon it self, the sonic boom crashes upon itself. Read that again. This is not a technical definition, and there are other things that occur here, but this is a backstory to a comic so lets leave.


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The chief characteristic of hypersonic aerodynamics is that the temperature of the flow is so great that the chemistry of the diatomic molecules of the air must be considered. - NASA - GRC
Don't read that again, instead visit the source. It's just a couple of paragraphs or better yet, move on to the rest of the toon explanation as to why the concern is about getting the air through the engine/aircraft, like swimming.

First, one really needs to understand what a sonic boom is. Please SEE this post, It went. Boom! if you still need to grasp breaking the sound barrier. Yes, the post focuses more on artistic expression than description but, it will help with visualizing the power of a mere sonic boom.

So flying at hypersonic speeds is almost unimaginable. Air density is such a limiting factor that these flights often take place at the edge of space.


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What happens at Mach 5 where curves (recall the intro) are no longer the main path of air particles. The BOOM^2, an explosion meeting an explosion, results in CLEARLY DEFINED angular paths of the air particles. The flying wedge design beginning to make sense now?

Another key element is FORCING AIR THROUGH THE AIRCRAFT. The science has even found specific points within this transition.

See, I told you. From curves to wedges.


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Here is coverage from a NASA wind tunnel in 2017.


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Amazing huh. Kinda tooney. One day, time and inspiration willing, I would like a comic series here- with a star character. If it were anything like me, stars would be nice to look at but, space travel a claustrophobic infrequency. Though... I would stop short of saying hypersonics are Earthlings.

Let me know if you wish me to go into more detail. This was off the top of my head. Been a while since I reported on it, but I still think of hypersonic flight rather frequently.


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Let me know if you want the name of a good movie :)

Time to ride the wire, fly b-eye why're…

NOTE: When reading this series of MachWire Comics posted during The Beast 2 event, please view them as comics. The accompanying sketches are unavailable due to my current computer woes that do not allow the images taken by phone to sync to my PC. Sorry.

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