Blended wing body

Last updated
A rendering of the US Air Force blended wing body aircraft project JetZero blended wing body aircraft prototype concept art.jpg
A rendering of the US Air Force blended wing body aircraft project

A blended wing body (BWB), also known as blended body, hybrid wing body (HWB) or a lifting aerofoil fuselage, [1] is a fixed-wing aircraft having no clear dividing line between the wings and the main body of the craft. [2] The aircraft has distinct wing and body structures, which are smoothly blended together with no clear dividing line. [3] This contrasts with a flying wing, which has no distinct fuselage, and a lifting body, which has no distinct wings. A BWB design may or may not be tailless.

Contents

The main advantage of the BWB is to reduce wetted area and the accompanying form drag associated with a conventional wing-body junction. It may also be given a wide airfoil-shaped body, allowing the entire craft to generate lift and thus reducing the size and drag of the wings.

The BWB configuration is used for both aircraft and underwater gliders.

History

The N3-X NASA concept NASA N3-X hybrid wing aircraft.jpg
The N3-X NASA concept

In the early 1920s Nicolas Woyevodsky developed a theory of the BWB and, following wind tunnel tests, the Westland Dreadnought was built. It stalled on its first flight in 1924, severely injuring the pilot, and the project was cancelled. The idea was proposed again in the early 1940s for a Miles M.26 airliner project and the Miles M.30 "X Minor" research prototype was built to investigate it. The McDonnell XP-67 prototype interceptor also flew in 1944 but did not meet expectations. The 1944 Burnelli CBY-3 Loadmaster was a blended wing design intended for Canadian bush operations. [4]

NASA and McDonnell Douglas returned to the concept in the 1990s with an artificially stabilized 17-foot (5.2 m) model (6% scale) called BWB-17, built by Stanford University, which was flown in 1997 and showed good handling qualities. [5] :16 From 2000 NASA went on to develop a remotely controlled research model with a 21-foot (6.4 m) wingspan.

NASA has also jointly explored BWB designs for the Boeing X-48 unmanned aerial vehicle. [6] Studies suggested that a BWB airliner carrying from 450 to 800 passengers could achieve fuel savings of over 20 percent. [5] :21

Airbus is studying a BWB design as a possible replacement for the A320neo family. A sub-scale model flew for the first time in June 2019 as part of the MAVERIC (Model Aircraft for Validation and Experimentation of Robust Innovative Controls) programme, which Airbus hopes will help it reduce CO2 emissions by up to 50% relative to 2005 levels. [7]

The N3-X NASA concept uses a number of superconducting electric motors to drive the distributed fans to lower the fuel burn, emissions, and noise. The power to drive these electric fans is generated by two wingtip-mounted gas-turbine-driven superconducting electric generators. This idea for a possible future aircraft is called a "hybrid wing body" or sometimes a blended wing body. In this design, the wing blends seamlessly into the body of the aircraft, which makes it extremely aerodynamic and holds great promise for dramatic reductions in fuel consumption, noise and emissions. NASA develops concepts like these to test in computer simulations and as models in wind tunnels to prove whether the possible benefits would actually occur.[ citation needed ]

2020s

In 2020, Airbus presented a BWB concept as part of its ZEROe initiative and demonstrated a small-scale aircraft. [8] [9] In 2022, Bombardier announced its EcoJet project. [9] [10] [ better source needed ] In 2023, California startup JetZero announced its Z5 project, designed to carry 250 passengers, targeting the New Midmarket Airplane category, expecting to use existing CFM International LEAP or Pratt & Whitney PW1000G 35,000 lbf (160 kN) engines. [11] [12] In August 2023, the U.S. Air Force announced a $235-million contract awarded over a four-year period to JetZero, culminating in first flight of the full-scale demonstrator by the first quarter of 2027. The goal of the contract is to demonstrate the capabilities of BWB technology, giving the Department of Defense and commercial industry more options for their future air platforms. [13] [14]

Following this development, JetZero has received FAA clearance for test flights of its Pathfinder, a 'blended-wing' demonstrator plane designed to significantly reduce drag and fuel consumption. This innovative design could potentially lower emissions by 50%. Scheduled for full-scale development by 2030, JetZero plans to create variants for passengers, cargo, and military use. The project faces challenges in certification and integration with current airport infrastructures. [15]

Characteristics

The wide interior spaces created by the blending pose novel structural challenges. NASA has been studying foam-clad stitched-fabric carbon fiber composite skinning to create uninterrupted cabin space. [16]

The BWB form minimizes the total wetted area – the surface area of the aircraft skin, thus reducing skin drag to a minimum. It also creates a thickening of the wing root area, allowing a more efficient structure and reduced weight compared to a conventional craft. NASA also plans to integrate Ultra High Bypass (UHB) ratio jet engines with the hybrid wing body. [17]

A conventional tubular fuselage carries 12–13% of the total lift compared to 31–43% carried by the centerbody in a BWB, where an intermediate lifting-fuselage configuration better suited to narrowbody-sized airliners would carry 25–32% for a 6.1–8.2% increase in fuel efficiency. [18]

BWB Composite.jpg M2-F1 in flight (ECN-225).jpg
Spectrum of aircraft design concepts. From left to right: conventional airliner (Boeing 757), blended wing body (B-1 Lancer), flying wing with bulged fairings (B-2 Spirit), and almost clean flying wing (Northrop YB-49) and Lifting body (M2-F1).

Potential advantages

Potential disadvantages

List of blended wing body aircraft

The Northrop BAT UAV in flight from below Northrop Grumman Bat UAV in flight in June 2014.JPG
The Northrop BAT UAV in flight from below
TypeCountryClassRoleDateStatusNo.Notes
Airbus Maveric MultinationalUAVExperimental2019Prototype1 [28] [29]
Boeing X-45 USUAVExperimental2002Prototype2
Boeing X-48 (C)USUAVExperimental2013Prototype2Two engine
Boeing X-48 (B)USUAVExperimental2007Prototype2Three engine
Lockheed A-12, M-21 and YF-12 USJetReconnaissance1962Production18YF-12 was a prototype interceptor
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird USJetReconnaissance1964Production32
Northrop Grumman Bat USProp/electricReconnaissance2006Production10
McDonnell XP-67 USPropellerFighter1944Prototype1Aerofoil profile maintained throughout.
McDonnell / NASA BWB-17USUAVExperimental1997Prototype1
Miles M.30 UKPropellerExperimental1942Prototype1
Rockwell B-1 Lancer USJetBomber1974Production104 Variable-sweep wing
Tupolev Tu-160 USSRJetBomber1981Production36 Variable-sweep wing
Tupolev Tu-404 RussiaPropellerAirliner1991Project0One of two alternatives studied
Westland Dreadnought UKPropellerTransport1924Prototype1Mail plane. Aerofoil profile maintained throughout.
Image of the "Boeing 797" from Popular Science, 2003 Blended Wing Concept Art.jpg
Image of the "Boeing 797" from Popular Science , 2003

A concept photo of a blended wing body commercial aircraft appeared in the November 2003 issue of Popular Science magazine. [30] Artists Neill Blomkamp and Simon van de Lagemaat from The Embassy Visual Effects created the photo for the magazine using computer graphics software to depict the future of aviation and air travel. [31] In 2006 the image was used in an email hoax claiming that Boeing had developed a 1000-passenger jetliner (the "Boeing 797") with a "radical Blended Wing design" and Boeing refuted the claim. [32] [33] [34]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aircraft</span> Vehicle or machine that is able to fly by gaining support from the air

An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, in a few cases, direct downward thrust from its engines. Common examples of aircraft include airplanes, helicopters, airships, gliders, paramotors, and hot air balloons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing 737</span> Single-aisle airliner family by Boeing

The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body airliner produced by Boeing at its Renton factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retained the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating but with two underwing Pratt & Whitney JT8D low-bypass turbofan engines. Envisioned in 1964, the initial 737-100 made its first flight in April 1967 and entered service in February 1968 with Lufthansa. The lengthened 737-200 entered service in April 1968, and evolved through four generations, offering several variants for 85 to 215 passengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flying wing</span> Tailless fixed-wing aircraft that has no definite fuselage

A flying wing is a tailless fixed-wing aircraft that has no definite fuselage, with its crew, payload, fuel, and equipment housed inside the main wing structure. A flying wing may have various small protuberances such as pods, nacelles, blisters, booms, or vertical stabilizers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supersonic transport</span> Airliner faster than the speed of sound

A supersonic transport (SST) or a supersonic airliner is a civilian supersonic aircraft designed to transport passengers at speeds greater than the speed of sound. To date, the only SSTs to see regular service have been Concorde and the Tupolev Tu-144. The last passenger flight of the Tu-144 was in June 1978 and it was last flown in 1999 by NASA. Concorde's last commercial flight was in October 2003, with a November 26, 2003 ferry flight being its last airborne operation. Following the permanent cessation of flying by Concorde, there are no remaining SSTs in commercial service. Several companies have each proposed a supersonic business jet, which may bring supersonic transport back again.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jet airliner</span> Passenger aircraft powered by jet engines

A jet airliner or jetliner is an airliner powered by jet engines. Airliners usually have two or four jet engines; three-engined designs were popular in the 1970s but are less common today. Airliners are commonly classified as either the large wide-body aircraft, medium narrow-body aircraft and smaller regional jet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wingtip device</span> Aircraft component fixed to the end of the wings to improve performance

Wingtip devices are intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft by reducing drag. Although there are several types of wing tip devices which function in different manners, their intended effect is always to reduce an aircraft's drag. Wingtip devices can also improve aircraft handling characteristics and enhance safety for following aircraft. Such devices increase the effective aspect ratio of a wing without greatly increasing the wingspan. Extending the span would lower lift-induced drag, but would increase parasitic drag and would require boosting the strength and weight of the wing. At some point, there is no net benefit from further increased span. There may also be operational considerations that limit the allowable wingspan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing Sonic Cruiser</span> Concept high-subsonic jet airliner with delta wing-canard configuration

The Boeing Sonic Cruiser was a concept jet airliner with a delta wing–canard configuration. It was distinguished from conventional airliners by its delta wing and high-subsonic cruising speed of up to Mach 0.98. Boeing first proposed it in 2001, but airlines generally preferred lower operating costs over higher speed. Boeing ended the Sonic Cruiser project in December 2002 and shifted to the slower but more fuel-efficient 7E7 airliner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing X-48</span> Airplane

The Boeing X-48 is an American experimental unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) built to investigate the characteristics of blended wing body (BWB) aircraft. Boeing designed the X-48 and two examples were built by Cranfield Aerospace in the UK. Boeing began flight testing the X-48B version for NASA in 2007. The X-48B was later modified into the X-48C version, which was flight tested from August 2012 to April 2013. Boeing and NASA plan to develop a larger BWB demonstrator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airplane</span> Powered, flying vehicle with wings

An airplane or aeroplane, informally plane, is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spectrum of uses for airplanes includes recreation, transportation of goods and people, military, and research. Worldwide, commercial aviation transports more than four billion passengers annually on airliners and transports more than 200 billion tonne-kilometers of cargo annually, which is less than 1% of the world's cargo movement. Most airplanes are flown by a pilot on board the aircraft, but some are designed to be remotely or computer-controlled such as drones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydrogen-powered aircraft</span> Type of airplane

A hydrogen-powered aircraft is an aeroplane that uses hydrogen fuel as a power source. Hydrogen can either be burned in a jet engine or another kind of internal combustion engine, or can be used to power a fuel cell to generate electricity to power an electric propulsor. It cannot be stored in a traditional wet wing, and hydrogen tanks have to be housed in the fuselage or be supported by the wing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aircraft design process</span> Establishing the configuration and plans for a new aeroplane

The aircraft design process is a loosely defined method used to balance many competing and demanding requirements to produce an aircraft that is strong, lightweight, economical and can carry an adequate payload while being sufficiently reliable to safely fly for the design life of the aircraft. Similar to, but more exacting than, the usual engineering design process, the technique is highly iterative, involving high-level configuration tradeoffs, a mixture of analysis and testing and the detailed examination of the adequacy of every part of the structure. For some types of aircraft, the design process is regulated by civil airworthiness authorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing Truss-Braced Wing</span> Aircraft research program

Boeing Truss-Braced Wing are airliner designs studied by Boeing with braced, high aspect ratio wings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fuel economy in aircraft</span> Aircraft fuel efficiency

The fuel economy in aircraft is the measure of the transport energy efficiency of aircraft. Fuel efficiency is increased with better aerodynamics and by reducing weight, and with improved engine brake-specific fuel consumption and propulsive efficiency or thrust-specific fuel consumption. Endurance and range can be maximized with the optimum airspeed, and economy is better at optimum altitudes, usually higher. An airline efficiency depends on its fleet fuel burn, seating density, air cargo and passenger load factor, while operational procedures like maintenance and routing can save fuel.

The ecoDemonstrator Program is a Boeing flight test research program, which has used a series of specially modified aircraft to develop and test aviation technologies designed to improve fuel economy and reduce the noise and ecological footprint of airliners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aurora D8</span> Airliner concept

The Aurora D8, also known as the D8 Airliner, is an airliner concept under development as of mid 2017. The project was initiated in 2008 by Aurora Flight Sciences, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Pratt & Whitney under NASA's sponsorship of $2.9 million.

A hybrid electric aircraft is an aircraft with a hybrid electric powertrain. As the energy density of lithium-ion batteries is much lower than aviation fuel, a hybrid electric powertrain may effectively increase flight range compared to pure electric aircraft. By May 2018, there were over 30 hybrid electric aircraft projects, and short-haul hybrid-electric airliners were envisioned from 2032.

The Airbus MAVERIC is an experimental blended wing body (BWB) unmanned aerial vehicle. It was built as a demonstrator for a possible full-scale BWB airliner. Airbus claims that this design can reduce fuel consumption by up to 20%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Page (engineer)</span> American aerospace engineer

Mark Page is an American aerodynamicist and aerospace engineer. He is most known for his contributions to the design of UAVs and Blended Wing Body (BWB) aircraft. He is currently the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at JetZero.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing X-66</span> Experimental aircraft

The Boeing X-66 is an experimental airliner under development by Boeing. It is part of the X-plane series, and is being developed in collaboration with NASA and its Sustainable Flight Demonstrator program. It will use an extra-long and thin wing design stabilized by diagonal bracing struts, which is known as a Transonic Truss-Braced Wing. The aircraft configuration is based on research studies referred to as "Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Reach (SUGAR)" which extensively studied truss-bracing and hybrid electric technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JetZero</span> American aviation company

JetZero is a startup company in the aviation industry founded in Long Beach, California, in 2021. It focuses on blended wing body aircraft. The U.S. Air Force, NASA, and a small group of private investors supplied the initial funding.

References

  1. Wragg, David W. (1973). A Dictionary of Aviation (first ed.). Osprey. p. 177. ISBN   978-0-85045-163-4.
  2. 1 2 Thomas, Russell H.; Burley, Casey L.; Olson, Erik D. (2010). "Hybrid Wing Body Aircraft System Noise Assessment With Propulsion Airframe Aeroacoustic Experiments" (PDF). Retrieved 26 January 2013. Presentation Archived 2013-05-16 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Crane, Dale. Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition. Newcastle, Washington: Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. ISBN   1-56027-287-2. p. 224.
  4. Bridgman, Leonard, ed. (1947). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1947. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. pp. 96c–97c.
  5. 1 2 Liebeck, R.H. (January–February 2004). "Design of the Blended Wing Body Subsonic Transport" (PDF). Journal of Aircraft. 41 (1): 10–25. doi:10.2514/1.9084.
  6. "A flight toward the future." Archived December 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Boeing , August 7, 2012 Retrieved: November 23, 2012.
  7. Reim, Garrett (11 February 2020). "Airbus studies blended-wing airliner designs to slash fuel burn". Flight Global.
  8. "Airbus reveals new zero emission concept aircraft" (Press release). Airbus. 21 September 2020.
  9. 1 2 Kevin Michaels (June 1, 2023). "Opinion: Why It Is Time For The Blended Wing Body". Aviation Week.
  10. Verdon, Michael (May 30, 2023). "Bombardier's New Blended-Wing 'EcoJet' Cuts Emissions by 50%—and It's Hitting the Skies Soon". Robb Report.
  11. 1 2 Norris, Guy; Warwick, Graham (21 April 2023). "JetZero Unveils Midmarket Airliner And Air Force Tanker BWB Plan". aviationweek.com. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  12. Roza, David (May 2, 2023). "As USAF Considers a Blended-Wing Body Tanker, New Startup Reveals Its Concept". Air & Space Forces Magazine.
  13. Marrow, Michael (16 August 2023). "Air Force picks startup JetZero to build blended wing body demonstrator". breakingdefense.com. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  14. Alcock, Charles (16 August 2023). "JetZero's blended-wing body aircraft boosted by U.S. Air Force contract". futureflight.aero. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  15. Prisco, Jacopo (2024-04-04). "JetZero: Groundbreaking 'blended-wing' demonstrator plane cleared to fly". CNN. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  16. Bullis, Kevin (January 24, 2013). "NASA has demonstrated a manufacturing breakthrough that will allow hybrid wing aircraft to be scaled up". MIT Technology Review .
  17. Braukus, Michael; Barnstorff, Kathy (Jan 7, 2013). "NASA's Green Aviation Research Throttles Up Into Second Gear". NASA . Retrieved Jan 26, 2013.
  18. 1 2 Warwick, Graham (Aug 22, 2016). "Finding Ultra-Efficient Designs For Smaller Airliners". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  19. Warwick, Graham (21 May 2007). "Boeing works with airlines on commercial blended wing body freighter". Flight Global. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  20. "Blended Wing Body Fact Sheet". NASA. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
  21. Finnerty, Ryan (2022-10-12). "US Air Force to test blended-wing logistics aircraft by 2027". Flight Global. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  22. Warwick, Graham (Jan 12, 2013). "Hear This – The BWB is Quiet!". Aviation Week .
  23. Galea, E. R.; Filippidis, L.; Wang, Z.; Lawrence, P. J.; Ewer, J. (2011). "Evacuation Analysis of 1000+ Seat Blended Wing Body Aircraft Configurations: Computer Simulations and Full-scale Evacuation Experiment". Pedestrian and Evacuation Dynamics. pp. 151–61. doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-9725-8_14. ISBN   978-1-4419-9724-1. S2CID   55673992.
  24. Galea, Ed. "Evacuation analysis of 1000+ seat Blended Wing Body aircraft configurations". Evacmod (video). Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  25. 1 2 "Boeing not convinced by blended wing aircraft design". Institution of Mechanical Engineers . June 16, 2015.
  26. 1 2 Page, Mark (2018-09-14). "Single-aisle Airliner Disruption with a single-deck blended-wing-body" (PDF). ICAS. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-12-20.
  27. 1 2 3 "Don't look for commercial BWB airplane any time soon, says Boeing's future airplanes head". Leeham News. April 3, 2018.
  28. "Airbus reveals its blended wing aircraft demonstrator". Airbus (Press release). Singapore. 11 February 2020. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  29. Caroline Delbert (2020-02-13). "Will People Fly In This 'Blended Wing' Airplane? Airbus Built a Prototype To Find Out". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  30. "The Future of Flight". Popular Science. Vol. 263, no. 5. Bonnier Corporation. November 2003. pp. 83–86.
  31. "Future Flight: A Gallery of the Next Century in Aviation". Popular Science. 2003-10-16. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  32. "New Boeing 797 Giant "Blended Wing" Passenger Airliner-Fiction!". TruthOrFiction.com . March 17, 2015.
  33. Christensen, Brett M. (April 19, 2012). "Boeing 797 Hoax". Hoax-Slayer. Archived from the original on 2012-04-23.
  34. Baseler, Randy. "Air mail." Boeing blogs: Randy's Journal, November 1, 2006. Retrieved: November 22, 2012.

Further reading