Eagle's Lair
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Project Research:
Supersonic Shock Wave Mitigation

One of the biggest challenges to this project has been the mitigation of supersonic shock waves that will develop when the North American Eagle transitions from subsonic to transonic. This point of transition is called the sound barrier, or Mach 1. When the vehicle enters this region, shock waves are dispersed 360 degrees around the entire fuselage. The waves that propagate vertically between 90 and 270 degrees, and to the sides, do not interfere with our goal. The ones, however, that extend from 91 to 269 degrees could be detrimental to the attitude of the vehicle.

(A Blue Angel flies over the S.F. Bay at extremely low altitude & reveals the shock wave affecting the water.)

Airplane manufacturers, universities, and private laboratories around the world have been working on this problem since 2000. This project is called the Quiet Supersonic Platform (QSP). The goal of this Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) originated project is to reduce the sound levels of supersonic aircraft so that future aircraft traveling above Mach 1 can do so without breaking the windows of your house and causing migratory challenges to the wildlife. Companies like Northrop-Grumman and agencies like NASA have built an aircraft called the Shaped Sonic Boom Demonstration (SSBD) project.

Below are four examples of some 37 variations we are studying. These examples are not our final design, so please, don't send pro or con comments to us. They are here merely as an example of possiblities for consideration.

Click on any image above for larger view.

Next Steps

Our next step is to digitize the vehicle's exterior surface so we can analyze the structure using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Then, we will take our best design and manufacture a new nose cone. We will do this by first pulling molds from the existing nose cone, then build a master model. This tool will then be used to build one or more of the design variations. Utilizing our existing data acquisition system to gather measurements we will be conducting research during actual runs.

Very little information is known about shock waves generated from structures 4 inches off the ground. Our needs will be met when we can design a system to mitigate those shock waves and break the world land speed record in a relatively safe and controlled mode. The world will benefit when real time research might some day allow supersonic air travel over land. This research may lead to rockets that can be launched from airports.

We invite you to add a comment, or remark, about our program or the site.

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