8.1 Basic Aerodynamics

WINGSSS COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY
8.1 BASIC AERODYNAMICS
REF.DOC:-Module 08 AERODYNAMICS, MECHANICS OF FLIGHT, FAA 9A, 15A

Hours
Topic Level
Allotted
Physics of the Atmosphere 2 05
International Standard Atmosphere (ISA), application to aerodynamics .
1. PHYSICS OF THE ATMOSPHERE

DEFINITION:
The atmosphere is a thin layer of air that protects the Earth’s surface from extreme temperatures and harmful sun rays
Atmospheric Gases
(Mixture of gases, solids, and liquids)
1. Nitrogen - 78%
2. Oxygen - 21%
• Water Vapor – 0 to 4%
• Used for clouds and precipitation
3. Carbon Dioxide - .037%
• Keeps Earth warm and is used by plants to make food
4. Argon - .93%
• Traces of neon, helium, methane, krypton, xenon, hydrogen, and ozone
Layers of the Atmosphere

Atmosphere is divided into five major layers according to temperature variation. As we are moving in atmosphere away from the
earth surface temperature are decreases for some portion of atmosphere and increases for some part of atmosphere. Layers are
divided into five parts as given below.
1. Troposphere : 0km to 11km temperature decreases
2. Stratosphere : 11km to 50 / 70 km temperature increases
3. Mesosphere : 50 / 70 km to 85 km temperature decreases (coolest layer)
4. Thermosphere : 85km to 380 / 500 km temperature increases (hottest layer)
5. Exosphere: 380 / 500 km to infinity space…….
ISSUE REVISION TOTAL PAGES
ISSUE NO: 01 REVISION NO: 00

Page 1 of 11
DATE OF ISSUE :28/8/2020 REVISION DATE : 00
Prepared by Approved by
Harshal Birari S.S.Pandey


1. Troposphere:
• lowest layer – extends up to 11km;
• contains 99% of the water vapor and
• 75% of the atmospheric gases
• The troposphere is the first layer above the surface and contains most clouds and half of the Earth's
atmosphere.
• Weather occurs in this layer.
• Temperature cools about 6.5 degrees Celsius per kilometer of altitude. (lapse rate.)
2. Stratosphere –
 directly above troposphere, extending from 11 km to about 50 km / 70 km above Earth’s surface
 Portion of the upper layer contains high levels of a gas called ozone
 Many jet aircrafts fly in the stratosphere because it is very stable.
 Also, the ozone layer absorbs harmful rays from the Sun.
3. Mesosphere –
 Extends from the top of the stratosphere 70 km to about 85 km / 100 km above Earth.
 Coldest layer with little ozone.
 Ionosphere here – layer of charged particles.
4. Thermosphere –
a. Thickest atmospheric layer found between 85 km / 100 km and 500 km above Earth’s surface.
b. The thermosphere is a layer with auroras, known for its high temperatures.
c. Warms as it filters out X-rays and gamma rays from the Sun.
d. Ionosphere here, too – help carry radio waves.
5. Exosphere –
a. The atmosphere merges into space in the extremely thin exosphere.

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b. This is the upper limit of our atmosphere.
c. Outer layer where space shuttle orbits.
Temperature in atmospheric layers

1. The troposphere is warmed primarily by the Earth’s surface; temperature decreases as altitude increases in this layer.
2. Temperatures increase as altitude increases in the stratosphere, particularly in the upper portion – ozone.
3. Temperatures decrease with altitude in the mesosphere.
4. Thermosphere and exosphere are the first to receive Sun’s rays, so they are very hot
QUESTIONS (ASSIGNMENT 1)
1. What is atmosphere?
2. What are different layers of atmosphere?
3. What is importance of atmosphere, write in your words.
ATMOSPHERE PROPERTIES
Pressure
 PRESSURE:
 It is force acting on unit area of body when body is merged into fluid.
 In atmosphere by virtue of weight of air everything inside atmosphere is subjected to static pressure.
 Pressure is acting on body is same in all directions.
Absolute Pressure
 Absolute pressure

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 it is the sum of gauge pressure and atmospheric pressure.
 Gauge pressure
 it is a pressure measured by pressure gauge or barometer.
 It is also known as barometric pressure.
 Atmospheric pressure: The pressure at sea level exerted by atmosphere.
Relation between
Absolute, Gauge, Atmospheric pressure
Static Pressure
 pressure by virtue of weight of air molecules acting on body existing inside the atmosphere is known as static pressure
 sea level atmospheric pressure = 1.01325 Pa
 Sea level atmospheric pressure = 1 bar
 sea level atmospheric pressure = 1 atm
 Sea level atmospheric pressure = 14 psi
Dynamic Pressure

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 The pressure acting on body due to relative motion between air and body when a body is moving in air is known as
dynamic pressure.
 Numerical value is given by ½*ρv²
Total Pressure (Pitot pressure)

 Total pressure
 It is a summation of static pressure and dynamic pressure
 It is measured by pitot tube in aircraft.
 It is also known as pitot pressure.
P (total) = P (dynamic) + P (static)
DYNAMIC PRESSURE
Pressure Variation
 Atmospheric pressure decreases gradually as altitude increases.

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Temperature
 It is a index which measures an internal heat of a body.
 Temperature is directly proportional to the internal heat.
 To measure temperature two scales are mostly used.
 Relative scale in terms of ◦C (Degree Celsius)
 Absolute scale in terms of ◦K (Degree Kelvin)
Lapse Rate
 It is rate of change of temperature with respect to altitude.
 As altitude increases atmospheric temperature decreases.
 It is denoted by “λ” (lambda) or “L”
 λ = dt /dh = 0.0065 ◦C/m = 0.0065 ◦K/m
 λ = 6.5 ◦C/Km = 6.5 ◦K/Km

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Density
 DENSITY IS Defined as mass per unit volume.
 It is denoted by ρ (Rho)
 ρ = mass / volume
 Its unit is kg/m³

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Relative density (σ)

 It is defined as ratio of density of fluid to the density of standard fluid.
 It is denoted byσ (Sigma).
 It is also known as specific gravity
 It is dimensionless quantity. (no unit)
 In case of liquid , water is standard fluid
 In case of gas atmospheric sea level air is standard fluid.
 To calculate density at altitude we have to use these formulae
 σ (h) = ρ (h) / ρ (S.L.)
 σ (h) = (20 – h) / (20 + h)
Density variation
 Air density decreases as altitude increases.
Humidity

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 Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air.
 Water vapor is the gaseous state of water and is invisible.
 Humidity indicates the likelihood of precipitation, dew, or fog.
 Higher humidity reduces the effectiveness of sweating in cooling the body by reducing the rate of evaporation of
moisture from the skin.
 This effect is calculated in a heat index table or humidex.
Measurement of humidity
 There are three main measurements of humidity: absolute, relative and specific.
 Absolute humidity is the water content of air at a given temperature expressed in gram per cubic meter.
 Relative humidity, expressed as a percent, measures the current absolute humidity relative to the maximum (highest
point) for that temperature.
 Specific humidity is a ratio of the water vapor content of the mixture to the total air content on a mass basis.
2. International Standard Atmosphere
The International Standard Atmosphere (ISA) is an atmospheric model of how the pressure, temperature, density,

and viscosity of the Earth's atmosphere change over a wide range of altitudes or elevations.
It has been established to provide a common reference for temperature and pressure and consists of tables of values
at various altitudes, plus some formulas by which those values were derived.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) publishes the ISA as an international standard, ISO
2533:1975.
Other standards organizations, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the United States
Government, publish extensions or subsets of the same atmospheric model under their own standards-making
authority.
The ISA mathematical model divides the atmosphere into layers with linear temperature distributions.
The other two values (pressure and density) are computed by simultaneously solving the equations resulting from:
 the vertical pressure variation (which relates pressure, density and geopotential altitude), using a standard
pressure of 101,325 pascals (14.696 psi) at mean sea level as a boundary condition, and

Page 9 of 11


 The ideal gas law (which relates pressure, density, and temperature).
Air density must be calculated in order to solve for the pressure, and is used in calculating dynamic pressure for
moving vehicles.
Dynamic viscosity is an empirical function of temperature, and kinematic viscosity is calculated by dividing dynamic
viscosity by the density.
Thus the standard consists of a tabulation of values at various altitudes, plus some formulas by which those values
were derived.
 For example, at mean sea level the standard gives a

 pressure = 101,325 pascals (14.6959 psi) (1 atm), a
 temperature = 15 °C (59 °F), a
 temperature lapse rate = −6.5 °C (20.3 °F) per km
(roughly−2°C (-3.6°F) per 1,000 ft), and a
 density = 1.2250 kilograms per cubic meter
(0.07647 lb/cu ft).
The tropospheric tabulation continues to 11,000 meters (36,089 ft), where the pressure has fallen to 22,632 pascals
(3.2825 psi), the temperature to −56.5 °C (−69.7 °F), and the density to 0.3639 kilograms per cubic meter
(0.02272 lb/cu ft).
 Between 11 km and 20 km, the temperature remains constant.
To allow modeling conditions below mean sea level, the troposphere actually extends to about −610 meters
(−2,000 ft), where the temperature is 19 °C (66 °F), pressure is 108,900 pascals(15.79 psi), and density is 1.2985
kilograms per cubic meter (0.08106 lb/cu ft).

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Lapse rate given per kilometer of geo potential altitude
In the above table, geo potential altitude is calculated from a mathematical model that adjusts the altitude to
include the variation of gravity with height, while geometric altitude is the standard direct vertical distance above
mean sea level.
Note that the Lapse Rates cited in the table are given as °C per kilometer of geopotential altitude, not geometric
altitude.
The ISA model is based on average conditions at mid latitudes, as determined by the ISO's TC 20/SC 6 technical
committee.
It has been revised from time to time since the middle of the 20th century.

Page 11 of 11

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WINGSSS COLLEGE OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY

8.1 BASIC AERODYNAMICS

REF.DOC:-Module 08 AERODYNAMICS, MECHANICS OF FLIGHT, FAA 9A, 15A

1. PHYSICS OF THE ATMOSPHERE

• Used for clouds and precipitation

3. Carbon Dioxide - .037%

• Keeps Earth warm and is used by plants to make food

• Traces of neon, helium, methane, krypton, xenon, hydrogen, and ozone

Layers of the Atmosphere

2. Stratosphere : 11km to 50 / 70 km temperature increases

3. Mesosphere : 50 / 70 km to 85 km temperature decreases (coolest layer)

4. Thermosphere : 85km to 380 / 500 km temperature increases (hottest layer)

5. Exosphere: 380 / 500 km to infinity space…….

ISSUE REVISION TOTAL PAGES

ISSUE NO: 01 REVISION NO: 00

Harshal Birari S.S.Pandey

8.1 BASIC AERODYNAMICS

REF.DOC:-Module 08 AERODYNAMICS, MECHANICS OF FLIGHT, FAA 9A, 15A

• lowest layer – extends up to 11km;

• contains 99% of the water vapor and

• 75% of the atmospheric gases

• Weather occurs in this layer.

 directly above troposphere, extending from 11 km to about 50 km / 70 km above Earth’s surface

 Many jet aircrafts fly in the stratosphere because it is very stable.

d. Ionosphere here, too – help carry radio waves.

a. The atmosphere merges into space in the extremely thin exosphere.

ISSUE REVISION TOTAL PAGES

ISSUE NO: 01 REVISION NO: 00

Harshal Birari S.S.Pandey

8.1 BASIC AERODYNAMICS

REF.DOC:-Module 08 AERODYNAMICS, MECHANICS OF FLIGHT, FAA 9A, 15A

c. Outer layer where space shuttle orbits.

Temperature in atmospheric layers

3. Temperatures decrease with altitude in the mesosphere.

2. What are different layers of atmosphere?

3. What is importance of atmosphere, write in your words.

 Pressure is acting on body is same in all directions.

ISSUE REVISION TOTAL PAGES

ISSUE NO: 01 REVISION NO: 00

Harshal Birari S.S.Pandey

8.1 BASIC AERODYNAMICS

REF.DOC:-Module 08 AERODYNAMICS, MECHANICS OF FLIGHT, FAA 9A, 15A

 it is a pressure measured by pressure gauge or barometer.

 It is also known as barometric pressure.

 Atmospheric pressure: The pressure at sea level exerted by atmosphere.

 sea level atmospheric pressure = 1.01325 Pa

 Sea level atmospheric pressure = 1 bar

 sea level atmospheric pressure = 1 atm

 Sea level atmospheric pressure = 14 psi

ISSUE REVISION TOTAL PAGES

ISSUE NO: 01 REVISION NO: 00

Harshal Birari S.S.Pandey

8.1 BASIC AERODYNAMICS

REF.DOC:-Module 08 AERODYNAMICS, MECHANICS OF FLIGHT, FAA 9A, 15A

 Numerical value is given by ½*ρv²

Total Pressure (Pitot pressure)

 It is a summation of static pressure and dynamic pressure

 It is measured by pitot tube in aircraft.

 It is also known as pitot pressure.

P (total) = P (dynamic) + P (static)

ISSUE REVISION TOTAL PAGES

ISSUE NO: 01 REVISION NO: 00

Harshal Birari S.S.Pandey

8.1 BASIC AERODYNAMICS