ASSIGNMENT - 01

AIR BREATHING
PROPULSION (AC8501)

1. Evolution of aircraft engines

systems
2. Classification of aircraft engine
1. EVOLUTION OF AIRCRAFT ENGINES
SYSTEM
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The aviation industry has gone through various technological advancements. The first aircraft
was equipped with gasoline engines which consisted of pistons and carburetors. But the
modern aircraft today feature powerful jet engines.

The “Wright Brothers Flyer” introduced in 1903 was powered by a simple in-line four cylinder,
gasoline engine. It was the first ever aircraft engine made from cast iron and machined by hand.
Even though the engine’s horsepower exceeded the amount which the Wright Brothers had
originally planned, it still only produced 12 horsepower, which is roughly the same as a riding
lawnmower.
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In 1943, the American fighter plane P51B “mustang” featured an internal combustion engine.
Its theory was same as that of Wright brother’s engine. The Merlin engine in the “mustang”
(designated V-1650-3 Packard Merlin engine) produced 1,520 horsepower and allowing the
plane to have a cruising speed of 340 knots at 10,000 feet.
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Jet technology came into operation in 1952 when the de Havilland Comet jetliner initiated first
ever commercial operation with jet engine. This new jet liner was powered by two pairs of de
Havilland Ghost 50 Mk1 turbojet engines, which produced 5,000 lbf (22.5 kN) of thrust.

Jet engine enhanced faster, quieter and comfortable flight experience satisfying majority of
airline passengers. The jet technology has become a huge success today.
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Jet engines create forward thrust by taking in a large amount of air and discharging it as a high-
speed jet of gas. The way they’re designed allows aircraft to fly faster and further compared to
propeller-driven aircraft. Commercial air travel has been more efficient, practical and profitable
after the development and advancement of jet engines over the period of the last 65 years.

General Electric GEnx, CFM international CFM56, Rolls Royce Trent XWB, Pratt and Whitney
PW1000G are some of the brilliant jet engines today.
2. CLASSIFICATION OF AIRCRAFT ENGINE
1. EXTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

1. External Combustion Engine.

External combustion engines are steam, stirling, or nuclear engines. In these types, all
heat transfer takes place through the engine wall. This is in contrast to an internal
combustion engine where the heat input is by combustion of a fuel within the body of
the working fluid.

1.1 Steam Engines.

Steam aircraft are aircraft that are propelled by steam engines. They were unusual
devices because of the difficulty in producing a power plant with a high enough power to
weight ratio to be practical.
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1.2 Stirling Engines.
A stirling engine is a heat engine having either air or other gas as a working fluid. It operates by cyclic
compression and expansion of the working fluid, at different temperature levels such that there is a
net conversion of heat energy to mechanical work.

1.3 Nuclear Engines.

A nuclear aircraft is an aircraft powered by nuclear energy. Research into them was pursued during the Cold
War by the United States and the Soviet Union as they would presumably allow a country to keep nuclear
bombers in the air for extremely long periods of time, a useful tactic for nuclear deterrence. Neither country
created any nuclear aircraft in production numbers. One design problem, never adequately solved, was the
need for heavy shielding to protect the crew from radiation sickness. Also, in consideration, was the ecological
impact of a crash during operations. Should one of these aircrafts were to crash in a populated area, the
radiation fallout could have been disastrous.
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As described in the previous slide, the three external combustion engines are not
appropriate for employment in aviation field for different reasons.
● Steam engines are only appropriate for small aircrafts while large ones need heavy
boilers, piping and other accessories.
● Stirling engines generate also low power which is also improper for present aircrafts.
● Nuclear engines have two drawbacks regarding shielding of flight crew and passengers
versus radiation, as well as the risk of crash in residence areas leading to catastrophic
situation.
2. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

Internal combustion engines have two broad categories shaft and reaction engines.

● Shaft engines are either of the intermittent or continuous types.

● The reaction engines. This engine group is either of the athodyd (where athodyd stands
for Aero THermODYnamic Duct) or turbine types.

2.1 Shaft Engines.

Based on type of combustion are classified into two subgroups intermittent combustion and
continuous combustion.

2.1.1 Intermittent Combustion.

Intermittent combustion engines are either Wankel or Reciprocating engines
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2.1.1.1 Wankel Engines.

The Wankel engine invented by German engineer Felix Wankel in 1950, is a type of internal combustion engine
which uses a rotary design to convert pressure into a rotating motion.

Below figure illustrates Diamond DA20 aircraft powered by Wankel engine. Its four-stroke cycle takes place in a
space between the inside of an oval like epitrochoid-shaped housing and a rotor that is similar in shape to a
Reuleaux triangle but with sides that are somewhat flatter.

Wankel engines operate at a relatively high rotational speed with relatively low torque, thus, propeller aircraft
must use a Propeller Speed Reduction Unit (PSRU) to keep conventional propellers within the proper speed
range.
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2.1.1.2 Piston Engine.

A Piston engine, also often known as a reciprocating engine, is a heat engine that uses
one or more reciprocating pistons to convert pressure into a rotating motion. Piston
engines may be classified into five groups. These are in-line, rotary, V-type, radial, and
opposed. These engines are coupled to a propeller to furnish the forward flight of
airplanes.
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2.1.2 Continuous Combustion Engines.

Continuous combustion engines are mainly turbine shaft engines. It includes turboprop
turboshaft and propfan engines. They are featured with rotating elements known as
turbomachines, as sub-modules. These modules may be fan, compressor(s), and turbine(s) as
well as propellers/propfans.
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2.1.2.1 Turboprop Engine.
A turboprop engine is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of
an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air is
drawn into the intake and compressed by the compressor. Fuel is then added to the
compressed air in the combustor, where the fuel-air mixture then combusts. The hot
combustion gases expand through the turbine. Some of the power generated by the turbine is
used to drive the compressor
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2.1.2.2 Turboshaft Engines.

A turboshaft engine is a form of gas turbine that is optimized to produce shaftpower

rather than jet thrust. In concept, turboshaft engines are very similar to turbojets, with
additional turbine expansion to extract heat energy from the exhaust and convert it into
output shaft power. They are even more similar to turboprops, with only minor
differences, and a single engine is often sold in both forms
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2.1.2.3 Propfan Engine.

A propfan, also called an open rotor engine, or unducted fan (as opposed to a ducted
fan), is a type of aircraft engine related in concept to both the turboprop and turbofan,
but distinct from both. The design is intended to offer the speed and performance of a
turbofan, with the fuel economy of a turboprop. A propfan is typically designed with a
large number of short, highly twisted blades, similar to a turbofan's bypass compressor
(the fan itself). For this reason, the propfan has been variously described as an
"unducted fan" (UDF) or an "ultra-high-bypass (UHB) turbofan."
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2.2 Reaction Engines.

All reaction engines develop its propulsive force as a reaction to the jet exhaust gases.

2.2.1 Athodyd Types.

Athodyd stands for Aero THermODYnamic Duct. Athodyd group includes ramjet,
pulsejet, and scramjet engines, which do not have any major rotating elements or
turbomachinery.
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2.2.1.1 Ramjet Engine.
A ramjet, sometimes referred to as a flying stovepipe or an athodyd (aero thermodynamic
duct), is a form of airbreathing jet engine that uses the engine's forward motion to compress
incoming air without an axial compressor or a centrifugal compressor. Because ramjets cannot
produce thrust at zero airspeed, they cannot move an aircraft from a standstill. A ramjet-
powered vehicle, therefore, requires an assisted take-off like a rocket assist to accelerate it to a
speed where it begins to produce thrust. Ramjets work most efficiently at supersonic speeds
around Mach 3 (2,300 mph; 3,700 km/h). This type of engine can operate up to speeds of
Mach 6 (4,600 mph; 7,400 km/h).
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2.2.1.2 Pulsejet Engine.

A pulsejet engine (or pulse jet) is a type of jet engine in which combustion occurs in pulses. A
pulsejet engine can be made with few or no moving parts, and is capable of running statically
(i.e. it does not need to have air forced into its inlet, typically by forward motion).
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2.2.1.3 Pulse Detonation Engine (PDE)

The pulse detonation engine (PDE) marks a new approach towards non-continuous jet
engines and promises higher fuel efficiency compared even to turbofan jet engines, at
least at very high speeds.
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2.2.1.4 Scramjet Engine.
A scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet) is a variant of a ramjet airbreathing jet engine in
which combustion takes place in supersonic airflow. As in ramjets, a scramjet relies on high
vehicle speed to compress the incoming air forcefully before combustion (hence ramjet), but
whereas a ramjet decelerates the air to subsonic velocities before combustion, the airflow in a
scramjet is supersonic throughout the entire engine. This allows the scramjet to operate
efficiently at extremely high speeds.
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2.2.2 Turbine Engine.

Turbine engine or turbine based engine can be classify to five types, namely, turbojet, turbofan,
turbo-ramjet, turbo-rocket, and advanced ducted fan engines.
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2.2.2.1 Turbojet Engine.
The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine, typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine
with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet, a compressor, a combustion chamber,
and a turbine (that drives the compressor). The compressed air from the compressor is heated
by burning fuel in the combustion chamber and then allowed to expand through the turbine.
The turbine exhaust is then expanded in the propelling nozzle where it is accelerated to high
speed to provide thrust.Two engineers, Frank Whittle in the United Kingdom and Hans von
Ohain in Germany, developed the concept independently into practical engines during the late
1930s.
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2.2.2.2 Turbofan Engine.
The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft
propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the turbo portion
refers to a gas turbine engine which achieves mechanical energy from combustion,[1] and the
fan, a ducted fan that uses the mechanical energy from the gas turbine to accelerate air
rearwards. Thus, whereas all the air taken in by a turbojet passes through the combustion
chamber and turbines, in a turbofan some of that air bypasses these components. A turbofan
thus can be thought of as a turbojet being used to drive a ducted fan, with both of these
contributing to the thrust.
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2.2.2.3 Turbo Ramjet Engine.

A turboramjet engine is provided having a ram air duct which is constructed between an
outer duct wall and a housing-type shrouding of a basic turbo-engine, and having shut-
off devices by means of which the ram air duct, when the basic engine is switched on
and the ramjet engine is switched off, is to be shut-off on the air supply side, with the
simultaneous release of intake air into the basic engine. In this case, among other things,
the shrouding is to form an air shaft which is widened in a polygonal manner in the
direction of the inlet-side end of the ram air duct and is to have breakthroughs there,
the shut-off devices being flaps which are pivotally arranged at the breakthroughs and
which, when the ramjet engine is switched on, expose the breakthroughs and in the
process form a shut-off body of the air shaft which is symmetrically acutely folded
together with respect to the ram air flow.
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2.2.2.4 Turborocket Engine.

The air turborocket is a form of combined-cycle jet engine. The basic layout includes a gas
generator, which produces high pressure gas, that drives a turbine/compressor assembly which
compresses atmospheric air into a combustion chamber. This mixture is then combusted before
leaving the device through a nozzle and creating thrust.
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2.2.2.5 Advanced Ducted Fan.
Advanced ducted fan is an air moving arrangement whereby a mechanical fan, which is a type
of propeller, is mounted within a cylindrical shroud or duct. The duct reduces losses in thrust
from the tips of the propeller blades, and varying the cross-section of the duct allows the
designer to advantageously affect the velocity and pressure of the airflow according to
Bernoulli's principle. Ducted fan propulsion is used in aircraft, airships, hovercraft, and fan
packs.
3. OTHER POWER SOURCES

This third and last group of aircraft engines (identified as others) is

subdivided into human- and electric-powered engines.
3.1 Electric Powered Aircraft
3.2 Human Powered Aircraft (HPA)
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3.1 Electric Powered Aircraft
An electric aircraft is an aircraft powered by electricity, almost always via one or more electric
motors which drive propellers. Electricity may be supplied by a variety of methods, the most
common being batteries or solar cells.

Electrically powered model aircraft have been flown at least since the 1970s and were the
forerunners of the small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones, which in the twenty-first
century have become widely used for many purposes.
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3.2 Human Powered Aircraft (HPA)
HPAs are aircraft belonging to the class of vehicles known as human-powered vehicles. Early
attempts at human-powered flight were unsuccessful because of the difficulty of achieving the
high power-to-weight ratio. Prototypes often used ornithopter principles which were not only
too heavy to meet this requirement but aerodynamically unsatisfactory.

Human-powered aircraft have been successfully flown over considerable distances. However,
they are still primarily constructed as engineering challenges rather than for any kind of
recreational or utilitarian purpose.
Submitted by:
Subhash P
814919110031
B.E Aerospace (3rd Year/5th Sem)

Submitted to:
Mr. S. Rajkumar
Assistant Professor/ Aeronautical
Engineering
Thank You!...