AE 1350

Lecture #4
PREVIOUSLY COVERED
TOPICS
Preliminary Thoughts on Aerospace Design
Specifications (Specs) and Standards
System Integration
Forces acting on an Aircraft
The Nature of Aerodynamic Forces
Lift and Drag Coefficients
TOPICS TO BE COVERED
Why should we study properties of
atmosphere?
Ideal Gas Law
Variation of Temperature with Altitude
Variation of Pressure with Altitude
Variation of Density with Altitude
Tables of Standard Atmosphere
Why should we study
Atmospheric Properties
Engineers design flight vehicles, turbine engines and
rockets that will operate at various altitudes.
They can not design these unless the atmospheric
characteristics are not known.
For example, from last lecture,
We can not design a vehicle that will operate
satisfactorily and generate the required lift
coefficient C
L
until we know the density of the
atmosphere, .
S V
L
C
L
2
2
1

What is a standard atmosphere?

Weather conditions vary around the globe, from
day to day.
Taking all these variations into design is
impractical.
A standard atmosphere is therefore defined, that
relates fight tests, wind tunnel tests and general
airplane design to a common reference.
This common reference is called a standard
atmosphere.
International Standard Atmosphere
Standard Sea Level Conditions


Pressure 101325 Pa 2116.7 lb
f
/ft
2

Density 1,225 Kg/m
3
0.002378 slug/ft
3

Temperature 15
o
C or 288 K 59
o
F or 518.4
o
R


Ideal Gas Law or
Equation of State
Most gases satisfy the following relationship
between density, temperature and pressure:
p = RT
p = Pressure (in lb/ft
2
or N/m
2
)
= Rho , density (in slugs/ft
3
or kg/m
3
)
T = Temperature (in Degrees R or degrees K)
R = Gas Constant, varies from one gas to another.
Equals 287.1 J/Kg/K or 1715.7 ft lb
f
/slug/
o
R for air
Speed of Sound
From thermodynamics, and compressible
flow theory you will study later in your
career, sound travels at the following speed:

where,
a = speed of Sound (m/s or ft/s)
= Ratio of Specific Heats = 1.4
R = Gas Constant
T = temperature (in degrees K or degrees R)
RT a =
Temperature vs. Altitude
Temperature, degrees K
A
l
t
i
t
u
d
e
,

k
m
288.16 K
11km
216.66K
25 km
47 km, T= 282.66 K
53 km
79 km
165.66 K
90 km
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Pressure varies with Height
The bottom layers have to carry more weight than
those at the top
Consider a Column of Air of Height dh
Its area of cross section is A
Let dp be the change in pressure between top
and the bottom
Pressure at the top = (p+dp)
Pressure at the bottom = p
dh
Forces acting on this
Column of Air
Force = Pressure times Area = (p+dp)A
Force = p A
Weight of air= g A dh
dh
Force Balance
Force = (p+dp)A
Force = p A
gA dh
Downward directed force= Upward force
(p+dp)A + g A dh = pA

Simplify:

dp = - g dh
Variation of p with T
dp = - g dh

Use Ideal Gas Law (also called Equation of State):

p = R T = p/(RT)

dp = - p / (RT) g dh

dp/p = - g/(RT) dh Equation 1
This equation holds both in regions where temperature varies,
and in regions where temperature is constant.
Variation of p with T in Regions
where T varies linearly with height
From the previous slide,

dp/p = - g/(RT) dh Equation 1

Because T is a discontinuous function of h (i.e. has breaks in its shape),
we can not integrate the above equation for the entire atmosphere.
We will have to do it one region at a time.

In the regions (troposphere, stratosphere), T varies with h linearly.

Let us assume T = T
1
+a (h-h
1
)

The slope a is called a Lapse Rate.
h
h=h
1

T=T
1

Variation of p with T when T varies linearly
(Continued..)
From previous slide, T = T
1
+a (h-h
1
)
An infinitesimal change in Temperature dT = a dh

Use this in equation 1 : dp/p = - g/(RT) dh

We get: dp/p = -g/(aR)dT/T

Integrate. Use integral of dx/x = log x.

Log p = -(g/aR) log T + C Equation 2

where C is a constant of integration.

Somewhere on the region, let h = h
1
, p=p
1
and T = T
1

Log p
1
= -(g/aR) log T
1
+ C Equation 3


Variation of p with T when T varies linearly
(Continued..)
Subtract equation (3) from Equation (2):

log p - log p
1
= - g/(aR) [log T - log T
1
]

log (p/p
1
) = - g / (aR) log ( T/T
1
)

Use m log x = log (x
m
)
(
(
(

|
|
.
|

\
|
=
|
|
.
|

\
|

aR
g
T
T
p
p
1 1
log log
aR
g
T
T
p
p

|
|
.
|

\
|
=
|
|
.
|

\
|
1 1
Variation of with T when T varies linearly
From the previous slide, in regions where temperature varies
linearly, we get:
aR
g
T
T
p
p

|
|
.
|

\
|
=
|
|
.
|

\
|
1 1
Using p = RT and p
1
=
1
RT
1
, we can show that density varies as:
|
.
|

\
|
+
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
|
|
.
|

\
|
1
1 1
aR
g
T
T

Variation of p with altitude h

in regions where T is constant
In some regions, for example between 11 km and 25 km, the
temperature of standard atmosphere is constant.

How can we find the variation of p with h in this region?

We start again with equation 1.

dp/p = - g/(RT) dh Equation 1

Integrate: log p = - g/(RT) h + C
Variation of p with altitude h
in regions where T is constant (Continued..)
From the previous slide, in these regions p varies with h as:

log p = -g /(RT) h + C

At some height h
1
, we assume p is known and his given by p
1
.

Log p
1
= - g/(RT) h
1
+ C

Subtract the above two relations from one another:

log (p/p
1
) = -g/(RT) (h-h
1
)

Or,
( )
1
1
h h
RT
g
e
p
p

=
Concluding Remarks
Variation of temperature, density and
pressure with altitude can be computed for a
standard atmosphere.
These properties may be tabulated.
Short programs called applets exist on the
world wide web for computing atmospheric
properties.
Study worked out examples to be done in
the class.