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The Mach number (M or Ma), often only Mach, (/ m ɑː k /; German:) is a dimensionless quantity in fluid dynamics representing the ratio of flow velocity past a boundary to the local speed of sound. [1] [2] It is named after the Austrian physicist and philosopher Ernst Mach. =, where: M is the local Mach number,
Dimensionless numbers (or characteristic numbers) have an important role in analyzing the behavior of fluids and their flow as well as in other transport phenomena. [1] They include the Reynolds and the Mach numbers, which describe as ratios the relative magnitude of fluid and physical system characteristics, such as density, viscosity, speed of sound, and flow speed.
Metric prefixes; Text Symbol Factor or; yotta Y 10 24: 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000: zetta Z 10 21: 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000: exa E 10 18: 1 000 000 000 000 000 000: peta P 10 15: 1 000 000 000 000 000: tera T
where a 0 is 1,225 km/h (661.45 kn) (the standard speed of sound at 15 °C), M is the Mach number, P is static pressure, and P 0 is standard sea level pressure (1013.25 hPa). Combining the above with the expression for Mach number gives EAS as a function of impact pressure and static pressure (valid for subsonic flow):
The critical Mach number (Mcrit) is lowest free stream Mach number at which airflow over any part of the aircraft first reaches Mach 1. So the subsonic speed range includes all speeds that are less than Mcrit. All commercial aircraft — Transonic [0.8–1.2) 614–921 mph (988–1,482 km/h; 274–412 m/s)
is the standard gravity (in m/s 2 or ft/s 2). In rockets, due to atmospheric effects, the specific impulse varies with altitude, reaching a maximum in a vacuum. This is because the exhaust velocity is not simply a function of the chamber pressure, but is a function of the difference between the interior and exterior of the combustion chamber .
Mach number is more useful, and most high-speed aircraft are limited to a maximum operating Mach number, also known as M MO. For example, if the M MO is Mach 0.83, then at 9,100 m (30,000 ft) where the speed of sound under standard conditions is 1,093 kilometres per hour (590 kn), the true airspeed at M MO is 906 kilometres per hour (489 kn).
Transonic (or transsonic) flow is air flowing around an object at a speed that generates regions of both subsonic and supersonic airflow around that object. [1] The exact range of speeds depends on the object's critical Mach number, but transonic flow is seen at flight speeds close to the speed of sound (343 m/s at sea level), typically between Mach 0.8 and 1.2.