The Advancements in Glider Design - Research Paper Example

The Advancements in Glider Design History For the past few centuries, there has being major developments in the aerospace industry as d by Anderson (1997). This has brought great changes in the way people travel, global economy and the how countries wage war against each other. What triggered human thinking is the way hot air balloons and kites work. In the early developments in the aerospace industry, man first experimented using lighter than air flight according to Anderson (1997). Through this, man realized it was possible to fly and thus the dream of flying became feasible. The flying of hot air balloons and kites led to greater experiments with flights heavier than air like gliders and several other fixed wing aircraft. It has been the dream of man to fly just like the birds. Man has over the centuries admired the way birds effortlessly fly into the sky. Daedalus and Icarus were noted for their efforts to imitate the way birds fly (Anderson, 1997). They used wax to fix birds’ feathers on their bodies and were able to fly. This is just one of the myths that show how the early man was very interested in the aerospace industry. The Chinese also has made great contributions by developing large kites for reconnaissance purposes. The kites’ navigation faced hindrances as they were immobile and required large gusts of wind to fly. They were impractical also as they had to be tethered on the ground. Most of these early attempts ended up causing injury and death to persons involved. Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) pondered the flight problem and always admired birds. He is known to have studied how the birds fly, wings and tails operation, rising, turning, descending and gliding mechanics, and how the birds respond to the air currents and pressure (Durant, 1953, 220). Though he made various contributions, his approach was not viable as he based his argument on the basis of the flapping of the wings just like the birds do instead of fixed glide design. In 1483, he designed aerial screw and engineered several designs for a parachute. However none of his designs worked. George Cayley (1773- 1857) made significant strides in the aerospace industry and is known for developing the first workable glider; this was in the year 1804. The glider stayed afloat in the air space for a short duration carrying a 10-year old boy in 1840. In 1853, the model carried George’s coachman. It is through the documentation of his model that emerging scientists were able to understand the working of the model and thus advance this technology. In his book On Ariel Navigation he explained in a detailed way the importance of control (Cayey 1910). This was of much importance to the future scientist as they able to understand the importance of fixed wing design. Otto Lilienthal (1848-1896) also made major contributions towards glider development. He developed 18 models with some being able to cover a distance of about 1000 feet. The majority of his models were controlled by varying the body weight (Bradshaw, 2002 par 3). Octave Chaute (1832-1910), an American engineer, made major contributions to the advancement of aviation. He collected and compiled a lot of information on the successful glider developments in the 19th century. He developed two workable gliders and collaborated with the Wright brothers in their work of discovering flight (Nosotro 2010 par6). George is currently considered the father of aerodynamics through his major contributions and research in the industry. He carried out several experiments like the wing design, lift and drag. He introduced the vertical tail surfaces, rear elevators, air screws and steering rudders. He designed several glider versions that used the movement of the body as the control system. He improved the working of the first glider by changing the shape of the wings such that air would flow on correctly on top of the wings. In an effort to improve the stability, he designed a tail for the glider and adopted the biplane design in order to improve the strength of the glider. He also noted that the glider required a machine power so that the glider can be in the air for a longer time. In his book, he clearly indicated that, for there to be a flight success then a fixed wing, tail and a power system were necessary. According to George, the power system is to aid in propulsion and the tail in the control of the glider. If these recommendations were implemented then it would allow man to fly high in the sky and adopt this as means of transport (Anderson & John, 1997, p113). In December 1903, the Wright brothers made a significant move in the aircraft industry by introducing the required power to run the glider. Wilbur and Orville Wright developed a glider in 1902. It is the glider which they applied the power version. This powered version of the glider was able to reach a height of 120 feet, therefore making history as the first powered and controlled flight. The glider later was able to reach a height of 852 feet for 59 seconds. Their efforts were recognized by the American government after they complied with the standards. During the world wars, the aircrafts were used for reconnaissance and later as a bomber. Machine guns were mounted on the aircrafts thus making aircrafts an efficient way to attack enemies. As time progressed people came to realize of the different capabilities the aircrafts brought with them (Hubert, 1992, 92). The period between World War I and II is generally regarded as the golden age of flight as this period marked an era of new services and daring stunts. This era was dominated by people taking every effort to explore the aerospace industry. They included Charles Lindbergh who took a flight in 1927 across the Atlantic, Amelia who tried taking a flight across the world and other scientists and explorers who undertook major events in the aerospace industry exploration. The aerospace industry gained recognition economically and therefore used to in the transport industry. Aircrafts are now used to transport goods, cargo, and people over long distances; fastest means of transport they are. New technologies have recently evolved leading to manufacture of huge aircrafts with tremendous performance. New models like DC-10 have come up and possess great capabilities in terms of load and speed. The Messerschmitt Me-262, was the first operational jet and possessed record breaking speeds. Spruce Goose is also recognized for its high speeds. Aircrafts has made tremendous impacts in carrying out of war activities in the warring countries. Environmental Impacts of Gliders The aircrafts have major environmental impacts both negative and positive on the environment but am to concentrate more on the negative impacts according to Anderson (1997). The environmental concerns are attributed to both the manufacture and use of the aircrafts. The environmental concerns in relation to the glide system are climatic changes, reduction of the stratospheric ozone, regional and local pollution. When the stratospheric ozone layer is reduced from the activities of the aircraft industry, there is increased ultra violet radiation. This affects the health of the people in a negative way and may lead to health problems. When the glides are in flight, they emit CO2, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, hydro carbons and water vapor. They also emit other particles consisting mainly of sulphates that result from soot and sulphur oxides. The emissions alter the atmospheric chemical composition in various ways either indirectly or directly. These emissions from the aircrafts occur far above the earth’s surface close to the troposphere and the stratosphere (maht0x0r, 2010). The troposphere has turbulent air movements compared to the higher stratosphere that has relatively stable motion and relatively small vertical motions. The environmental concerns brought about by the aircraft industry depend on the level of the atmosphere that the emission occurs. The stratosphere is responsible for absorbing the radiation from the sun thus protecting life at the surface of the earth. Any emission in the atmosphere that reduces the stratosphere layer is harmful as the life on the surface of the earth will be exposed to ultraviolet rays. The nitrogen oxides from the aircraft emissions increase the ozone levels therefore decreasing the surface ultra violet radiation if released on the troposphere and acts in reverse if the emission occurs in the stratosphere layer. The emissions from the glide system change the way the sun’s radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere. It also affects the emission and absorption of thermal radiation from the solar system. As mentioned earlier, there is presence of carbon dioxide in the aircrafts emission that increases global warmth (Anderson, 1997). When the aircrafts are in use they produce noise that pollutes the environment (Parliament, 2003). Noise from the aircrafts affects the living standards and the health of the population around airports. The governments of various countries have enacted laws to curb noise pollution and thus the aircraft industry has a mandate to carry out towards the achievement of this. We cannot underestimate the impacts aviation industry has on land, water and waste management. The manufacture of aircrafts requires a land space to be used as the manufacturing space and the existence of aircrafts requires the construction of airports. This has led to use of land away from the previous uses. This may affect landscape, heritage and wildlife habitats. The aircrafts have also been known for water pollution emanating from de-icing on the runways and other parts of the airport. The aircraft industry has also brought issues in the waste management sector as there is generation of waste in the terminal buildings. Addressing these issues requires a balanced approach incorporating technological improvements and measures that are not technical in nature. The non-technical measures include modification in the way the aircraft operates. The public should have meaningful say in the environmental impacts the aircrafts have as this affects them directly. The technological means to reduce the impacts of aircrafts to the environment include making the engines and airframes quieter, improving efficiency of engines so as to reduce the aircraft emissions and careful engineering and mitigation of airports through waste recycling and ensuring that they are located away from sensitive habitats. Performance of Gliders The aircrafts are known to be the fastest means of transport currently available especially for cargo transportation. However, as noted earlier, necessary steps should be taken to ensure that the effects have been eliminated or reduced to a reasonable level. Efficiency of the gliders should be considered not only on the basis of speed but also on the environmental impacts. It would be counterproductive to increase the speed whereas increasing the environmental pollution. The speeds of gliders have greatly improved over the past few years thus making it efficient to use air transport. There are high performance aircrafts with very high speeds. This is due to the combustion nature of the fuel. Efficient combustion of fuel will propel the aircrafts to high speeds thus improving the efficiency levels. Most of the aircrafts available nowadays are controlled by pilots with assistance from base stations that keep on tracking on the direction the aircraft is taking (Anderson, 1997). The base stations are also helpful when the aircraft is landing and giving of warnings especially in bad weather. Some are known for operating at great heights while others are not abler to propel at those heights. Some of the reasons why they operate at those heights is due to the noise they produce especially for jets and other high speed aircrafts. The Future of Gliders The future of the aircraft industry is very bright with prospects to eliminate the pilot as noted by Anderson (1997). This is in favor of remote control from stations on the surface of the earth. The industry major players have engaged in manufacture of unmanned aircrafts. In April 2001, the global hawk flew from the United States of America to Australia unmanned and without being refueled. The distance was covered in 23 hours and 23 minutes and is recorded to be the longest distance covered by any unmanned aircraft. In October 2003, a computer controlled aircraft flew across the Atlantic. There are great improvements in terms of speed, fuel consumption and the size of cargo the aircrafts can carry. Also in consideration of the future of the aircraft industry, the manufacturers should consider the environmental impacts during manufacture and use. I foresee aircrafts capable of carrying heavy cargo and thousands of passengers with minimal impacts on the environment Conclusion The aircraft industry has played a major role in the transport industry. Through the aircraft industry, the transport of goods in bulk and efficient has been achieved. The aircrafts have greatly improved the transportation speeds as one can travel from one continent to another in a day which was not possible some years back. Aircrafts have re-invented the way warring countries wage war against each other. Major contributions in the aircraft industry in terms of the way aircrafts can be used to wage war against each other were achieved during and after the world wars. The aircraft industry has also contributed to employment of people who hold the managerial, manufacturing and the air transportation portfolios. The aircraft industry has improved safety, speed and efficiency in the transport industry. Currently, the impact of the aircraft industry in the economic growth can not be underestimated. It should be the aim of every government in the world to ensure that the transportation costs in relation to the aerospace is reduced so as better results may be realized. Further Reading http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/aero/flightper.htm References Anderson, Jr., John D. 1997, A History of Aerodynamics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Bradshaw G. 2002, "Airplane Inventors: Sir George Cayley", Sir George Cayley, 1/19/02, viewed 12th August 2010, http://www.wam.umd.edu/~stwright/WrBr/inventors/Cayley.html. Cayey G. 1910, Aerial navigation King, Sell & Olding, London. Durant W. 1953, The Story of Civilization V: The Renaissance, Simon and Schuster, New York, page 220. Hubert S. 1992, “Skip.” The Illustrated Guide to Aerodynamics. 2nd edition. Blue Ridge Summit, Penn.: Tab Books Inc. maht0x0r.net 2010, The environmental impacts of aircraft in flight, viewed on 12th August 2010, http://www.maht0x0r.net/library/eco/royal_commissionon_environmental_pollution_-_the_environmental_effects_of_civil_aircraft_in_flight.pdf Nosotro R. 2010, The Development of Flight viewed on 11th August 2010, http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/cot/t0w24flight.htm. Parliament.uk 2003, Aviation and the Environment, viewed on 12th August 2010, http://www.parliament.uk/documents/post/pn195.pdf Read More