Can a commercial airplane break the speed of sound?

¿Can a avión commercial current breaking the sound speed barrier? We answer this question, your answer is máIt's interesting than you imagine. Photo by SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS

There have been in the úlast díThere are several publications and comments on social networks where it is ensured that several commercial aircraft due to wind currents «they broke the sound barrier», an affirmationówhat Januaryó hundreds of surprise comments and likes, but reality is not as simple as you think.

¿Can an avión commercial volar más ráI ask that the speed of sound?

And tégeneral terms, no, I saw oneóNo commercial can't break the sound barrier. The speed of sound is approximately 1.235 km/h at sea level, and the oldestía of commercial airplanes have a speed mácruise maximum of around 900 km/h.

There are two main reasons why an aircraftóNo commercial can't break the sound barrier:

DiseñO

Commercial airplanes are notán designñable to fly at super speedsóunique. Your designñan aerodyneámonkey, Materials and systems are not capable of withstanding the extreme forces and temperatures generated by exceeding the speed of sound..

• Aerodinámica: The aerodynamicábit of a grandfatheródon't change drástatically at super speedsóunique. Shock waves form around the aircraftón, which increases resistance and makes control difficult. Commercial airplanes are notán designñdesigned to withstand these conditions.
• Materials: The materials used in the constructionóCommercial airplanes are not durable enough to withstand high temperatures and stress.és that are generated when flying at super speedsóunique. Special materials are needed, such as titanium alloys, what are más light and heat resistant.
• engines: Commercial airplane engines are not powerful enough to propel the aircraftón at super speedsóunique. Special motors required, like afterburner turbojetsón, that generate additional thrust.

Efficiency

Efficiency: Fly at super speedsónicas is extremely inefficient. A large amount of fuel is required to overcome air resistance at such high speeds., what makes flights superóunique ones are prohibitively expensive.

• fuel efficiency: Fly at super speedsónicas is extremely inefficient. Fuel consumption increases exponentially as the speed of sound approaches.. This makes the flights superóunique ones are prohibitively expensive.
• Environmental impact: The super flightsóonly ones generate a loud bangóonly thing that can be annoying for people on the ground. Además, super planesóonly emit más polluting airplane subsónicos.
• Regulations: The super flightsónicos isán prohibited on many ápopulated areas due to boom sónico. The authorities flewáUticas tooén impose restrictions on the altitude and speed of super flightsónicos.

Nevertheless, there are some exceptions:

• The Concorde: The Concorde it was an avión comercial supersóonly one that operatedó Come in 1976 and 2003. Podíto reach speeds of up to Mach 2,04 (2.179 km/h). Nevertheless, the Concorde was an airplaneón very expensive to operate and were only manufactured 16 units.
• military flights: many military aircraft areán designñable to fly at super speedsóunique. These aircraft are usually used for combat or reconnaissance missions..

Speed ​​of sound and cómo calcularla

ErróIt is believed that if an airplaneón marks a speed equal to or greater than the 1.235 km/h, this one already brokeó the speed of sound, but as we are going to demonstrate, this value is not fixed and depends on many factors., además, There is a difference between indicated speed and ground speed..

The speed of sound is the distance that a sound wave travels in a given medium during a given time.. It is defined as the raím square zóelasticity of the medium divided by its density.

And términos matemáticos:

v = √(E/ρ)

Where:

• v is the speed of sound (m/s)
• E is the móelasticity duule of the medium (Pa)
• ρ is the density of the medium (kg/m³)

The móElasticity is a measure of a material's ability to resist deformation.ón. Density is a measure of the mass of a material per unit volume.

In the air at 20°C:

• Móelasticity duplex (E): 1,42 x 10^5 Pa
• Density (ρ): 1,2 kg/m³

Substituting these values ​​into the equationón:

• v = √(1,42 x 10^5 Pa / 1,2 kg/m³) = 343 m/s
• The speed of sound in air at 20°C is for 343 m/s.

Factors affecting the speed of sound:

• Temperature: The speed of sound increases with temperature.
• Presión: The speed of sound increases with pressureón.
• Humidity: The speed of sound increases slightly with humidity.
• Half: speed of sound varíthe assistantúin the middle. It is greater in the sólidos than in the líliquids and in theíliquids than in gases.

Therefore, I saw oneón commercial flying at a speed greater than 1.235 km/h is not necessarilyá breaking the sound barrier if the air temperature is above 20°C.

Indicated speed and reference to the terrain

To go deeper intoún más in the matter, We must know that there are different measurements to know the speed of an aircraftón, these are:

• indicated speed (IAS): It is the speed shown on the airspeed indicator.ámica (BUT) grandfather'són. It is measured in knots (kts) or miles per hour (mph). The IAS is the speed of the aircraftón with respect to the air around it.
• Ground speed (GS): It is the real speed of the planeón on the earth's surface. It is measured in knots (kts) or miles per hour (mph). The GS is calculated taking into account the IAS and the wind speed.

differences:

• Reference: IAS is measured with respect to air, while the GS is measured with respect to the terrain.
• Wind impact: The IAS is not affected by wind, while the GS sí. Headwind reduces GS, while the tailwind increases it.
• Importance: The IAS is important for the control of the aircraftón during the flight, while the GS is important for navigationón and planningóflight number.

Example:

I saw oneón isá flying to an IAS 100 kts with a headwind 20 kts. The GS of the avióto beá from 80 kts.

In summary, although it is possible that an avión commercial breaks the sound barrier, It's not something I can do regularly or efficiently..

I close with some interesting data that I found.é over the sound barrier:

• The sound barrier was brokenó for the first time in 1947 by pilot Chuck Yeager in the avión experimental Bell X-1.
• The Concorde was the first aircraftón comercial supersóonly to enter regular service.
• The super flightóunique produces a loud bangóonly thing that can be annoying for people on the ground.
• The super flightsónicos isán prohibited on many ápopulated areas due to boom sónico.

¿Whaté the parició this reading? I read them in the comments…