BACKGROUND:
On January 5, 2024, the door plug of a commercial Boeing 737 Max 9 operated by Alaska Airlines came off as the plane was climbing, opening a large hole on the side of the plane, alarming passengers onboard, and raising new questions about flight safety. For now, certain models of that plane have been temporarily grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration in the US and by several aviation authorities across the world.
As depicted in videos and described by witnesses, the door plug suddenly fell away with a loud pop, leaving a hole in the side of the plane. (A plug effectively seals a part of the plane that can be used as a door, closing off the opening if a door hasn’t been installed.) Cellphones, AirPods, a child’s shirt, and a pilot’s headset were reportedly sucked out of the plane due to the change in pressure.
Ultimately, and fortunately, pilots were able to conduct an emergency landing, and no serious injuries were sustained.
Relevant authorities have launched investigations into the incident and are now requiring inspections on 171 Boeing planes before they can be used again.
THE PROJECT:
This project will investigate the aerodynamics of an aircraft that has developed a large hole (e.g. from a popped out door plug) on its side, and attempt to understand the impact of this on flight stability and control.
There are two very interesting and important yet likely unexplored issues that arise following the creation of an opening on the side of an aircraft in flight:
1. The initial transient reponse, following the creation of a 'sudden opening', of the unsteady flow through the opening, and of the unsteady aircraft aerodynamics; and
2. The steady aircraft aerodynamics once such an opening has been created.
The initial phase of the project will consider all relevant literature to identify key knowledge gaps, formulate appropriate research questions, and settle on the scope of work for the project.
It is expected that either wind tunnel model scale studies and / or computational fluid dynamics techniques will be utilised for this research.
THE P4P GROUP:
Each of you will have attained a minimum A- grade for the Mecheng325 course, and will have previously completed, or will enrol into the Mecheng712 course in Semester 1 of 2024.
Please do not select this project if you do not meet these minimum requirements.
Undergraduate
Wind tunnel scale model of an aircraft with a fuselage cavity and a removable side door, with all the necessary instrumentation.
Appropriae scaling laws and the scaling of the cavity-opening fluid dynamics as it applies to a commerical Boeing 737 9 aircraft.
Steady and unsteady velocity, aerodynamic force and pressure measurements and relevant analyses.
Quantification of the key influences of a side opening on the aircraft aerodynamics and stability / control.
Obtained A- or better grade in the Mecheng325 course.
Enrolled into (or previously completed) the Mecheng712 course.
Aerodynamics Lab (Newmarket 901 Lvl5, Lab)