I am interested in learning about the relationship between range and payload for an electric aircraft.
How do I use math to investigate the relationship between range and payload for an electric aircraft?
I imagine that there is a field of aviation engineering, design, or theory that deals with how to determine what range and payload specifications to publish for a new aircraft.
I assume that with no payload (other than fuel), the aircraft can achieve its maximum range.
I assume that as you add weight the range will be reduced.
I bet that this relationship between range and wight follows some curve.
I bet its the same curve for all aircraft of the same type. ie helios have a curve, fixed wing have their own curve...
I wonder if this curve is known?
Is something named that I can look up?
Do I have to buy and test an aircraft with different payloads, plot my results, and fit a curve to determine the formula?
Or is this a field of study I can look up? I don’t know if this is an established field of study. I also don’t know what types of math and what formulas I would use to investigate on my own.
Is there some part of aviation engineering that deals with the methodology for specifying range and payloads for an aircraft? Are there known curves? Or should I buy and test an aircraft many different times with different payloads, plot the data and try and find the curve, or is this a known formula, since I imagine it's the same for all aircraft of a particular type.
Peak payload capacity is specified by one number.
I bet that this one number is really a while curve of numbers, and they picked one at or near the peak of the curve.
I wonder what lies beyond the curve. I bet its a steep drop off.
Assuming there is a curve
Assuming there is a steep drop off in the curve
If it seems pedantic to look beyond the peak of the curve, where we expect to find a steep drop off, it is because I would like to compare different aircraft’s weight to range ratio.
I’ll bet that all aircraft of similar design follow the same (if morphed) curve And that each type of aircraft had its own type of curve.
That would be useful because I would like to compare many aircraft without having to physically test each one.
I would like to compare aircraft of different types, comparing their range / payload.
Difficult because:
Range and payload affect each other Aircraft specs list one point, but they are really a curve (I assume) Some specs don't list payload at all, but do list range. Rather than buy one of each aircraft of every type, and test them all many times, i wonder if i can:
Test one over and over, and find the curve behind all aircraft
Find someone else who has done this
Is it an established field of study?
Is it so small and idea it's just one simple calculation and no one cares deeply
Is it so complicated a thing that no formulas could possibly exist, or different ones for each aircraft?
A manufacturer will list specs for an aircraft with a max range (empty) max payload, and max range with that payload.
Is the max payload the most it will take off with, or the most it can carry before ragne drops off abruptly?
Of course this is made more complex by the fact that with gas, fuel payload extends range rather than decreasing it.
This is solved by looking at electric craft with fixed fuel weights. Except that we can drop batteries that presents the same problem as fuel.
This must be a field of study, at least a chapter in a aviation design textbook?
If I found a curve for each aircraft type, i could use the one or two or 3 data points that are published as specs for each aircraft and find that aircraft curve, I could then take that curve and compare it to the curve of another craft.
What is the math called that gets me the range/payload curve?
What type of math do I use to extrapolated data and generate curves for each craft
What maths do I use to compare curves from different aircraft?
Morgan E.
07/12/16