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MIT / Boeing
Abstract-
The Blended-Wing-Body (BWB) airplane concept represents a potential
revolution in subsonic transport efficiency. NASA has sponsored and
advanced concept study at Boeing to demonstrate feasibility and begin
development of this new class of airplane. In this study, 800
passenger BWB and conventional configuration airplanes have been
compared for a 7000 nautical mile design range, where both airplanes
are based on technology for a 2010 entry into service. The BWB
advantage results from a passenger cabin in the centerbody that
extends
spanwise and blends smoothly into the wing. Structural and
aerodynamic
overlap reduce the total wetted area. In addition, this overlap
allows
an increased total wingspan since the deep and stiff centerbody
provides efficient structural wingspan. The NASA-sponsored study
showed the following improvements of the BWB, compared to the
conventional baseline airplane:
Fuel Burn 27% lower
Takeoff Weight 15% lower
Operating Empty Weight 12% lower
Total Thrust 27% lower
Lift/Drag 20% higher
Subsequent in-house studies at Boeing have yielded the development of
a
family of BWB's ranging from 200 to 600 passengers with remarkable
parts commonality and manufacturing efficiency. Studies have also
shown that the BWB configuration is readily adaptable to higher cruise
Mach numbers. Results and predictions of this work will be presented.
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