Turbojet aircraft (history of invention). Jet engine: operating principle (briefly)

In a jet engine, the thrust required for propulsion is created by converting the initial energy into the kinetic energy of the working fluid. As a result of the outflow of the working fluid from the engine nozzle, a reactive force is generated in the form of recoil (jet). The recoil moves the engine and the apparatus structurally connected to it in space. The movement occurs in the direction opposite to the outflow of the jet. Can be converted into kinetic energy of the jet stream various types energies: chemical, nuclear, electrical, solar. A jet engine provides its own propulsion without the participation of intermediate mechanisms.

To create jet thrust, you need a source of initial energy, which is converted into the kinetic energy of the jet stream, a working fluid ejected from the engine in the form of a jet stream, and the jet engine, converting the first type of energy into the second.

The main part of a jet engine is the combustion chamber, in which the working fluid is created.

All jet engines are divided into two main classes, depending on whether they operate using the environment or not.

The first class is air-jet engines (WRD). All of them are thermal, in which the working fluid is formed during the oxidation reaction of a flammable substance with oxygen from the surrounding air. The main mass of the working fluid is atmospheric air.

In a rocket engine, all components of the working fluid are located on board the apparatus equipped with it.

There are also combined engines that combine both of the above types.

Jet propulsion was first used in Heron's ball, a prototype of a steam turbine. Solid fuel jet engines appeared in China in the 10th century. n. e. Such missiles were used in the East, and then in Europe for fireworks, signaling, and then as combat missiles.

An important stage in the development of ideas jet propulsion there was an idea to use a rocket as an engine for aircraft. It was first formulated by the Russian revolutionary N.I. Kibalchich, who in March 1881, shortly before his execution, proposed a design for an aircraft (rocket plane) using jet propulsion from explosive powder gases.

N. E. Zhukovsky, in his works “On the reaction of outflowing and inflowing liquid” (1880s) and “On the theory of ships driven by the reaction force of outflowing water” (1908), first developed the basic issues of the theory of a jet engine.

Interesting works on the study of rocket flight also belong to the famous Russian scientist I.V. Meshchersky, in particular in the field of the general theory of motion of bodies of variable mass.

In 1903, K. E. Tsiolkovsky, in his work “Exploration of World Spaces with Jet Instruments,” gave a theoretical justification for the flight of a rocket, as well as a schematic diagram of a rocket engine, which anticipated many of the fundamental and design features of modern liquid-propellant rocket engines (LPRE). Thus, Tsiolkovsky envisaged the use of liquid fuel for a jet engine and its supply to the engine with special pumps. He proposed to control the flight of the rocket using gas rudders - special plates placed in a stream of gases escaping from the nozzle.

The peculiarity of a liquid-propellant jet engine is that, unlike other jet engines, it carries with it the entire supply of oxidizer along with the fuel, and does not take the air containing oxygen necessary for burning the fuel from the atmosphere. This is the only engine that can be used for ultra-high-altitude flight outside the earth's atmosphere.

The world's first rocket with a liquid rocket engine was created and launched on March 16, 1926 by the American R. Goddard. It weighed about 5 kilograms, and its length reached 3 m. The fuel in Goddard’s rocket was gasoline and liquid oxygen. The flight of this rocket lasted 2.5 seconds, during which it flew 56 m.

Systematic experimental work work on these engines began in the 30s of the XX century.

The first Soviet liquid-propellant rocket engines were developed and created in 1930–1931. at the Leningrad Gas Dynamic Laboratory (GDL) under the leadership of the future academician V. P. Glushko. This series was called ORM - experimental rocket motor. Glushko used some new innovations, for example, cooling the engine with one of the fuel components.

In parallel, the development of rocket engines was carried out in Moscow by the Jet Propulsion Research Group (GIRD). Her ideological inspirer was F.A. Tsander, and the organizer was the young S.P. Korolev. Korolev's goal was to build a new rocket vehicle - a rocket plane.

In 1933, F.A. Zander built and successfully tested the OR-1 rocket engine, running on gasoline and compressed air, and in 1932–1933. – OR?2 engine, running on gasoline and liquid oxygen. This engine was designed to be installed on a glider that was intended to fly as a rocket plane.

In 1933, the first Soviet liquid-fuel rocket was created and tested at GIRD.

Developing the work they had begun, Soviet engineers subsequently continued to work on the creation of liquid jet engines. In total, from 1932 to 1941, the USSR developed 118 designs of liquid jet engines.

In Germany in 1931, tests of missiles by I. Winkler, Riedel and others took place.

The first flight of an airplane/rocket plane with a liquid-jet engine was made in the Soviet Union in February 1940. power plant The aircraft was powered by a liquid propellant rocket engine. In 1941, under the leadership of the Soviet designer V.F. Bolkhovitinov, the first jet aircraft was built - a fighter with a liquid-propellant rocket engine. Its tests were carried out in May 1942 by pilot G. Ya. Bakhchivadzhi.

At the same time the first flight took place German fighter with this engine. In 1943, the United States tested the first American jet plane, on which a liquid-propellant jet engine was installed. In Germany, several fighters with these Messerschmitt-designed engines were built in 1944 and used in combat on the Western Front that same year.

In addition, liquid-propellant rocket engines were used on German V-2 rockets, created under the leadership of V. von Braun.

In the 1950s, liquid? rocket engines were installed on ballistic missiles, and then on artificial satellites of the Earth, Sun, Moon and Mars, and automatic interplanetary stations.

The liquid-propellant rocket engine consists of a combustion chamber with a nozzle, a turbopump unit, a gas generator or steam-gas generator, an automation system, control elements, an ignition system and auxiliary units (heat exchangers, mixers, drives).

The idea of ​​air-jet engines has been put forward more than once in different countries. The most important and original works in this regard are the studies carried out in 1908–1913. French scientist R. Lauren, who, in particular, in 1911 proposed a number of designs for ramjet engines. These engines use atmospheric air as an oxidizer, and air compression in the combustion chamber is ensured by dynamic air pressure.

In May 1939, a rocket with a ramjet engine designed by P. A. Merkulov was tested for the first time in the USSR. It was a two-stage rocket (the first stage is a powder rocket) with a take-off weight of 7.07 kg, and the weight of the fuel for the second stage of the ramjet engine was only 2 kg. During testing, the rocket reached an altitude of 2 km.

In 1939–1940 For the first time in the world, summer tests of air-breathing engines installed as additional engines on an aircraft designed by N.P. Polikarpov were carried out in the Soviet Union. In 1942, ramjet engines designed by E. Zenger were tested in Germany.

An air-jet engine consists of a diffuser in which air is compressed due to the kinetic energy of the oncoming air flow. Fuel is injected into the combustion chamber through a nozzle and the mixture ignites. The jet stream exits through the nozzle.

The process of operation of the jet engines is continuous, so they do not have starting thrust. In this regard, at flight speeds less than half the speed of sound, air-jet engines are not used. The most effective use of jet engines is at supersonic speeds and high altitudes. The take-off of an aircraft with an air-jet engine occurs using rocket engines running on solid or liquid fuel.

Another group of air-jet engines – turbocompressor engines – has received greater development. They are divided into turbojet, in which the thrust is created by a stream of gases flowing from the jet nozzle, and turboprop, in which the main thrust is created by the propeller.

In 1909, the design of a turbojet engine was developed by engineer N. Gerasimov. In 1914, Russian lieutenant navy M. N. Nikolskoy designed and built a model of a turboprop aircraft engine. The working fluid for driving the three-stage turbine was the gaseous combustion products of a mixture of turpentine and nitric acid. The turbine worked not only on the propeller: the exhaust gaseous combustion products directed into the tail (jet) nozzle created jet thrust in addition to the thrust force of the propeller.

In 1924, V.I. Bazarov developed the design of an aviation turbocompressor jet engine, which consisted of three elements: a combustion chamber, a gas turbine, and a compressor. Flow compressed air here for the first time it was divided into two branches: the smaller part went into the combustion chamber (to the burner), and the larger part was mixed with the working gases to lower their temperature in front of the turbine. This ensured the safety of the turbine blades. The power of the multi-stage turbine was spent on driving the centrifugal compressor of the engine itself and partly on rotating the propeller. In addition to the propeller, thrust was created due to the reaction of a stream of gases passed through the tail nozzle.

In 1939, the construction of turbojet engines designed by A. M. Lyulka began at the Kirov plant in Leningrad. His trials were interrupted by the war.

In 1941, in England, the first flight was carried out on an experimental fighter aircraft equipped with a turbojet engine designed by F. Whittle. It was equipped with an engine with a gas turbine, which drove a centrifugal compressor that supplied air to the combustion chamber. Combustion products were used to create jet thrust.

In a turbojet engine, the air entering during flight is compressed first in the air intake and then in the turbocharger. Compressed air is supplied to the combustion chamber, where it is injected liquid fuel(most often aviation kerosene). Partial expansion of the gases formed during combustion occurs in the turbine rotating the compressor, and the final expansion occurs in the jet nozzle. An afterburner can be installed between the turbine and the jet engine to provide additional fuel combustion.

Nowadays, most military and civil aircraft, as well as some helicopters, are equipped with turbojet engines.

In a turboprop engine, the main thrust is generated by the propeller, and additional thrust (about 10%) is generated by a stream of gases flowing from the jet nozzle. The principle of operation of a turboprop engine is similar to a turbojet, with the difference that the turbine rotates not only the compressor, but also the propeller. These engines are used in subsonic aircraft and helicopters, as well as for the propulsion of high-speed ships and cars.

The earliest solid propellant jet engines were used in military missiles. Their wide application began in the 19th century, when missile units appeared in many armies. IN late XIX V. The first smokeless powders were created, with more stable combustion and greater performance.

In the 1920–1930s, work was carried out to create rocket weapons. This led to the emergence of rocket-propelled mortars - Katyushas in the Soviet Union, six-barreled rocket-propelled mortars in Germany.

The development of new types of gunpowder made it possible to use solid-fuel jet engines in combat missiles, including ballistic ones. In addition, they are used in aviation and astronautics as engines for the first stages of launch vehicles, starting engines for aircraft with ramjet engines, and braking engines for spacecraft.

A solid fuel jet engine consists of a housing (combustion chamber), which contains the entire fuel supply and a jet nozzle. The body is made of steel or fiberglass. Nozzle - made of graphite, refractory alloys, graphite.

The fuel is ignited by an igniter.

Thrust control is carried out by changing the combustion surface of the charge or the critical cross-sectional area of ​​the nozzle, as well as by injecting liquid into the combustion chamber.

The direction of thrust can be changed by gas rudders, a deflector (deflector), auxiliary control motors, etc.

Solid fuel jet engines are very reliable, can be stored for a long time, and therefore are always ready to start.

Great definition

Incomplete definition ↓

JET ENGINE, an engine that creates the traction force necessary for movement by converting potential energy into kinetic energy of the jet stream of the working fluid. The working fluid, in relation to engines, is understood as a substance (gas, liquid, solid), with the help of which the thermal energy released during fuel combustion is converted into useful mechanical work. As a result of the outflow of the working fluid from the engine nozzle, a reactive force is generated in the form of a reaction (recoil) of the jet, directed in space in the direction opposite to the outflow of the jet. Various types of energy (chemical, nuclear, electrical, solar) can be converted into kinetic (speed) energy of a jet stream in a jet engine.

A jet engine (direct reaction engine) combines the engine itself with a propulsion device, i.e., it provides its own movement without the participation of intermediate mechanisms. To create jet thrust (engine thrust) used by a jet engine, you need: a source of initial (primary) energy, which is converted into the kinetic energy of the jet stream; the working fluid, which is ejected from the jet engine in the form of a jet stream; The jet engine itself is an energy converter. Engine thrust – this is a reactive force, which is the result of gas-dynamic forces of pressure and friction applied to the internal and external surfaces of the engine. There is a distinction between internal thrust (jet thrust) - the result of all gas-dynamic forces applied to the engine, without taking into account external resistance, and effective thrust, which takes into account the external resistance of the power plant. The initial energy is stored on board an aircraft or other vehicle equipped with a jet engine (chemical fuel, nuclear fuel), or (in principle) can come from outside (energy from the Sun).

To obtain the working fluid in a jet engine, a substance taken from environment(for example, air or water); a substance located in the tanks of an apparatus or directly in the chamber of a jet engine; a mixture of substances coming from the environment and stored on board the vehicle. Modern jet engines most often use chemical energy as their primary energy. In this case, the working fluid is hot gases - products of combustion of chemical fuels. When a jet engine operates, the chemical energy of burning substances is converted into thermal energy of combustion products, and the thermal energy of hot gases is converted into mechanical energy of the translational motion of the jet stream and, consequently, the apparatus on which the engine is installed.

The principle of operation of a jet engine

In a jet engine (Fig. 1), a stream of air enters the engine and meets turbines rotating at high speed compressor , which sucks in air from the external environment (using a built-in fan). Thus, two problems are solved - primary air intake and cooling of the entire engine as a whole. Compressor turbine blades compress air approximately 30 times or more and “push” it (pump) into the combustion chamber (generating the working fluid), which is the main part of any jet engine. The combustion chamber also serves as a carburetor, mixing fuel with air. This could be, for example, a mixture of air and kerosene, as in the turbojet engine of a modern jet aircraft, or a mixture of liquid oxygen and alcohol, as in some liquid rocket engines, or some kind of solid fuel for powder rockets. After the formation of the fuel-air mixture, it is ignited and energy is released in the form of heat, i.e., jet engine fuels can only serve such substances that, when chemical reaction in the engine (combustion) they release quite a lot of heat, and also form large number gases

During the combustion process, significant heating of the mixture and surrounding parts occurs, as well as volumetric expansion. In effect, a jet engine uses a controlled explosion to propel itself. The combustion chamber of a jet engine is one of its hottest parts (the temperature in it reaches 2700° C), it must be constantly intensively cooled. A jet engine is equipped with a nozzle through which hot gases, the products of fuel combustion in the engine, flow out of the engine at great speed. In some engines, gases enter the nozzle immediately after the combustion chamber, for example in rocket or ramjet engines. In turbojet engines, gases after the combustion chamber first pass through turbine , to which they give part of their thermal energy to drive the compressor, which serves to compress the air in front of the combustion chamber. But, one way or another, the nozzle is the last part of the engine - gases flow through it before leaving the engine. It directly forms the jet stream. Cold air is directed into the nozzle, pumped by the compressor to cool the internal parts of the engine. The jet nozzle may have various shapes and design depending on the type of engine. If the exhaust speed must exceed the speed of sound, then the nozzle is shaped like an expanding pipe or first narrowing and then expanding (Laval nozzle). Only in a pipe of this shape can gas be accelerated to supersonic speeds and step over the “sound barrier.”

Depending on whether or not the environment is used when operating a jet engine, they are divided into two main classes - air-breathing engines(WRD) and rocket engines(RD). All WFD – heat engines, the working fluid of which is formed during the oxidation reaction of a flammable substance with atmospheric oxygen. The air coming from the atmosphere makes up the bulk of the working fluid of the WRD. Thus, a device with a propellant engine carries an energy source (fuel) on board, and draws most of the working fluid from the environment. These include a turbojet engine (TRE), a ramjet engine (ramjet engine), a pulsed airjet engine (Pvjet engine), and a hypersonic ramjet engine (scramjet engine). In contrast to the VRD, all components of the RD working fluid are located on board the vehicle equipped with the RD. The absence of a propulsion device interacting with the environment and the presence of all components of the working fluid on board the vehicle make the rocket launcher suitable for operation in space. There are also combined rocket engines, which are a combination of both main types.

Main characteristics of jet engines

Main technical parameter characterizing a jet engine is thrust - the force that the engine develops in the direction of movement of the vehicle, specific impulse - the ratio of engine thrust to mass rocket fuel(working fluid) consumed in 1 s, or an identical characteristic - specific fuel consumption (the amount of fuel consumed in 1 s per 1 N of thrust developed by a jet engine), specific mass of the engine (weight of a jet engine in operating condition per unit of thrust developed by it traction). For many types of jet engines important characteristics are dimensions and resource. Specific impulse is an indicator of the degree of sophistication or quality of an engine. The above diagram (Fig. 2) shows in graphical form the upper values ​​of this indicator for different types jet engines depending on flight speed, expressed in the form of Mach number, which allows you to see the range of applicability of each type of engine. This indicator is also a measure of engine efficiency.

Thrust - the force with which a jet engine acts on a vehicle equipped with this engine - is determined by the formula: $$P = mW_c + F_c (p_c – p_n),$$ where $m$ is the mass flow (mass flow) of the working fluid in 1 s; $W_c$ is the speed of the working fluid in the nozzle cross section; $F_c$ is the area of ​​the nozzle exit section; $p_c$ is the gas pressure in the nozzle cross section; $p_n$ – ambient pressure (usually atmospheric pressure). As can be seen from the formula, the thrust of a jet engine depends on the ambient pressure. It is greatest in emptiness and least in the densest layers of the atmosphere, i.e., it varies depending on the flight altitude of a vehicle equipped with a jet engine above sea level, if flight in the Earth’s atmosphere is considered. The specific impulse of a jet engine is directly proportional to the speed of flow of the working fluid from the nozzle. The flow rate increases with increasing temperature of the flowing working fluid and decreasing molecular weight of the fuel (the smaller molecular weight fuel, the greater the volume of gases formed during its combustion, and, consequently, the speed of their flow). Since the flow rate of combustion products (working fluid) is determined by the physical and chemical properties of the fuel components and the design features of the engine, being a constant value with not very large changes in the operating mode of the jet engine, the magnitude of the reactive force is determined mainly by the mass per second fuel consumption and fluctuates within a very wide range limits (minimum for electric – maximum for liquid and solid rocket engines). Low-thrust jet engines are used mainly in stabilization and control systems of aircraft. In space, where gravitational forces are felt weakly and there is practically no environment whose resistance would have to be overcome, they can also be used for acceleration. Taxi engines with maximum thrust are necessary for launching rockets to long ranges and altitudes, and especially for launching aircraft into space, i.e., for accelerating them to the first escape velocity. Such engines consume a very large amount of fuel; they usually work very well short time, accelerating the rockets to a given speed.

WRDs use ambient air as the main component of the working fluid, which is much more economical. WFDs can operate continuously for many hours, which makes them convenient for use in aviation. Different designs made it possible to use them for aircraft operating in different flight modes. Turbojet engines (TRD) are widely used and are installed on almost all modern aircraft without exception. Like all engines that use atmospheric air, turbojet engines require a special device to compress the air before it is fed into the combustion chamber. In a turbojet engine, a compressor is used to compress air, and the design of the engine largely depends on the type of compressor. Non-compressor air-breathing engines are much simpler in design, in which the necessary increase in pressure is achieved by other means; These are pulsating and ramjet engines. In a pulsating air-breathing engine, this is usually done by a valve grill installed at the engine inlet; when a new portion of the fuel-air mixture fills the combustion chamber and a flash occurs in it, the valves close, isolating the combustion chamber from the engine inlet. As a result, the pressure in the chamber increases, and the gases rush out through the jet nozzle, after which the whole process is repeated. In a compressor-free engine of another type, a ramjet (ramjet), there is not even this valve grid and atmospheric air enters the engine inlet at a speed equal speed flight, is compressed due to the high-speed pressure and enters the combustion chamber. The injected fuel burns, increasing the heat content of the flow, which flows through the jet nozzle at a speed greater than the flight speed. Due to this, the ramjet jet thrust is created. The main disadvantage of ramjet engines is their inability to independently ensure takeoff and acceleration of an aircraft. It is necessary to first accelerate the aircraft to a speed at which the ramjet starts and ensures its stable operation. The peculiarity of the aerodynamic design of supersonic aircraft with ramjet engines (ramjet engines) is due to the presence of special accelerator engines that provide the speed necessary to begin stable operation of the ramjet engine. This makes the tail section of the structure heavier and requires the installation of stabilizers to ensure the necessary stability.

Historical background

The principle of jet propulsion has been known for a long time. The ancestor of the jet engine can be considered Heron's ball. Solid rocket motors(solid propellant rocket motor) - powder rockets appeared in China in the 10th century. n. e. For hundreds of years, such missiles were used first in the East and then in Europe as fireworks, signal, and combat missiles. An important stage in the development of the idea of ​​jet propulsion was the idea of ​​​​using a rocket as an engine for an aircraft. It was first formulated by the Russian revolutionary N. I. Kibalchich, who in March 1881, shortly before his execution, proposed a design for an aircraft (rocket plane) using jet propulsion from explosive powder gases. Solid propellant rocket motors are used in all classes of military missiles (ballistic, anti-aircraft, anti-tank, etc.), in space (for example, as launch and sustainer engines) and aviation technology(aircraft take-off accelerators, in systems ejection) etc. Small solid fuel engines are used as boosters during aircraft takeoff. Electric rocket motors and nuclear rocket motors can be used on spacecraft.

Most military and civil aircraft around the world are equipped with turbojet engines and bypass turbojet engines, and they are used on helicopters. These jet engines are suitable for flight at both subsonic and supersonic speeds; they are also installed on projectile aircraft; supersonic turbojet engines can be used in the first stages aerospace aircraft, rocket and space technology, etc.

The theoretical works of Russian scientists S.S. Nezhdanovsky, I.V. were of great importance for the creation of jet engines. Meshchersky, N. E. Zhukovsky, works of the French scientist R. Hainault-Peltry, German scientist G. Oberth. An important contribution to the creation of the WFD was the work of the Soviet scientist B. S. Stechkin, “The Theory of an Air Jet Engine,” published in 1929. Almost more than 99% of aircraft use a jet engine to one degree or another.

the site and Rostec remember the people who made rockets fly.

Origins

“A rocket will not fly by itself” is a phrase attributed to many famous scientists. And Sergei Korolev, and Wernher von Braun, and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. It is believed that the idea of ​​rocket flight was almost formulated by Archimedes himself, but even he had no idea how to make it fly.

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

To date, there are many types of rocket engines. Chemical, nuclear, electrical, even plasma. However, rockets appeared long before man invented the first engine. The words “nuclear fusion” or “chemical reaction” hardly meant anything to the inhabitants of Ancient China. But the missiles appeared exactly there. Exact date It’s difficult to name, but presumably this happened during the reign of the Han dynasty (III-II centuries BC). The first mentions of gunpowder date back to those times. The rocket, which rose upward due to the force generated by the explosion of gunpowder, was used in those days exclusively for peaceful purposes - for fireworks. These missiles, characteristically, had own stock fuel, in this case, gunpowder.

Conrad Haas is considered the creator of the first combat rocket


Next step was made only in 1556 by the German inventor Conrad Haas, who was a specialist in firearms in the army of Ferdinand I - Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Haas is considered the creator of the first military rocket. Although, strictly speaking, the inventor did not create it, but only laid it down theoretical foundations. It was Haas who came up with the idea of ​​a multi-stage rocket.



Multistage rocket as imagined by Conrad Haas

The scientist described in detail the mechanism for creating an aircraft from two rockets that would separate in flight. “Such a device,” he assured, “could reach enormous speed.” Haas's ideas were soon developed by the Polish general Kazimir Semenovich.




Front page books in which Kazimir Semenovich described rockets

In 1650, he proposed a project to create a three-stage rocket. However, this idea was never brought to life. That is, of course, it was, but only in the twentieth century, several centuries after the death of Semenovich.

Rockets in the army

The military, of course, will never miss the opportunity to adopt new look destructive weapons. In the 19th century they had the opportunity to use a rocket in battle. In 1805, the British officer William Congreve demonstrated at the Royal Arsenal the powder rockets he had created, which were of unprecedented power at that time. There is an assumption that Congreve “stole” most of the ideas from the Irish nationalist Robert Emmett, who used some kind of rocket during the uprising of 1803. One can argue on this topic forever, but nevertheless, the rocket that the British troops adopted is called the Congreve rocket, and not the Emmett rocket.


The military began using rockets at the dawn of the 19th century


Launch of the Congreve Rocket, 1890

The weapon was used many times during the Napoleonic Wars. In Russia, Lieutenant General Alexander Zasyadko is considered the pioneer of rocket science.


Alexander Zasyadko

He not only improved the Congreve rocket, but also thought that the energy of this destructive weapon could be used for peaceful purposes. Zasyadko, for example, was the first to express the idea that using a rocket it would be possible to fly into space. The engineer even calculated exactly how much gunpowder would be needed for the rocket to reach the Moon.


Zasyadko was the first to propose using rockets to fly into space

On a rocket to space

Zasyadko's ideas formed the basis for many of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky's works. This famous scientist and inventor theoretically substantiated the possibility of flying into space using rocket technology. True, he proposed using not gunpowder as fuel, but a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. Similar ideas were expressed by Tsiolkovsky’s younger contemporary Herman Oberth.




Hermann Oberth

He also developed the idea of ​​interplanetary travel. Oberth perfectly understood the complexity of the task, but his work was not at all fantastic in nature. The scientist, in particular, proposed the idea of ​​a rocket engine. He even conducted experimental tests of such devices. In 1928, Obert met a young student, Wernher von Braun. This young physicist from Berlin was soon to make a breakthrough in rocket science and bring many of Oberth's ideas to life. But more on that later, because two years before the meeting of these two scientists, the first liquid fuel rocket in history was launched.

Rocket Age

This happened significant event March 16, 1926. And the main character was the American physicist and engineer Robert Goddard. Back in 1914 he patented multistage rocket. He soon managed to bring to life the idea proposed by Haas almost four hundred years earlier. Goddard proposed using gasoline and nitrous oxide as fuel. After a series of unsuccessful launches, he achieved success. On March 16, 1926, at his aunt's farm, Goddard launched a rocket the size of human hand. In just over two seconds, she flew 12 meters into the air. It is curious that Bazooka will later be created based on Goddard’s works.




Robert Goddard and his rocket

The discoveries of Goddard, Oberth and Tsiolkovsky had a great resonance. In the USA, Germany and the Soviet Union, societies of rocket science enthusiasts began to spontaneously emerge. In the USSR, already in 1933, the Jet Institute was created. In the same year, a fundamentally new type of weapon appeared - rockets. The installation for launching them went down in history under the name “Katyusha”.




Salvo "Katyusha"

In Germany, the development of Oberth’s ideas was carried out by the already familiar Wernher von Braun. He created rockets for the German army and did not leave this activity after the Nazis came to power. Moreover, Brown received fabulous funding and unlimited work opportunities from them.


Wernher von Braun with a V-2 model in his hands

Slave labor was used to create new rockets. It is known that Brown tried to protest against this, but received a threat in response that he himself might end up in the place of forced laborers. This is how a ballistic missile was created, the appearance of which was predicted by Tsiolkovsky. The first tests took place in 1942. In 1944, the V-2 long-range ballistic missile was adopted by the Wehrmacht. With its help, they fired mainly at the territory of Great Britain (the missile reached London from German territory in 6 minutes). The V-2 caused terrible destruction and struck fear into the hearts of people. At least 2,700 civilians of Foggy Albion became its victims. In the British press, the V-2 was called the “winged horror.”

The Nazis used slave labor to create rockets

After the war

The American and Soviet military have been hunting for Brown since 1944. Both countries were interested in his ideas and developments. The scientist himself played a key role in resolving this issue. Back in the spring of 1945, he gathered his team for a council, at which the question of who should surrender at the end of the war was decided. Scientists have concluded that it is better for the Americans to surrender. Brown himself was captured almost by accident. His brother Magnus, seeing an American soldier, ran up to him and said: “My name is Magnus von Braun, my brother invented the V-2, we want to surrender.”

R-7 Korolev - the first rocket used to fly into space

In the USA, Wernher von Braun continued to work on rockets. Now, however, he worked mainly for peaceful purposes. It was he who gave a colossal impetus to the development of the American space industry by designing the first launch vehicles for the United States (of course, Brown also created combat ballistic missiles). His team launched the first American artificial Earth satellite into space in February 1958. Soviet Union beat the United States with the launch of satellite by almost six months. On October 4, 1957, the first artificial satellite was launched into Earth orbit. It was launched using the Soviet R-7 rocket, created by Sergei Korolev.




Sergey Korolev

R-7 became the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile, as well as the first rocket used for space flight.

Rocket engines in Russia

In 1912, a plant for the production of aircraft engines was opened in Moscow. The company was part of the French society "Gnome". Airplane engines were also created here. Russian Empire during the First World War. The plant successfully survived the Revolution, received a new name “Icarus” and continued to operate under Soviet rule.


A plant for the production of aircraft engines appeared in Russia in 1912


Aviation engines were created here in the 1930s and 1940s, the war years. The engines that were produced at Icarus were installed at the forefront soviet planes. And already in the 1950s, the company began to produce turbo-rocket engines, including for the space industry. Now the plant belongs to OJSC Kuznetsov, which received its name in honor of the outstanding Soviet aircraft designer Nikolai Dmitrievich Kuznetsov. The company is part of the Rostec state corporation.


Current state

Rostec continues to produce rocket engines, including for the rocket industry. IN recent years production volumes are growing. Last year, information appeared that Kuznetsov received orders for the production of engines for as much as 20 years in advance. Engines are created not only for the space industry, but also for aviation, energy and rail freight transportation.


In 2012, Rostec tested a lunar engine


In 2012, Rostec tested the lunar engine. Experts managed to revive technologies that were created for the Soviet lunar program. The program itself, as we know, was eventually discontinued. But seemingly forgotten developments have now found a new life. The lunar thruster is expected to see widespread use in the Russian space program.

Jet engine

Jet engine

an engine whose thrust is created by the reaction (recoil) of the working fluid flowing out of it. In relation to engines, the working fluid is understood as a substance (gas, liquid, solid) with the help of which the heat released during fuel combustion is converted into useful mechanical work. The basis of a jet engine is where hot gases (fuel combustion products) are burned (the source of primary energy) and generated.

According to the method of generating the working fluid, jet engines are divided into air-breathing jet engines (WRE) and rocket engines (RAE). In air-breathing engines, fuel burns in the air flow (oxidized by air oxygen), turning into thermal energy of hot gases, which in turn turns into the kinetic energy of the jet stream. Depending on the method of supplying air to the combustion chamber, turbocompressor, direct-flow and pulsating air-breathing engines are distinguished.

In a turbocharger engine, air is forced into the combustion chamber by a compressor. Such engines are the main type of aircraft engine. They are classified into turboprop, turbojet and pulsejet engines.

A turboprop engine (TVD) is a turbocompressor engine in which the thrust is mainly created by an air propeller driven by a gas turbine, and partly by the direct reaction of the flow of gases flowing from the jet nozzle.

1 – air; 2 – compressor; 3 – gas; 4 – nozzle; 5 – hot gases; 6 – combustion chamber; 7 – liquid fuel; 8 – nozzles

Turbojet engine (TRE) is a turbocompressor engine in which thrust is created by the direct reaction of the flow of compressed gases flowing from the nozzle. A pulsating air-breathing engine is a jet engine in which air periodically entering the combustion chamber is compressed under the influence of high-speed pressure. Has little traction; used primarily on subsonic aircraft. A ramjet engine (ramjet) is a jet engine in which air continuously entering the combustion chamber is compressed under the influence of high-speed pressure. Has high thrust at supersonic flight speeds; There is no static thrust, so a forced start is necessary for the ramjet engine.

Encyclopedia "Technology". - M.: Rosman. 2006 .

Jet engine

Direct reaction engine is the conventional name for a large class of engines for aircraft for various purposes. Unlike a piston engine power plant internal combustion and a propeller, where the traction force is created as a result of the interaction of the propeller with external environment, R.D. creates driving force, called reactive force or thrust, as a result of the outflow of a jet of working fluid possessing kinetic energy from it. This force is directed opposite to the outflow of the working fluid. The driving force in this case is the propellant itself. The primary energy necessary for the operation of the propellant is, as a rule, contained in the working fluid itself (the chemical energy of the burned fuel, potential energy compressed gas).
R. d. are divided into two main groups. The first group consists of rocket engines - engines that create traction force only due to the working fluid stored on board the aircraft. These include liquid rocket engines, solid fuel rocket engines, electric rocket engines, etc. They are used in rockets for various purposes, including powerful boosters used for launching spaceships into orbit.
The second group includes air-breathing engines, in which the main component of the working fluid is air taken into the engine from the environment. In air-rocket engines - turbojet engines, ramjet engines, pulsating air-breathing engines - all the thrust is generated by direct reaction. By workflow and design features Adjacent to air-rocket engines are some aviation gas turbine engines of indirect reaction - turboprop engines and their varieties (turbopropfan engines and turboshaft engines), in which the proportion of thrust due to direct reaction is insignificant or practically absent. Turbojet engines with different meaning Bypass ratios occupy in this sense an intermediate position between turbojet engines and turboprop engines. Air-rocket engines are used mainly in aviation as part of the power plant of military and civil aircraft. Using ambient air as an oxidizer, air-rocket engines provide significantly greater fuel efficiency than rocket engines, since only fuel is required on board the aircraft. At the same time, the possibility of carrying out the work process using ambient air limits the area of ​​use of air-rocket engines to the atmosphere.
The main advantage of a rocket engine over an air-rocket engine is its ability to operate at any flight speeds and altitudes (the thrust of a rocket engine does not depend on flight speed and increases with altitude). In some cases, combined engines are used, combining the features of rocket and air-rocket engines. In combined engines, to improve efficiency, air is used at the initial stage of acceleration with a transition to rocket mode at high flight altitudes.

Aviation: Encyclopedia. - M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia. Editor-in-Chief G.P. Svishchev. 1994 .


See what a “jet engine” is in other dictionaries:

    JET ENGINE, an engine that propels forward by rapidly releasing a stream of liquid or gas in a direction opposite direction movements. To create a high-speed flow of gases, a jet engine uses fuel... ... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

    An engine that creates the traction force necessary for movement by converting the initial energy into the kinetic energy of the jet stream of the working fluid (See Working fluid); as a result of the outflow of the working fluid from the engine nozzle,... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

    - (direct reaction engine) an engine whose thrust is created by the reaction (recoil) of the working fluid flowing from it. They are divided into air-jet and rocket engines... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

    An engine that converts any type of primary energy into the kinetic energy of the working fluid (jet stream), which creates jet thrust. A jet engine combines the engine itself and the propulsion device. The main part of any... ... Marine Dictionary

    JET engine, an engine whose thrust is created by the direct reaction (recoil) of the working fluid flowing out of it (for example, chemical fuel combustion products). They are divided into rocket engines (if the working fluid reserves are located... ... Modern encyclopedia

    Jet engine- JET ENGINE, an engine whose thrust is created by the direct reaction (recoil) of the working fluid flowing out of it (for example, chemical fuel combustion products). They are divided into rocket engines (if the working fluid reserves are located... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

    JET ENGINE- a direct reaction engine, the reactive (see) of which is created by the recoil of the working fluid jet flowing from it. There are air-jet and rocket (see) ... Big Polytechnic Encyclopedia

    jet engine- - Topics: oil and gas industry EN jet engine... Technical Translator's Guide

    Space Shuttle rocket engine tests ... Wikipedia

    - (direct reaction engine), an engine whose thrust is created by the reaction (recoil) of the working fluid flowing from it. They are divided into air-jet and rocket engines. * * * JET ENGINE JET ENGINE (direct engine... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

Books

  • Aircraft model pulsating air-breathing engine, V. A. Borodin. The book covers the design, operation and elementary theory of pulsating jet engines. The book is illustrated with diagrams of jet flying model aircraft. Reproduced in original...

Have you ever wondered how a jet engine works? The jet thrust that powers it was known back in ancient times. They were able to put it into practice only at the beginning of the last century, as a result of the arms race between England and Germany.

The operating principle of a jet engine is quite simple, but it has some nuances that are strictly observed during their production. In order for the plane to remain reliably in the air, they must work perfectly. After all, the lives and safety of everyone on board the aircraft depend on it.

It is powered by jet thrust. This requires some kind of fluid to be pushed out from the back of the system and give it forward motion. Works here Newton's third law, which states: “Every action causes an equal reaction.”

At the jet engine air is used instead of liquid. It creates the force that provides movement.

It uses hot gases and a mixture of air and combustible fuel. This mixture comes out at high speed and pushes the plane forward, allowing it to fly.

If we talk about the design of a jet engine, it is connecting the four most important parts:

  • compressor;
  • combustion chambers;
  • turbines;
  • exhaust

The compressor consists from several turbines, which suck in air and compress it as it passes through angled blades. When compressed, the temperature and pressure of the air increase. Part of the compressed air enters the combustion chamber, where it is mixed with fuel and ignited. It increases thermal energy of the air.

Jet engine.

Hot mixture on high speed leaves the chamber and expands. There she goes through some more one turbine with blades that rotate thanks to gas energy.

The turbine is connected to the compressor at the front of the engine, and thus sets it in motion. Hot air escapes through the exhaust. At this point, the temperature of the mixture is very high. And it increases even more, thanks to throttling effect. After this, the air comes out of it.

Development of jet-powered aircraft has begun in the 30s of the last century. The British and Germans began to develop similar models. German scientists won this race. Therefore, the first aircraft with a jet engine was “Swallow” in the Luftwaffe. "Gloucester Meteor" took off a little later. The first aircraft with such engines are described in detail

The engine of a supersonic aircraft is also a jet engine, but in a completely different modification.

How does a turbojet engine work?

Jet engines are used everywhere, and turbojet engines are installed in larger ones. Their difference is that the first carries with it a supply of fuel and oxidizer, and the design ensures their supply from the tanks.

Airplane turbojet engine carries only fuel, and the oxidizer - air - is pumped by a turbine from the atmosphere. Otherwise, the principle of its operation is the same as that of the reactive one.

One of their most important details is This is a turbine blade. The engine power depends on it.

Diagram of a turbojet engine.

They are the ones who generate the traction forces necessary for the aircraft. Each of the blades produces 10 times more energy than the most common car engine. They are installed behind the combustion chamber, in the part of the engine where the most high blood pressure, and the temperature reaches up to 1400 degrees Celsius.

During the production process of blades they go through through the process of monocrystallization, which gives them hardness and strength.

Each engine is tested for full thrust before being installed on an aircraft. He must pass certification European Council safety and the company that produced it. One of the largest companies producing them is Rolls-Royce.

What is a nuclear powered aircraft?

During Cold War Attempts were made to create a jet engine not based on a chemical reaction, but on heat, which would generate nuclear reactor. It was installed instead of a combustion chamber.

Air passes through the reactor core, lowering its temperature and increasing its own. It expands and flows out of the nozzle at a speed greater than flight speed.

Combined turbojet-nuclear engine.

It was tested in the USSR based on TU-95. The United States also did not lag behind scientists in the Soviet Union.

In the 60s Research on both sides gradually ceased. The main three problems that prevented development were:

  • safety of pilots during flight;
  • release of radioactive particles into the atmosphere;
  • in the event of a plane crash, the radioactive reactor could explode, causing irreparable harm to all living things.

How are jet engines for model airplanes made?

Their production for aircraft models takes about 6 o'clock. First it is ground aluminum base plate, to which all other parts are attached. It is the same size as a hockey puck.

A cylinder is attached to it, so it turns out something like a tin can. This is the future internal combustion engine. Next, the feed system is installed. To secure it, screws are screwed into the main plate, previously dipped in a special sealant.

Engine for a model airplane.

The starter channels are attached to the other side of the chamber to redirect gas emissions to the turbine wheel. Installed in the hole on the side of the combustion chamber filament coil. It ignites the fuel inside the engine.

Then they install the turbine and the central axis of the cylinder. They bet on it compressor wheel, which forces air into the combustion chamber. It is checked using a computer before the launcher is secured.

The finished engine is checked again for power. Its sound is not much different from the sound of an airplane engine. It is, of course, less powerful, but completely reminiscent of it, giving more similarity to the model.



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