Lecture Notes: Ionic Thrusters in Wing Design
Introduction
- Dual-purpose design: Wing and ionic thruster.
- Goal: Optimize ionic thruster for flight.
- Transatlantic competition with Joel to improve thruster design.
Initial Design Attempts
- BSI thruster led to competitive innovation with Joel.
- Realization: Minimize weight and components for no-moving-part airplanes.
- Collaboration with Peter Sripol, an expert in wing design.
Design Process
Conceptual Inspiration
- Fighter jets are essentially jet engines with wings attached.
- Idea to incorporate ionic thrust into a glider's frame for better experimentation.
Design Stages
- Ultra-light wing design with built-in thrusters.
- Multiple design iterations to optimize weight and power.
Prototype Development
Early Prototypes
- 12cm section of wing with adjustable element spacing.
- Initial tests showed poor performance: velocity around 0.4-0.6 m/s.
Design Refinement
- Redesigned ionic thrust segments to avoid airflow obstruction.
- Significant performance improvement: up to 1.5 m/s.
Further Optimizations
- Aluminum streamlined tubing for ground connections: mild performance gain.
- Assembled full wing prototype for further testing.
Performance Testing
Initial Tests and Adjustments
- Evaluation of different power and spacing configurations.
- Maximum velocity achieved: 4 m/s after reducing Eddy currents.
- Visualized airflow using dry ice fog.
Weight Reduction
- Iteratively reduced wing weight by redesigning airfoil and reducing material use.
- Weight reductions achieved: from 200g to 100g (50% reduction).
- Reduced weight led to significant airflow improvements.
Final Design and Demonstration
- Wing glowing purple under high voltage: visually impressive.
- Prototype achieved 60 RPM (2 m/s) on a balanced testing rig.
- Final calculations determined thrust output to be 44 grams.
Future Directions
- Plans to use higher current power sources for further improvements.
- Consider using wire instead of razor blades to reduce weight further.
- Potential for a solid-state airplane based on findings.
Conclusion
- The project shows promise for developing a solid-state airplane.
- Future optimizations and testing necessary to achieve flight-worthy performance.
Note: Video sponsored by Curiosity Stream.
Summary Quote
"Ask yourself: Is it possible we're on the precipice of a new era of flight – a solid-state airplane?"