Eureka! | Bring Your Own Solution

Alexandria

The Challenge | Bring Your Own Solution

Follow your brain and your heart, and present a solution of your own choosing!

Runway wake turbulence detector "R.W.T.D"

Video could not be embeded. Watch Here

RWTD is a laser tracker that tracks the aircraft on the runway to tell at which point the aircraft left the runway so the wake turbulence starts there, then after adding the weather condition,turbulence generated by plane we can track the runway turbulence

No Image Provided

In aviation, on generating lift on the wings of the aircraft a wake vortices were generated at the wingtips even aircraft with wing-lets generate generate those vortices. the vortices trail the aircraft for the the take off until touch down, and that causes a danger to the aircraft following the same or nearby path. the degree of hazard to the following aircraft depends on the nature of the wake encountered the flight path and on the ability of the aircraft to counter its effect.


The heavy aircraft "ex. A380" leaves a great turbulence on the runway starting from the point of lifting the nose gear, if a light aircraft "ex. Cessna 172" run into the area of turbulence on the runway it will face a great rolling force that will make it crash. and on the other side when a heavy aircraft performs a landing the turbulence will start from the begging of the runway approach, until the touch down so if a light air craft landed in the are of turbulence it will crash.


According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Separation criteria (listed by aircraft wake turbulence, weight categories, and runway situation) are as follows:

  • Same or parallel runways separated less than 2500 feet:
  1. Small/large/heavy behind heavy - 2 minutes (same direction).
  2. Small/large/heavy behind heavy - 3 minutes (opposite direction or intersection departure).
  • Same runway:
  1. Small behind large - 3 minutes (opposite direction or intersection departure).
  • Intersecting runways:
  1. Small/large/heavy behind heavy - 2 minutes (projected flight paths cross or departure will fly through airborne path of arrival).


So we decided to to some calculation and bring an instrumental approach instead of estimations from the pilot and Air traffic control.


First we decided to build a colored cold water pipeline with fine holes on both sides of the runway so when an aircraft takes off the low pressure turbulence will suck the water out of the pipes throw the holes so we will know the exact place from where the aircraft has took off, so the following aircraft has to take off before this point otherwise it will enter the turbulence region.

Second we decide to install a vibrometers that will indicates the changes in the frequencies so it will indicate the intensity of the turbulence.

Finally we decided to make a laser beam tracker that will track the aircraft until a take off is performed so the point of take off will be indicated, and after calculating the turbulence intensity casued by the aircraft with an equation with variables of "speed, air density, wing span, weight, wing let design, etc..." then adding the cross wind effect supported by the air traffic control; we will now be able to know the exact place of the wake turbulence and its decay rate.


So we can inform the next aircraft whether is it safe to take off or land and determine the exact time of danger so it will reduce the delay in air flights.

NASA Logo

SpaceApps is a NASA incubator innovation program.