Aerodynamic Contrails: Phenomenology and Flow Physics
Gierens, K., B. Kärcher, H. Mannstein, and B. Mayer. "Aerodynamic Contrails: Phenomenology and Flow Physics." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 66.2 (2009): 217-26. Print.
Gierens, K., B. Kärcher, H. Mannstein, and B. Mayer. "Aerodynamic Contrails: Phenomenology and Flow Physics." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 66.2 (2009): 217-26. Print.
The journal I plan on using is a way for me to connect aviation to physics and explain something I have always wanted to know. When jets fly over and sometimes planes we see the long "tails" that seem to follow the aircraft. I was told that it was a "jetstream", but according to the journal presented it is actually an occurrence of aerodynamics which is a part of, wait for it,......PHYSICS! Now, according to the article the tails are know formally as aerodynamic contrails and are a result of the flow of air. The wings slice through the air and create the difference in pressure between the top of the wing and the bottom causing what we know as lift. However, that is not the only thing that is caused by the wings. Above and below the wings, not only is pressure different but the temperature changes as well as stated in the aerodynamics section, point a: Simple calculations.
Think of mountain tops and how the snow remains year round. The air at a higher altitude is colder and dry. Much like that, above the wings you have a cold dry air and below is heated from the engine gasses after burning. This difference in temp causes condensation because when something is hot or cold and applied with the opposite, it condense and will "sweat" like a glass of water. Thus, the water vapor from the engine freezes and condenses. We know that when this occurs in air clouds are formed. The same thing happens with the contrails of planes and according to the article this will create "contrail cirrus" clouds.
Overall, the appearance of contrails are caused by the aerodynamics of the wings. Above and below have different temperatures much like the different pressure associated with lift. When water is expelled as a gas from the engine, the cold surrounding air freezes it causing condensation and formation of a "contrail cirrus". This is how, by physics, the tails from jets are formed.
Overall, the appearance of contrails are caused by the aerodynamics of the wings. Above and below have different temperatures much like the different pressure associated with lift. When water is expelled as a gas from the engine, the cold surrounding air freezes it causing condensation and formation of a "contrail cirrus". This is how, by physics, the tails from jets are formed.
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