Feeling the Fear of Being Dominated by Formulas

"You should know that before the rotating detonation engine, I also worked on a drone that attempted to reach space, combining turbofan and ramjet characteristics."

Chen Yi spoke about the drone engine he had previously used to reach for space.

Although this engine, due to the properties of the low-temperature heat-strengthening material, could not be disassembled or destroyed once set, and its durability was also poor.

This did not affect the application of the turbofan + ramjet technology contained within this engine to the design of other engines.

"An engine for reaching space?"

"Combining turbofan + ramjet?"

One by one, the experts and academicians widened their eyes and turned to look at Professor Zhang, who had more contact with Chen Yi.

When they saw Professor Zhang nodding in agreement, they were all speechless.

So the rotating detonation engine wasn't the main point, and the ion propulsion drone in the atmosphere wasn't the key either.

Before all of this, there was already a super engine combining turbofan and ramjet.

"I recall that your engine used a special stress material.

The security department secretly purchased a few units before and investigated Yifei's factory; you know about this.

I studied it for a while back then, but because the stress material couldn't be disassembled for research, and later due to the Lunar Lander Drone, this engine was temporarily shelved."

Professor Zhang recalled the information about this engine.

"I know about that.

But what I want to talk about now is the internal aerodynamic layout of this engine.

This layout and structure are the keys to combining turbofan and ramjet characteristics."

Chen Yi took paper and pen from the side, drew a special turbine blade structure, and then labeled it with fluid formulas and aerodynamic parameters.

Regarding the engine for reaching space, Chen Yi had previously read the technical information.

However, at first, he could only imitate it, knowing the 'what' but not the 'why'.

It wasn't until he read information about other aerodynamic layouts, rotating detonation engines, and conducted in-depth research on aircraft, engines, and aerodynamic layouts through virtual learning.

That Chen Yi truly understood the mystery of the space-reaching engine.

This was an engine technology that broke through the barriers between turbofan and ramjet, allowing for their combination.

If one's research into aircraft engines was deep enough, and one could integrate knowledge of variable cycle engines combining turbofan and turbofan, as well as rotating detonation engines.

It was even possible to create an engine with the characteristics of turbofan + turbofan + ramjet + scramjet + rotating detonation, designing and manufacturing an all-weather, all-domain, three-in-one engine for Earth, air, and space.

Professor Zhang and a group of people gathered around.

After a glance at the turbine blade structure Chen Yi drew, their attention shifted to the parameters and formulas beside it.

For these experts, hand-drawn diagrams were not precise; the real key lay in the parameters and formulas.

"Are these the aerodynamic parameters and fluid formulas for the turbofan blades?"

After studying for a while, Professor Zhang tentatively offered his opinion.

He was uncertain because the parameters were indeed aerodynamic parameters, and the formulas were related to fluid equations.

But the content of this formula, as an expert in aircraft design and engine design with some in-depth research in fluid dynamics, he had never seen before.

"Indeed, it's a fluid formula, and a brand new one at that."

At this moment, an academician next to him, who had more in-depth research in fluid dynamics, chimed in, confirming the answer about the fluid formula.

"Yes, this is a new aerodynamic fluid formula.

The turbine blades next to it were manufactured based on this formula, making them special turbine blades.

Of course, I'm not an artist, so my drawing isn't precise.

I'll roughly explain the function of this formula and the structural role of the turbine blades."

Chen Yi nodded, picked up his pen, and began to explain while adding details to the formula.

"We all know that turbofan engines compress and pressurize the engine's intake airflow through blades.

Ramjet engines, on the other hand, compress and pressurize the engine's intake airflow through a contracting ramjet structure.

But is there a possibility that, under specific conditions, the turbine blades can transform into a special ramjet structure, thereby achieving the combination of turbofan and ramjet engines?"

"That's impossible!"

"Never heard of it being done like that!"

As soon as Chen Yi finished speaking, the surrounding experts couldn't help but exclaim.

"Nothing is impossible.

We haven't fully unlocked all the mysteries of the fluid continuity equation and the Navier-Stokes equation in fluid dynamics."

Chen Yi replied calmly, "For these areas that haven't been fully researched and remain unknown, nothing is impossible.

This formula is now a new supplement, a new mystery, to the fluid continuity equation and the Navier-Stokes equation."

Professor Zhang, who knew Chen Yi better, did not doubt his words.

Looking at the formula details Chen Yi added, he pondered for a moment and said, "You're saying that through a special aerodynamic layout and blade structure.

When the incoming airflow reaches the turbofan limit of Mach 3.

The structure of the turbine blades will adapt and change, forming an inward-curving ramjet structure?

The original turbofan engine structure would become a ramjet engine structure?"

"Yes, but it's not strictly limited to Mach 3.

If the blade structure is adjusted accordingly.

This value can change from Mach 3 to Mach 0.9, or even Mach 5 if the strength is sufficient."

Chen Yi nodded.

Mach 0.9 was the dividing line for turbofan engines; beyond Mach 0.9, the efficiency and performance of a turbofan structure would surpass that of a turboshaft.

Mach 3 was the dividing line for turbofan engines.

Beyond this dividing line, the supersonic incoming air would not even reach the combustion chamber before premature combustion occurred due to excessive compression at the turbine blades, leading to engine stall.

Therefore, the speed limit for conventional turbofan engines was Mach 3.

Exceeding Mach 3 required switching to a ramjet engine.

And Mach 5 was the boundary between sub-supersonic ramjet engines and supersonic-combustion ramjet engines.

"Such a structure would place very high demands on materials,"

An academician, who was deeply involved in materials research, frowned after mentally estimating the requirements.

In previous ramjet engines, the ramjet structure was a solid wall of iron.

But now, it would need to be made of individual iron pieces, which would then form a wall through their structural arrangement, all while maintaining the strength of a wall.

With such a design, one could understand the high material requirements just by imagining it, without needing any experiments.

"The material strength does need to be increased somewhat.

However, because this structure is not a full ramjet structure, it doesn't rely entirely on structural rigidity for resistance.

Instead, it utilizes the slight gaps between the blades and the engine's side walls, forming an outer duct, and a compressed main duct formed by the inward contraction at the center. The pressure between these two ducts maintains the structural stability.

This way, with a 5% to 8% increase in material strength for sub-supersonic applications and a 10% to 15% increase for supersonic-combustion applications, the requirements can be met."

As Chen Yi spoke, unable to find a blackboard, he directly wrote lines of parameters and calculation formulas on the wall to demonstrate his description.

In this world, besides love confessions and promises of eternal love that made people afraid to go out on stormy nights after breaking up, there was no description more demonstrative and authoritative than mathematical formulas.

"."

Beside him, watching Chen Yi write formulas at the slightest disagreement.

Professor Zhang and the other experts and academicians exchanged glances, their eyes showing a mix of helplessness and nostalgia.

The feeling was akin to their younger days, when they were university students learning from their mentors.

Back then, their mentors on the podium would also throw out formulas at the slightest provocation.

The dense formulas made them, a group of naive newcomers at the time, suffer immensely.

Unexpectedly, decades later.

They had all become experts, professors, academicians, and senior engineers, becoming new pillars of the national research field.

And now, they were reliving the experience of being dominated by their mentors' formulas.

An hour passed, and Chen Yi finished writing.

Two hours passed, three hours passed, five hours passed...

After more than five hours.

Through these formulas, Professor Zhang and the others finally understood the plan Chen Yi had described.

Simply put, it was like a compression fan blade that could autonomously adapt to wind speed.

If the wind blowing onto the fan blade was relatively small, the blade would maintain its structure and compress and pressurize the incoming wind through its rotation.

If the wind was too strong, the blade would split at the center, forming an inward-curving compression channel. This contracted channel structure would then be used to compress and pressurize the incoming wind.

However, for the fan blade to split and rotate, there had to be a movable gap between the fan blade and the surrounding side walls.

When the fan blade split at the center to form the compression channel, this gap would form an outer channel.

The pressure balance between the two channels would further maintain the structural stability of the compression channel.

This was similar to an object caught between two streams of air; as long as the air streams on both sides were balanced, the object in the middle would be as stable as possible.

The aerodynamic and structural design of the fan blade in this process could determine.

Whether the fan blade split at Mach 0.9, Mach 3, or Mach 5.

Whether one, two, or three stages of fan blades were designed, and how the splitting speed of each blade varied.

These different fan blade designs and their corresponding fracture speeds are the key points for combining the performance characteristics of various engines like turbofans, turbojets, ramjets, and scramjets.

Of course, this is just the basic principle.

To implement such a structure within an engine, one only needs to look at the formulas covering Chen Yi's tens of meters of wall to understand the difficulty.

The difficulty from principle to realization is like this:

You blow up a balloon, then let go of the opening, and the balloon flies away.

Okay, you now understand the principle of thrust generation through jet propulsion. Please independently design a supersonic fighter jet.

"Alright, no more looking."

Professor Zhang extricated himself from Chen Yi's sea of formulas, took a deep breath, and said to everyone.

"We need to notify the security department first to photograph these formulas for top-secret preservation."

"And this wall?"

"Demolish it, melt it down, turn it into glass, then smash it and bury it deep."

Professor Zhang rubbed his throbbing head with some fatigue, then turned to Chen Yi and gave him a thumbs up.

"Good job, kid."

"You're probably the only one in the world who can make a bunch of old guys like us recall our student days and feel the terror of being dominated by formulas again."

PS: Seeking readership, monthly votes, and recommendation tickets.