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How does the J58 engine work?
The J58 was the first engine designed to operate for extended periods using its afterburner, and it was the first engine to be flight-qualified at Mach 3 for the U.S. Air Force. Each engine contains a nine-stage compressor driven by a two-stage turbine. The main burner uses an eight-can combustor.
How does the SR-71 Blackbird engine work?
The SR-71 Blackbird, a now-retired twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft, has an inlet design based on a cone-shaped body, or spike, that generates an oblique-angled, cone-shaped shock wave at the inlet’s entrance and a normal shock wave—one rising at a right angle from the direction of air flow—just aft of the internal …
Was the J58 a ramjet?
The J58 was a one-of-a-kind engine. Its unique trick involved the ability to transition from turbojet engine to turbo-ramjet engine in flight, sucking in vast amounts of oxygen-rich air and burning it to drastically increase engine output.
Who made the engines for the SR-71?
Pratt & Whitney
The Pratt & Whitney J58 (company designation JT11D-20) was an American jet engine that powered the Lockheed A-12, and subsequently the YF-12 and the SR-71 aircraft….Pratt & Whitney J58.
| J58 | |
|---|---|
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Pratt & Whitney |
| First run | 1958 |
| Major applications | Lockheed A-12 Lockheed SR-71 |
Who built the engines for the SR-71?
The aircraft aerodynamic and propulsion data used to build the baseline SR-71 model were supplied by Lockheed. 8 The thrust increase and fuel flow data for the engine enhancement options were supplied by Pratt & Whitney.
What kind of engine does the SR 71 have?
Two J58s power the SR-71 as well as the YF-12A and most of the A-12s. In July 1976, J58 engines powered an SR-71 to a world altitude record of 85,069 ft. and another SR-71 to a world speed record of 2,193 mph.
What kind of thrust does a J58 turbojet have?
The J58 was a single-spool turbojet with an afterburner. It had a unique bleed from the compressor to the afterburner which gave increased thrust at high speeds. This feature caused it to be referred to as a turboramjet in some writings. It delivered 25,000 pound-force (110 kN) of thrust dry and 34,000 (150 kN) wet.
What was the maximum fuel flow rate of the J58 engine?
The J58 was specifically tailored for operation at extreme speeds, altitudes, and temperatures, and was the first aircraft engine to be flight-qualified for the Air Force at Mach 3. At maximum output, the fuel flow rate in the J58 is about 8,000 gallons per hour and the exhaust-gas temperature is around 3,400 degrees.
What was the surface temperature of the SR-71 Blackbird?
At the speeds the SR-71 operated, surface temperatures were extremely high due to aerodynamic heating: 800 degrees at the nose, 1,200 degrees on the engine cowlings, 620 degrees on the cockpit windshield.