Speed

 of  sound  
Introduc)on  to  Aeronau)cal  Engineering  
Ir.  Nando  Timmer  
Lecture  overview  

•  Deriva0on  of  the  speed  of  sound  

•  Equa0ons  of  a  perfect  gas  
•  Second  form  of  the  isentropic  rela0ons  
Model  
p p+dp p p+dp
ρ ρ +dρ ≡ ρ ρ +dρ
T T+dT is equal to T T+dT
a a a + da

Moving sound wave with speed a Motionless sound wave

into a stagnant gas

static observer moving

observer with sound wave
 1 2

Con5nuity  equa5on   p
ρ
p+dp
ρ +dρ
T T+dT
Recall  the  con0nuity  equa0on:   a + da
a
 
 
1-­‐dimensional  flow:  
   
 
 Model    ü  
Con0nuity    ü  
Momentum  equa5on   Momentum      

Recall  the  Euler  equa0on:  

   
Earlier  we  found:  
Subs0tu0ng            :  
 Model    ü  
Con0nuity    ü  
Speed  of  sound   Momentum    ü  

 
Going  through  the  sound  wave:  
•  No  heat  addi0on  
•  Fric0on  is  negligible  
 
Rewri5ng  the  speed  of  sound  

 
 
 
 
Rewri5ng  the  speed  of  sound  (2)  

 
Recall  the  equa0on  of  state:  
 
 
So  the  speed  of  sound  in  a  perfect  gas  
depends  only  on  T!  
Mach  number  
Mach Ackeret

In honor of Ernst Mach the name “Mach number” was introduced

in 1929 by Jacob Ackeret
Mach  number  (2)  

 
   
subsonic  
  sonic  
Eduard  M
Altair78  
armet  -­‐  CC  -­‐  BY  -­‐    SA  
  transonic  
  supersonic  
  hypersonic  
 
All  velocity  ranges  have  their  
  own  specific  phenomena  
Flow  from  a  reservoir  

Recall  the  energy  equa0on:   0   1  

 
When  V0  =  0:  
 
Flow  from  a  reservoir  (2)  
Flow  from  a  reservoir  (3)  
Flow  from  a  reservoir  (3)  

 
 
 
 
 
 
Recall:    
Second  form  of  the  isentropic  rela5ons  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note:  only  valid  for  flow  to  or  from  
Speed  of  sound