Fuselage Pressures Measured on the Bell X-1 Research Airplane in Transonic Flight

Abstract

Pressure-distribution measurements have been made on the fus elage of the Bell X- 1 research airplane. Data are presented for angles of attack from 2 deg. to 8 deg. during pull-ups at Mach numbers of about 0.78, 0.85, 0.88, and 1.02. The results of the investigation indicated that a large portion of the load carried by the fuselage was in the vicinity of the wing and may be attributed to wing-to-fuselage carryover. The presence of the wing from the 41 to 60 percent fuselage stations influenced the fuselage pressures from about 30 to 65 percent fuselage length at Mach numbers of approximat ely 0.78, 0.85, and 0.88, and from about 35 to 80 percent fuselage length at a Mach number of approximately 1.02. The fuselage contributed about 20 percent of the total airplane normal-force coefficient. The center of pressure of the fuselage load throughout the tests was located from 41 to 51 percent fuselage length, which corresponds to the forward half of the wing root-chord location