area rule
noun
aeronautical engineering
: a principle used to design aircraft with minimal drag at speeds approaching and in excess of Mach 1
Note: The area rule states that the more closely the progression of the cross-sectional area of an aircraft's body from nose to tail matches the progression of the cross-sectional area of an aerodynamically smooth, idealized shape, the less drag will be generated.
Called the area rule, it says that drag at high speeds is a function of an airplane's total cross-sectional area (essentially, the thickness of the fuselage). Because projections from the fuselage increase a plane's cross section, narrowing the fuselage where the wings and tail assembly attach reduces drag.—
Aaron Nicodemus, Telegram and Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts), 16 Oct. 2009
Aaron Nicodemus, Telegram and Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts), 16 Oct. 2009
area-ruled
adjective
an area-ruled fuselage
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“Area rule.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/area%20rule. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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