MAGENIT

TM

Engineering Applications of
Microsoft Excel 97 and 98
ASW Example
Copyright 1999 David M Hooper
All Rights Reserved
Microsoft Excel is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

EMAGENIT provides consulting services and seminars on the engineering

applications of Microsoft Excel. It also provides software development services
for Excel. For further information, fax or phone EMAGENIT at (805) 499-9943
or email Dave Hooper at hooper@emagenit.com or visit our web site at
www.emagenit.com.

Purpose: The purpose of this example is to demonstrate how

to size an aircraft from a sketch using Excel. The equations and
methodology used to size the aircraft were obtained from
chapter 3 of Dan Raymer's book, Aircraft Design: A
Conceptual Approach published by the AIAA. For a complete
aircraft design software package, it is highly recommended that
you purchase RDS by Dan Raymer. Information about Dan
Raymer's book and RDS can be found on the Internet at
www.aircraftdesign.com.
Example Overview: The type of aircraft being sized in this
example is an antisubmarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. The
aircraft being sized is a high wing canard configuration with two
high-bypass turbofan engines slung beneath the wing. The
aircraft is expected to fly 1500 nm at M=.6 carrying 10000 lb of
equipment and 4 crew members at 800 lb, loiter on station or 3
hrs then return. The aircraft's wing has an aspect ratio of about
11. When combined with the canard's area, the combined
aspect ratio is about 8. Using the chart's from chapter 3 of
Raymer's book, it was determined that the wetted area ratio for
the aircraft was about 5.5 which yields a wetted aspect ratio of
1.45 for the aircraft. Using this information and the charts and
equations from chapter 3, an L/D for the aircraft was

aircraft being sized is a high wing canard configuration with two

high-bypass turbofan engines slung beneath the wing. The
aircraft is expected to fly 1500 nm at M=.6 carrying 10000 lb of
equipment and 4 crew members at 800 lb, loiter on station or 3
hrs then return. The aircraft's wing has an aspect ratio of about
11. When combined with the canard's area, the combined
aspect ratio is about 8. Using the chart's from chapter 3 of
Raymer's book, it was determined that the wetted area ratio for
the aircraft was about 5.5 which yields a wetted aspect ratio of
1.45 for the aircraft. Using this information and the charts and
equations from chapter 3, an L/D for the aircraft was
determined to be 15 for cruise and 16 for loiter. A SFC of .5 1/hr
is assumed for the engines at cruise and a SFC of .4 1/hr is
assumed for the engines at loiter.
The example was constructed on the ASWDesign worksheet
in this workbook. The equations used to calculate the mission
segment weight fractions; the total fuel fraction and the design
takeoff gross weight were constructed as formulas in cells in
the area marked Output Information on the worksheet. These
formulas obtain their input information by referencing the cells
in the area of the worksheet named Input Information.
Worksheet functions were also called in the formulas to
perform value rounding and exponential operations. The
graphics on the worksheet give an overview of the aircraft's
mission profile and what it looks like. The parts of the graphic
that display the calculated fraction values and the aircraft
weight are dynamically linked to the ASW worksheet. When the
formulas calculating these values calculate new values, the
graphic values will update with the new values. Solver is used
to perform the iteration that calculates the design gross takeoff
weight of the aircraft on the worksheet. To learn more about
Solver, activate Excel on-line help (Help / Contents and
Index) and type the keyword Solver in the first box on the
Index tab of the dialog box that is displayed. Double click on
the desired topic displayed in the second box on that tab.
Instructions: Refer to the ASWDesign worksheet for the
instructions on how to use it. Note the instructions are located
below the Output Information area on the worksheet.

Antisubmarine Warfare Aircraft Sizing from A Sketch

Input Information
Known Information
equip
10000
crew
800
Rng32
9114000
Rng54
9114000
Endr43
10800
Endr65
1200
SFC32
0.0001389
SFC54
0.0001389
SFC43
0.0001111
SFC65
0.0001111
LD32
15
LD54
15
LD43
16
LD65
16
Vc32
569.9
Vc54
569.9
Wog
50000

lb
lb
ft
ft
s
s
1/s
1/s
1/s
1/s

Antisubmarine
Antisubmarine Warfare
Warfare Aircraft
Aircraft Mission
Mission Profile
Profile

Do not edit values

unless you have read
chapter 3 of Raymer's
book.

W4/W3
0.9278
Cruise
1500 nm

2
climb

W1/W0
0.97

Warm-up &
Takeoff

ft/s
ft/s
lb

Output Information
Mission Segment Weight Fractions
W1/W0
0.97
Do not edit formulas
unless you have read
W2/W1
0.985
chapter 3 of Raymer's
W3/W2
0.8624
book.
W4/W3
0.9278
W5/W4
0.8624
W6/W5
0.9917
W7/W6
0.995
Wf/W0
0.3705

Cruise 1500
nm

W3/W2
0.8624

Loiter 3
Hours

W5/W4
0.8624

W2/W1
0.985

1
Aircraft Type Evaluated: Antisubmarine warfare aircraft.
Mission: Fly 1500 nm at M=.6 carrying 10000 lb of equipment
and 4 crew members at 800 lb, loiter on station for 3 hrs then
return.
ASW
ASWAircraft
AircraftSketch
Sketch

Fuel Tanks

Avionics Bay

Calculated Design Takeoff Gross Weight

Woc
55834
lb
Instructions:
1. Click on cell B21 and type a guess value for the Design Takeoff Gross Weight of the aircraft (30000-100000). The
formula in cell B35 will use this guess value to return the calculated design takeoff gross weight of the aircraft.
2. You can also change any of the cell values in the Input Information Range using the methodology just discussed for cell
B21. Note be sure of what you are doing before changing these values (i.e. read Raymer's book, chapter 3). An
explanation of the cell values in this range can be found by passing the mouse cursor over the cells in column B and
reading the comment that appears. The same goes for the formulas in column B of the Output Information Range.
3. Proceed to the worksheet menu bar and select Tools / Solver....
4. When the Solver dialog box appears, click the Solve button. Note the problem comes preloaded into Solver so do
not alter it. When Solver runs, it will vary the value in cell B21 till it matches the value produced by the formula in cell B35.
When these values match, the aircraft has been sized.
5. When the Results dialog box appears, it will inform you if Solver found an answer (i.e. cell B21 value = cell B35 value).
Click the OK button to dismiss the dialog box and keep the answer Solver found (i.e. the value in cell B21). Click the
Cancel button to discard the answer if Solver could not find the result.
Note: Solver must be loaded into Excel before you can use it. Check Solvers on-line documentation in Excel help to find
out how to load it into Excel. Note this may also require setting up Excel again on your computer if you did not choose to
load Solver when you initially loaded Excel.
Note: Do not insert cells into this worksheet or move cells around on it. The VBA procedures that reload the values and the
formulas into the cells will not operate correctly. Also the formulas may not operate correctly.

3. Proceed to the worksheet menu bar and select Tools / Solver....

4. When the Solver dialog box appears, click the Solve button. Note the problem comes preloaded into Solver so do
not alter it. When Solver runs, it will vary the value in cell B21 till it matches the value produced by the formula in cell B35.
When these values match, the aircraft has been sized.
5. When the Results dialog box appears, it will inform you if Solver found an answer (i.e. cell B21 value = cell B35 value).
Click the OK button to dismiss the dialog box and keep the answer Solver found (i.e. the value in cell B21). Click the
Cancel button to discard the answer if Solver could not find the result.
Note: Solver must be loaded into Excel before you can use it. Check Solvers on-line documentation in Excel help to find
out how to load it into Excel. Note this may also require setting up Excel again on your computer if you did not choose to
load Solver when you initially loaded Excel.
Note: Do not insert cells into this worksheet or move cells around on it. The VBA procedures that reload the values and the
formulas into the cells will not operate correctly. Also the formulas may not operate correctly.

ftt Mission Profile

Cruise 1500
nm

5
W6/W5
0.9917

W5/W4
0.8624

Loiter 20
Min

6
W7/W6
0.995

Land
arine warfare aircraft.
ing 10000 lb of equipment
r on station for 3 hrs then

Wf/W0
0.3705

*Sketch and mission profile

used with permission of Dan
Raymer. Copyright Dan
Raymer, All Rights Reserved

Fuel Tanks
Design Takeoff Gross
Weight (lb): 55834

raft (30000-100000). The

oss weight of the aircraft.
hodology just discussed for cell
book, chapter 3). An
he cells in column B and
ut Information Range.

preloaded into Solver so do

uced by the formula in cell B35.

ell B21 value = cell B35 value).

ue in cell B21). Click the

entation in Excel help to find

puter if you did not choose to

s that reload the values and the

.

preloaded into Solver so do

uced by the formula in cell B35.

ell B21 value = cell B35 value).

ue in cell B21). Click the

entation in Excel help to find

puter if you did not choose to

s that reload the values and the

.