When we talk about war, people often associate the event with the suffering, damage, violence and destruction that this type of event has the capacity to bring about. However, the conflict situation can also become a way through which new technologies are proposed and conquered. Indeed, victory over enemies can become a motivation for weapons and inventions to be quickly developed.
During World War II, air force fighters had the complicated mission of carrying out attacks and prospecting without being targeted by enemy forces. At that time, there were already planes that fulfilled this mission reaching very significant speeds. However, aircraft suffered from serious instability problems when reaching speeds in excess of one thousand kilometers per hour.
The scientific explanation given for this phenomenon was related to the fact that sound produces a pressurized wave that moves through the air at great speed. When an airplane reached a speed close to the displacement of this wave, it suffered from the resistance imposed by the so-called “sound barrier”. After noticing the problem, and after the end of World War II, the American scientists and military tried to manufacture the first plane capable of overcoming the powerful barrier.
As early as 1947, the National Committee on Aeronautical Affairs and the aircraft manufacturer Bell convened the pilot Charles "Chuck" Yeager to carry out the first tests on the Bell X-1, the first plane supersonic. Coupled to a B-29 plane, the Bell X-1 performed its maiden flight reaching an impressive 1540 km/h mark. At that time, the success of the experiment established an important milestone in the history of world aviation.
One of the great concerns of the creators of that plane was the extremely high pressures that the aircraft would suffer reaching such a speed. That's why the Bell X-1 was built with a reinforced aluminum fuselage, so its structure wouldn't shatter when breaking the sound barrier. Likewise, the XLR-11 engine was made entirely of steel to withstand the impact of explosions generated by an efficient mixture of ethyl alcohol and liquid oxygen.
Allied to this reinforcement, the Bell X-1 carried immense equipment paraphernalia that weighed more than 200 kilos. Among other elements, this supersonic model carried a camera capable of recording the cockpit instruments; a rangefinder, which checked speed and acceleration during flight; and a pressure gauge, which indicated pressure levels at different points on the aircraft. In addition, the plane was designed with thin wings and its shape mimicked the design of the projectile on the Browning 50 machine gun.
By Rainer Sousa
Graduated in History
Brazil School Team
20th century - wars - Brazil School
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/guerras/bell-x1-primeiro-supersonico.htm