RCAIDE.Library.Methods.Mass_Properties.Weight_Buildups.Conventional.Transport.FLOPS.compute_fuselage_weight

compute_fuselage_weight#

compute_fuselage_weight(vehicle)[source]#

Computes the fuselage weight using NASA FLOPS weight estimation method. Accounts for aircraft type.

Parameters:

vehicle (Vehicle) –

The vehicle instance containing:
  • networkslist

    Propulsion system data for engine count and mounting

  • fuselages[‘fuselage’]Fuselage
    Primary fuselage with:
    • lengths.totalfloat

      Total fuselage length [m]

    • widthfloat

      Maximum fuselage width [m]

    • heights.maximumfloat

      Maximum fuselage height [m]

  • flight_envelope.ultimate_loadfloat

    Ultimate load factor (default: 3.75)

  • systems.accessoriesstr

    Aircraft type (‘short-range’, ‘commuter’, ‘medium-range’, ‘long-range’, ‘sst’, ‘cargo’)

  • mass_properties.max_takeofffloat

    Maximum takeoff weight [kg]

  • design_mach_numberfloat

    Design cruise Mach number

Returns:

WFUSE – Fuselage structural weight [kg]

Return type:

float

Notes

Uses FLOPS correlations developed from transport aircraft database. For more details, please refer to the FLOPS documentation: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20170005851

Major Assumptions
  • Single fuselage configuration (NFUSE = 1). If there are multiple fuselages, these are calcualted separately.

  • Fuselage is tagged as ‘fuselage’

Theory For transport aircraft: .. math:

W_{fuse} = 1.35(L_{f}D_{eq})^{1.28}(1 + 0.05*N_{ef})(1 + 0.38*F_{cargo})
where:
  • L_f = fuselage length

  • D_eq = equivalent diameter

  • N_ef = number of fuselage-mounted engines

  • F_cargo = cargo aircraft flag

References

[1] NASA Flight Optimization System (FLOPS)