Rockets
The thrust-to-weight ratio of a rocket, or rocket-propelled vehicle, is an indicator of its acceleration expressed in multiples of gravitational acceleration g.
Rockets and rocket-propelled vehicles operate in a wide range of gravitational environments, including the weightless environment. It is customary to calculate the thrust-to-weight ratio using initial gross weight at sea-level on earth. This is sometimes called Thrust-to-Earth-weight ratio. The thrust-to-Earth-weight ratio of a rocket, or rocket-propelled vehicle, is an indicator of its acceleration expressed in multiples of earth’s gravitational acceleration, g0.
It is important to note that the thrust-to-weight ratio for a rocket varies as the propellant gets utilized. If the thrust is constant, then the maximum ratio (maximum acceleration of the vehicle) is achieved just before the propellant is fully consumed (propellant weight is practically zero at this point). So for each rocket there a characteristic thrust-to-weight curve or acceleration curve, not just a scalar quantity.
The thrust-to-weight ratio of an engine is larger for the bare engine than for the whole launch vehicle. The thrust-to-weight ratio of a bare engine is of use since it determines the maximum acceleration that any vehicle using that engine could theoretically achieve with minimum propellant and structure attached.
For a takeoff from the surface of the earth using thrust and no aerodynamic lift, the thrust-to-weight ratio for the whole vehicle has to be more than one. In general, the thrust-to-weight ratio is numerically equal to the g-force that the vehicle can generate. Provided the vehicle's g-force exceeds local gravity (expressed as a multiple of g0) then takeoff can occur.
The thrust to weight ratio of rockets is typically far higher than that of airbreathing jet engines. This is because of the much higher density of the material that is formed into the exhaust, compared to that of air; therefore, far less engineering materials are needed for pressurising it.
Many factors affect a thrust-to-weight ratio, and the instantaneous value typically varies over the flight with the variations of thrust due to speed and altitude, and the weight due to the remaining propellant and payload mass. The main factors that affect thrust include freestream air temperature, pressure, density, and composition. Depending on the engine or vehicle under consideration, the actual performance will often be affected by buoyancy and local gravitational field strength.
Read more about this topic: Thrust-to-weight Ratio
Famous quotes containing the word rockets:
“The Thirties dreamed white marble and slipstream chrome, immortal crystal and burnished bronze, but the rockets on the Gernsback pulps had fallen on London in the dead of night, screaming. After the war, everyone had a car—no wings for it—and the promised superhighway to drive it down, so that the sky itself darkened, and the fumes ate the marble and pitted the miracle crystal.”
—William Gibson (b. 1948)