Johanna Weber
Johanna Weber | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 August 1910 Düsseldorf, Germany |
| Died | 24 October 2014 (aged 104) |
| Occupation(s) | Mathematician, aerodynamicist |
| Years active | 1939–1975 (approximate) |
| Known for | Contributions to the Handley Page Victor bomber, Concorde supersonic airliner, and Airbus A300B design |
Johanna Weber (8 August 1910 – 24 October 2014) was a mathematician and aerodynamicist of German origin who later became British. She is celebrated for her instrumental role in the creation of the Handley Page Victor bomber as well as the Concorde supersonic airliner.
Early life
Weber was born in Düsseldorf into a family of Walloon descent. Following the loss of her father during the First World War, she attended a convent school that provided support to war orphans. She commenced studies in chemistry and mathematics at the University of Cologne in 1929 before transferring to the University of Göttingen, where she graduated with first-class honours in 1935. After completing teacher training, she was prevented from entering the teaching profession because she declined to join the Nazi Party, which led her to seek employment within the armaments sector to help support her family.
Career
Her professional journey began at Krupp in Essen, where she conducted ballistics research involving intricate computations performed with mechanical calculators.
Aerodynamics Research Institute
In 1939, Weber became part of the Aerodynamics Research Institute (Aerodynamische Versuchsanstalt Göttingen), focusing on theoretical aspects of aerodynamics and corrections for wind tunnel data. It was here that she established a lifelong partnership with Dietrich Küchemann. Charged with improving flow theory around aircraft, Weber integrated her theoretical insights with Küchemann’s studies on jet engine intake systems, achieving notable progress throughout the Second World War.
Royal Aircraft Establishment
Following the capture of Göttingen by British forces in 1945, Weber and Küchemann were commissioned to consolidate their findings into Aerodynamics of Propulsion. As part of British efforts to recruit German scientists after the war, Küchemann joined the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at Farnborough in 1946 and brought Weber along. Both scientists initially held six-month contracts which were renewed until they obtained British citizenship in 1953. Weber was the sole female among the German researchers and contributed within the Low Speed Wind Tunnels division under Frances Bradfield’s leadership, concentrating on air intake experiments alongside John Seddon.
The British Air Ministry’s 1946 requirement for a medium-range jet bomber resulted in Handley Page’s Victor design, notable for its crescent-shaped swept wings. Weber applied her wartime aerodynamic theories to enhance engine air intake efficiency and wing configuration. Her calculations were supported by a team of female computers. In 1945, she co-authored a study examining the aerodynamic properties of the Victor’s wing and fuselage.
During the 1950s, Weber made advances in subsonic aerodynamic theory by simultaneously considering wing thickness, twist, sweep angle, and camber to accurately predict pressure distribution patterns. This approach enabled engineers at Vickers to identify wing shapes that achieved desired pressure characteristics, ultimately contributing to the sophisticated wing design employed on the Vickers VC10 airliner.
Concorde
Weber initiated her investigations into supersonic transport in 1955, demonstrating that a slender delta wing operated at a high angle of attack could produce adequate lift for takeoff and landing while maintaining efficient supersonic flight. Küchemann advocated this wing concept to UK government officials, which led to backing from the Supersonic Transport Advisory Committee (STAC) for a Mach 2 passenger aircraft in 1956.
The Handley Page HP.115 prototype was flown in 1961 to evaluate low-speed flight characteristics of this slim delta wing design. Weber supplied essential aerodynamic methodologies for estimating drag during supersonic flight on these wings and refined their shape to promote leading-edge vortex formation. Her contributions starting from 1959 played a crucial role in shaping and constructing the Concorde.
Airbus
After her work on Concorde, Weber concentrated on subsonic aerodynamic principles, enhancing theories initially developed for incompressible flows to accommodate supercritical speed conditions. She pioneered automated calculation methods for precise solutions and created models of the intricate three-dimensional intersection between wing and fuselage, a key contributor to aerodynamic inefficiency. These innovations, combined with insights gained from the VC10 project, played a crucial role in the design of the Airbus A300B, recognized as the first wide-body twin-engine jetliner.
Later life and death
Weber stepped down from her role as Senior Principal Scientific Officer in 1975 but continued to offer her expertise as a consultant at RAE. Throughout her career, she published nearly one hundred papers and assisted in bringing Küchemann's The Aerodynamic Design of Aircraft to print in 1978, marking the conclusion of her active involvement in aerodynamics.
Remaining single, Weber initially resided in RAE-provided accommodation before relocating near Küchemann’s residence in Surrey. She encountered difficulties obtaining a mortgage due to prevailing gender discrimination in lending practices. After retiring, she undertook studies in psychology and geology at the University of Surrey.
She provided financial support to her ailing sister and mother in Germany; her sister passed away at age 50. Weber lived independently in her home until 2010 and died on 24 October 2014 at a nursing facility in Farnham, Surrey.
Selected publications
- Application of theory of incompressible flow around a swept wing at high subsonic Mach numbers, Ministry of Supply, London, 1948 (Dietrich Küchemann, Johanna Weber)
- Design of wing junction, fuselage and nacelles to obtain the full benefit of sweptback wings at high Mach number: Addendum, Ministry of Supply, London, 1949 (Dietrich Küchemann, Johanna Weber)
- Annular bodies of infinite length with circulation for smooth entrance, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, Washington, D.C., 1951 (Dietrich Küchemann, Johanna Weber)
- Concerning the flow about ring-shaped cowlings. Part II, Annular bodies of infinite length with circulation for smooth entrance, NACA Technical Memorandum 1326, Washington, D.C., November 1951 (Dietrich Küchemann, Johanna Weber)
- A simple estimate of the profile drag of swept wings, Report RAE TN Aero 2168, June 1952 (Johanna Weber, G.G. Brebner)
- Aerodynamics of Propulsion, McGraw-Hill, 1953 (Dietrich Küchemann, Johanna Weber)
- Low speed tests on 45 deg swept-back wings, HMSO, London, 1958 (Dietrich Küchemann, Johanna Weber, G.G. Brebner)
- Analysis of some performance aspects of various types of aircraft designed to fly at different ranges and speeds, Progress in Aeronautical Sciences, vol. 9, 1968 (Dietrich Küchemann, Johanna Weber)