Luminous Flux in aircraft design refers to the measure of the total quantity of visible light emitted by a light source in all directions. Luminous flux is typically expressed in lumens (lm), which is the SI unit for luminous flux. It is an important parameter in aviation for specifying the brightness of lighting systems, navigation lights, and aircraft illumination. The formula for luminous flux and its SI unit are as follows:
Luminous Flux Formula: The formula for calculating luminous flux (Φ_v) is based on the radiant flux (Φ_e) and the luminous efficacy (K):
- Φ_v: Luminous Flux, measured in lumens (lm).
- Φ_e: Radiant Flux, measured in watts (W).
- K: Luminous Efficacy, a constant that represents the efficiency of light emission, measured in lumens per watt (lm/W).