Aerodynamics

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Understanding of the use of technical literature and other information sources - P4m
• Ability to apply relevant practical and laboratory skills (P3m)
• Ability to apply quantitative and computational methods, in order to solve engineering problems and implement appropriate action (EA3b)
• Understanding of, and the ability to apply, an integrated or systems approach to solving complex engineering problems (EA4m)
• Knowledge and understanding of mathematical and statistical methods necessary to underpin your education in Aeronautics and Astronautics, and to enable you to apply a range of mathematical and statistical methods, tools and notations proficiently and critically in the analysis and solution of engineering problems (SM2m)
• Ability to work with technical uncertainty (P8m)
• Understanding of engineering principles and the ability to apply them to analyse key engineering processes (EA1b)
• Knowledge and understanding of risk issues, including health & safety, environmental and commercial risk, and of risk assessment and risk management techniques (EL6b)
• A comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the scientific principles and methodology necessary to underpin their education in Aeronautics and Astronautics, to enable appreciation of the scientific and engineering context, and to support your understanding of relevant historical, current and future developments and technologies
• Awareness of developing technologies related to Aeronautics and Astronautics (SM4m)
• Understanding of contexts in which engineering knowledge can be applied (eg operations and management, application and development of technology, etc) - P1m
• Understanding of contexts in which engineering knowledge can be applied (eg operations and management, application and development of technology, etc) - P1
• Ability to use fundamental knowledge to investigate new and emerging technologies (EA5m)

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Ability to identify, classify and describe the performance of systems and components through the use of analytical methods and modelling techniques (EA2m)

Fundamental concepts:

Recap of Thermofluids concepts, non-dimensional numbers and sanity checks, Partial derivatives and corresponding physical concepts, numerical implementation, vorticity & irrotational flow, Mass and momentum conservation using partial derivatives, How CFD works.

Viscous flow:

Types of boundary layers, integral properties of boundary layers, displacement thickness, momentum thickness, momentum integral equation for a flat plate (MIE), power law approximations for turbulent boundary layers, drag on a flat plate for laminar and turbulent flow including transition. Numerical implementation of various concepts.

Potential Flow:

Streamlines and velocity potential, Laplace equation, Uniform stream, source/sink, doublet and line vortex. Superposition of different flow elements with examples: uniform flow with source, flow around circular cylinder/doublet, lifting flow over circular cylinder, method of images.

Thin Aerofoil Theory:

Kutta-Joukowski theorem, Vortex sheets, Kutta condition, symmetric aerofoil (lift-versus-angle of attack, aerodynamic centre & centre of pressure) and cambered aerofoil (lift-versus-angle of attack), surface loading/pressure distribution, Flow over real airfoils.

Finite Wing Theory:

Downwash & induced drag, Biot-Savart law, bound vorticity, horseshoe vortex, classical lifting line theory, application to elliptic & general wing planforms, Flow over real wings.

Laboratory sessions:

1) Boundary layer lab – measuring velocity profiles of laminar and turbulent boundary layers

2) CFD lab – application of commercial CFD software to flow over an aerofoil

3) Wind tunnel lab for an infinite wing – measuring pressure distribution and integrating it to estimate lift.

4) Wind tunnel lab for a finite wing - measuring lift and drag of a finite wing and assessing its performance

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods will include lectures, video tutorials, drop-in sessions and laboratory demonstrations. Learning activities include directed reading, problem solving, report writing.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External