Mar 29, 2024  
2018-2019 Undergraduate Academic Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Undergraduate Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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ME 481 - Aerodynamics

3 lecture hours 0 lab hours 3 credits
Course Description
Reviews non-dimensional numbers and boundary layer concepts. Covers a physical description and understanding of fluid flow over bluff and streamlined bodies; experimental and theoretical lift and drag results for both two-dimensional and finite airfoils; aircraft stability and control; propeller design; automobile aerodynamics, including airfoil, spoilers, and airdams. (prereq: ME 3104  or ME 317 )
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  • Have a thorough understanding of fluid flows over bluff and streamlined bodies, including potential flow results, circulation, boundary layers, transition, and experimental results
  • Choose an airfoil and apply lift, drag, and moment coefficients to a design, and to be able to measure these coefficients experimentally
  • Make thin airfoil and finite airfoil calculations
  • Make airplane stability and trim calculations
  • Have an introduction to automobile aerodynamics

Prerequisites by Topic
  • Incompressible flow, Bernoulli equation
  • Laminar and turbulent flows, Reynolds number, viscosity
  • Boundary layers
  • Integral calculus

Course Topics
  • Review of fluids, non-dimensionalization, boundary layer, friction
  • 2-D flow over cylinders and airfoils
  • Movies and laboratory experiments
  • Airfoil terminology, characteristics, and physical flow description, modern airfoil developments, high lift devices
  • Thin airfoil theory
  • Finite airfoil
  • Stability and control
  • Propellers, vortex motion, model airplanes
  • Automotive applications

Laboratory Topics
  • Wind tunnel measurements of formula car drag coefficient and airfoil lift, drag, and moment coefficients and instrumentation

Coordinator
Christopher Damm



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