AOE 4124 Configuration Aerodynamics

Instructor: W.H. Mason Current Version: March 4, 2019
e-mail: whmason@vt.edu
Office Hours: Mon: 10:30-11:30, Wed: 2:30-3:30, Fri: 10:30-11:30, or by appointment
A little background on Professor Mason.

• For literature searches: NASA's Technical Report Server. This also includes the NACA reports.

Course Syllabus (a pdf file)
Weekly plan and diary (a pdf file)

Class Text:

• Cover and Table of Contents version of January 17, 2018
• Preface version of April 10, 2017
• 1. Introduction (a 8.7M pdf) updated Jan. 16, 2018
  • Intro Class Concepts Presentation (a 24.8M pdf) updated Jan. 16, 2015
• 2. Fluid mechanics foundations: governing equations (a 1M pdf) updated April 13, 2004
• 3. Drag (pdf) a 7M pdf file from Jan. 30, 2019
  • Misc Drag examples (pdf) from Feb. 9, 2018
• 4. Aircraft Configuration Design Options Feb. 12, 2006 (a 10.8M pdf file)
  • Configuration Options Class Presentation Feb. 22, 2019
  • A story about the X-29 April 1, 2010
• 5. An Overview of Aerodynamic Design including use of Computational Aerodynamics Feb. 15, 2006 (a 1M pdf file)
  • Some sizing considerations (a 464K pdf of a Powerpoint file), Feb. 21, 2011
  • MDO for Maneuver Wing Sizing (a 1M pdf of a Powerpoint file), March 23, 2015
  • Comments on Geometry for Aerodynamics (a 1.2M pdf of a Powerpoint file), March 4, 2019
  • Issues with spanloads including the Vulcan and X-29 (a 4.8M pdf of a Powerpoint file)
  • Conceptual Design Using CFD including modern MDO Methods (a 1.4M pdf of a Powerpoint file)
• 6. Subsonic aerodynamics of airfoils and wings updated March 10, 2006 (a 2.2 meg pdf file)
  • Subsonic Aerodynamics of Airfoils Class Presentation a 2.3M pdf file (March 30, 2018)
  • Subsonic Aerodynamics of Wings Class Presentation an 2.5M pdf file (March 30, 2018)
• 7. Transonic aerodynamics of airfoils and wings updated March 10, 2006 (a pdf file)
  • Transonics Class Presentations a 48M pdf file (March 25, 2015)
• 8. Aerodynamics of high lift devices/powered lift updated April 5, 2006 (a pdf file)
  • Mechanical High Lift Systems Class Presentation updated April 3, 2017 (a 3M pdf file)
  • Powered High Lift Systems Class Presentation updated April 8, 2016 (a 60M pdf file)
  • C-17 example of externally blown flaps for high lift April 13, 2018 (a 1.1M pdf file)
• 9. High angle of attack aerodynamics updated March 10, 2006 (a 1.1M pdf file)
  • High Alpha Basics Class Presentation a 2.7M pdf file (April 20, 2018)
  • A Forebody Vortex Flow Vis Movie a 5.1M QuickTime movie. First with the lights on, and then with the lights off. In the small scale of this movie you have to look carefully.
  • The Grumman RFC in Free Flight at the old NASA Full Scale Tunnel a 9.2M QuickTime movie.
  • An F-18 spin movie is available from the NASA Dryden web site.
• 10. Supersonic aerodynamics updated August 1, 2016 (an 4.5M pdf file)
  • Supersonic Aerodynamics Basics Class Presentation a 7.2M pdf file (March 30, 2018)
• 11. Hypersonic aerodynamics updated August 1, 2016 (a 4.8M pdf file)
  • Hypersonic Aerodynamics Basics Class Presentation a 5M pdf file (May 2, 2016)
  • We've also had two terrificX-43 Presentations
    • seminar by Walt Engelund on HyperX (X-43) on May 2, 2001. (a 12 Meg pdf file)
    • seminar by Chris Cotting on HyperX (X-43) on May 4, 2009. (a 20 Meg pptx file)
  • The following documents provide a good description of the progress and frustrations of hypersonic aerodynamics:
    • The Hpersonic Revolution, Air Force History and Museums Program, 1998.
      • Volume I: 1924 - 1967 a 48M pdf file
      • Volume II: 1964 - 1986 a 20M pdf file
      • Volume III: 1983 - 1995 a 19M pdf file
    • A NASA History Series book:
      • Facing the Heat Barrier: A History of Hypersonics, by T.A. Heppenheimer, NASA SP-2007-4243, 2007, a 7M pdf file

• 12. Endnote a small pdf file (April 2, 2018)

• Appendices
  1. Geometry for Aerodynamicists (pdf) version Jan. 16, 2006, and a library of airfoils for use with the codes is available, either as a Zip file.
     • More comments on Geometry for Aerodynamics posted Feb. 21, 2011
     See the pdf file for the airfoil names associated with each filename.The primary airfoil site is the UIUC Airfoil Data Site
     
  2. Fifteen Minutes of Stealth (a 408K pdf file, version: Jan. 17, 2006)
  3. FAR & Mil requirements Version: April 24, 2017
  4. Examples of aerodynamic design using tools from our software suite, version: Feb. 6, 2006
     • An Example Project using Config Aero tools, version: Jan. 27, 2017
  5. Software with manuals.
  6. Class Discussion Reading List (a pdf file)
  • NASA Aero Histories and Case Studies (a pdf file)
  7. Configuration Aerodynamicist's Bookshelf Version: March 14, 2018

Student Projects/Presentations

Rob Roedts gave us a guest lecture on April 3, 2006: Introduction to Helicopter Aerodynamics a Powerpoint file.

Other useful material

• The Applied Computational Aerodynamics, text. Note that the Appendices to those notes contain several useful computer programs not on the software page.
• A bibliography of information useful in airplane design has been assembled.
• A good supplement: Aerodynamics for Students by Doug Auld and K. Srinva at the University of Sydney
• The NASA Dryden Multimedia Gallery of airplane photos and movies.

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