Aerodynamics

Catalog description

This course examines the principles and applications of aerodynamics, focusing on the forces and moments acting on aircraft in atmospheric flight. Students will study fundamental concepts, including inviscid, laminar, and turbulent flows, potential flow theory, and their applications to aerodynamic design. The course also covers advanced topics such as airfoil and finite wing theory, including linear airfoil theory, Prandtl’s lifting-line theory, and compressibility effects in subsonic and supersonic flows. Key phenomena like wingtip vortices, downwash, induced drag, and aerodynamic center will be analyzed. Through computational simulations such as XFOIL and hands-on wind tunnel experiments, students will acquire and interpret computational and experimental data to real-world problems. By the end of the course, students will be able to evaluate and predict the aerodynamic performance of airfoils, wings, and aircraft.