Elements of

Aerospace
Engineering

Lecture 01

Introduction

Elements of Aerospace Engineering

History

Introduction, Applications & History, Objectives, Syllabus &

Grading Policy

Syllabus & Grading

Policy

Applications

Practical Objectives

AE602 Elements of Aerospace Engineering

Manoj T. Nair
IIST
01.1

Agenda

Elements of
Aerospace
Engineering

Introduction
Applications

Introduction

History
Practical Objectives
Syllabus & Grading
Policy

Applications

History

Practical Objectives

Syllabus & Grading Policy

01.2

Aerodynamics
Definition: Aerodynamics

Aerodynamics is a complex word originating from the

Greek words
air
power or force

Elements of
Aerospace
Engineering

Introduction
Applications
History
Practical Objectives
Syllabus & Grading
Policy

Ludwig Prandtl: The term aerodynamics is generally

used for problems arising from flight and other topics
involving the flow of air.
Aerodynamics is the study of forces and the resulting
motion of objects through the air.

01.3

Applications I

Airplanes

Launch Vehicles

Automobiles

Ships!

Internal combustion engines

Gas turbine engines

Wind turbines (Windmill)

Weather prediction

Buildings

10

Bridges

11

Building heaters and air conditioning

12

Cooling systems for computers

13

Sports

Elements of
Aerospace
Engineering

Introduction
Applications
History
Practical Objectives
Syllabus & Grading
Policy

01.4

History of Airplanes I
1

2
3

The idea of flying like birds had always fascinated human

beings
Tower jumpers
Ornithopter
Leonardo da Vinci

Elements of
Aerospace
Engineering

Introduction
Applications
History
Practical Objectives
Syllabus & Grading
Policy

Balloon
Nov 21, 1783: hot air balloon designed by Joseph and
Etienne Montgolfier flew with 2 passengers for 25 mins 5miles across Paris
This was the first time in history that a human being had
been lifter off the ground

Fixed wing airplane

Sir George Cayley, 1799
First time lift generating and propulsion mechanism were
separated
Recognized that thrust has to overcome drag
Drew the first lift-drag vector diagram
In 1853, built the first human carrying glider
01.5

History of Airplanes II
6

Chauffeurs
The would be inventors wanted T-D to be a positive number
Therefore were obsessed with a powerful engine, which
turned out to be heavy.
They were not worried how will the machine be managed
once it takes-off

Elements of
Aerospace
Engineering

Introduction
Applications
History
Practical Objectives
Syllabus & Grading
Policy

Airman
Learn to fly before putting an engine
Otto Lilienthal - flew first successful gliders - 2000 flights
Octave Chanute - gliders

Powered flight
Samuel Langley: first small unmanned powered aircraft
Wright brothers:
airfoils
wing span
wing structure
high power/weight engine
propeller - blade element theory
roll control - wing wraping

01.6

History of Theoretical Aerodynamics I

1

Initially aerodynamics dealt with very low speeds

Therefore aerodynamics was founded theoretically on

hydrodynamics

L. Euler(1707-1783) derived the fundamental differential

equations for non-viscous fluids

D. Bernoulli(1700-1782) established relation between

pressure and speed in a flow in an incompressible fluid

Navier & Stokes (1822) derived the fundamental

differential equations for viscous fluids
Ludwig Prandtl

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Elements of
Aerospace
Engineering

Introduction
Applications
History
Practical Objectives
Syllabus & Grading
Policy

Boundary layer theory, 1904

Circulation theory of lift, 1905
Lifting line theory, 1905
Thin airfoil theory, 1906
Oblique shock and expansion wave, 1906
Compressibility effects, 1907
Supersonic nozzles and flow, 1907
01.7

Classification and Practical Objectives I

What is the distinction between solid, liquid and gases?
Solids have a shape
Liquids and gases take the shape of the container in which
they are placed
Liquids fill the container up to a given volume

Elements of
Aerospace
Engineering

Introduction
Applications
History
Practical Objectives
Syllabus & Grading
Policy

Gases completely fill the container

What happens when a tangential force is applied to a
solid, liquid of gas?
Solids will experience a finite deformation
Shear stress (Tangential force per unit area) will usually be
proportional to the amount of deformation
Liquids and gases will experience a continuously
increasing deformation
Shear stress will usually be proportional to the rate of
change of deformation
Liquids and Gases are called fluids
01.8

Classification and Practical Objectives II

Elements of
Aerospace
Engineering

Introduction

Gases have the largest intermolecular spacing and the

least intermolecular forces

Applications
History
Practical Objectives

Fluid dynamics can be subdivided into three areas

1
2
3

Syllabus & Grading

Policy

Hydrodynamics - flow of liquids

Gas dynamics - flow of gases
Aerodynamics - flow of air

Generally the word aerodynamics is used liberally, and is

used cover both aerodynamics and gas dynamics
Practical Objectives
Obtain forces and moments of the body
Obtain heat fluxes on the body
Details of the flow field

01.9

Syllabus I

Elements of
Aerospace
Engineering

History of aviation
Introduction

Types of flying machines

Anatomy of an aircraft.
Aerodynamics
Fundamental aerodynamic variables
Aerodynamic forces, Lift generation
Airfoils and wings
Aerodynamic Moments

Applications
History
Practical Objectives
Syllabus & Grading
Policy

Flight Mechanics
Concept of Static stability,
Control surfaces
Loads acting on an aircraft
Load factor for simple maneuvers
V-n diagram

Propulsion
Mechanism of thrust production
Propellers
Jet engines
Elements of rocket propulsion
01.10

Syllabus II

Elements of
Aerospace
Engineering

Introduction
Applications
History
Practical Objectives

Structures

Syllabus & Grading

Policy

Aerospace Materials
Aircraft and launch vehicle structural elements

Space Flight Mechanics

Basic orbital mechanics
Satellite orbits
Launch vehicles and Re-entry bodies

01.11

Elements of
Aerospace
Engineering

Grading Policy
Quiz 1
Quiz 2
Assignment
Project
Final Exam

15
15
20
0
50

Introduction
Applications
History
Practical Objectives
Syllabus & Grading
Policy

Text Books
1

Anderson.J.D. Introduction to flight. 7th ed. Mc Graw Hill,

2011.

Newman, Dava Interactive Aerospace Engineering and

Design, McGraw Hill, 2002.

Anderson David W & Scott Eberhardt, Understanding

Flight, 2nd ed. McGraw Hill Professional, 2009.

Turner, M.J., Rocket and Spacecraft Propulsion 3rd ed.

Springer, 2009.

Szebehely.V.G and Mark.H. Adventures in celestial

mechanics, 4th ed. WILEY- VCH Verlag GmbH Co, 2004.
01.12