Preparation materials

Course description
The first part of the course deals with boundary layer theory; focusing on the practical application in low speed flows. Topics are: the laminar boundary layer, the transition process, the turbulent boundary layer, laminar and turbulent flow separation, the separation bubble, lift and drag. The second part of the course starts with general information on drag, useful for the aerodynamic design of aircraft. The course continues with the analysis and design of single and multi-component airfoils, illustrated by examples of CFD analyses and windtunnel experiments. Special topics like winglets, high lift systems, flow control an propeller propulsion will be treated as well. Some aerodynamic analysis and design codes will be demonstrated during the course.

Learning objectives
The course is designed to provide the student with the basic theoretical and experimental tools for the aerodynamic design of aircraft. At the end the student will be able to apply basic aerodynamics concepts as well as some useful design codes.

Course prerequisites
1. Basics of aircraft aerodynamics
2. Viscous Flows

For more info, visit the course page in the Study Guide

In this course, you will be introduced to one of the most advanced design methods, called multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO). In simple words, MDO is an assemblage of computational methods, procedures and algorithms for finding “best designs”. MDO is specifically suitable to address the design of complex engineering systems with interacting parts and whose behavior is governed by a number of coupled physical phenomena, generally aligned with different engineering disciplines (e.g., aerodynamics, structure, etc.).  Although you will be able to apply MDO to any engineering domain, such as, space, wind energy, automotive, infrastructure, etc., this course will focus on aeronautic applications.

In this course you will get insight in the mathematical principles behind optimization; however the main goal is to teach you how to design and assemble a well-design computational system, based on existing optimization algorithms and a given set of disciplinary analysis tools. To this purpose, the course is organized in a series of theory lectures and computer lab sessions, where you will learn and directly apply the theory such to prepare yourself to the main course deliverable: a computational MDO system, which you will set up by yourself using MATLAB. The goal will be the optimization of a main aircraft system (e.g. a wing), such to minimize a certain objective function (e.g. mission fuel), while satisfying a set of design constraints (e.g. ability to take off within a certain runway length)

The topics covered in this course are related to the main components of a computational MDO system, thus you will learn

• how to parameterize your design in an efficient and effective manner
• the numerical optimization techniques typically available in an optimization toolbox
• strategies to decompose, coordinate and visualize complex multidisciplinary computational systems
• methods to explore the design space and improve computational efficiency

During the computer lab sessions, you will use your own laptop with the MATLAB software (campus license available), to work - under guidance - on a series of exercises to apply the theory learnt in class.

The computer lab sessions will also introduce you to the main course assignment: the development of a computational system to solve a given MDO problem. This home assignment, to be performed in team of two students, will be used as assessment method for this course (no exam). 

Preparation for this course
Applying MDO without mastering the involved engineering disciplines is useless, if not even dangerous. If you have no feeling for the effect of design variables changes on the overall performance of the system you are trying to optimize, or if you are not aware of the capability/limitations of the analysis tools involved in the MDO process, you will never be able to judge the operate of the optimizer, neither to assess the validity of the obtained results. In short, you might become the worst possible MDO ambassador! To this purpose, it is necessary you refresh your aircraft design knowledge. Find here a series of questions you should be able to answer before starting the course. In case you experience any difficulties answering them, check out the Aircraft Design references listed below.

It is important you master the basics of MATLAB before starting the course. During the computer lab sessions and while working on your home assignment you want to focus on MDO and not be hampered by the programming principles of MATLAB. In case you have no experience with this software package, please make use of the MATLAB references listed below.

Aircraft Design References
Courses on OCW (open course ware):

• Introduction to Aerospace Engineering I
   

Books

• Synthesis of Subsonic Airplane Design by E. Torenbeek (free downloadable copy from the TU Delft repository)
• Any other aircraft design textbook (Raymer, Nicolai, etc.)
   

MATLAB References

• On line tutorials
• Primer (get started, PDF document)
   

Course book & other info

• Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Supported by Knowledge Based Engineering, by J. Sobieszczanski-Sobieski, A. Morris and M. van Tooren, Wiley
  Ch 9 of this book will be required also for the FP profile course (3rd period) AE4204 Knowledge Based Engineering
• For more info, visit the course page in the Study Guide

Expected prior knowledge
It is important that the students following this course should have the basic understanding of thermodynamic systems and fundamentals of gas turbine engines. Students should have followed "Propulsion and Power (AE2230)" or any other similar course.

Course description
The course presents advanced concepts in aircraft propulsion. The course is aimed at looking into the details of an aircraft engine, the various components of gas turbine and their interaction. The course is divided into various modules which deal with the various aspects / disciplines that are essential in an aero engine.

The important modules of this course are new engine concepts, engine inlets, turbo machinery, combustion, engine exhaust systems, gas turbine performance and engine controls.

Throughout the course, practical examples of systems from aircraft engines and gas turbines will be used to demonstrate the various methods and techniques.

Learning objectives
After the course the students will have basic knowledge of the various modules and disciplines that play an important role in aircraft propulsion

Course prerequisites
The students are expected to know the thermodynamics and working principles of a gas turbine / aero engine. Students are expected to have undergone AE2203-Propulsion and Power or a similar course.

For more info, visit the course page in the Study Guide

Expected prior knowledge         

• A BSc-course in Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer or in Transport Phenomena otherwise;
• basic math in 1D (Taylor series & ODE's) and in multiple-dimensions (vector analysis & PDE's) in the BSc-ME in ME or equivalent;
• basic knowledge in Fourier series.

Course description
In this course the concepts of heat transfer in the engineering context are treated. The basics are the three modes of heat transfer: Conduction, convection and radiation, which will be briefly reviewed during the first two lectures. The underlying physics deepened during the course. A large focus in the course will be on the analysis of heat transfer in real-life integrated systems. Among others, from each of the five tracks, a specific problem will be tackled. The problems are broken down into sub-systems which are thus controlled by elementary modes and their couplings, i.e. boundary conditions. Both of the latter are analysed in more detail.

Learning objectives
The student is able to

• distinguish between the different modes of heat transfer, and dissect ‘real’ systems into subsystems of elementary modes in a qualitative sense.
• for all of the below; give the physical interpretation of contributors and terms in balances in words and in sketches.
• set up appropriate integral and differential energy balances for one- and multidimensional instationary conduction.
• justify and apply simplifications and define the appropriate boundary conditions, including problems containing phase changes, i.e. Stefan conditions.
• indicate and mathematical solution strategies - both analytical and numerical - and apply those for ‘standard geometries’.
• distinguish between different modes of convective heat transfer, and distinguish between the different physical mechanisms
• underlying empirical correlations. Indicate implications when more detailed distributions of convective heat transfer are involved.
• estimate the magnitude of radiative heat transfer, distinguish between thermal and short-wave properties and spectral distributions, qualify and quantify the role of surface properties.

For more info, visit the course page in the Study Guide

Course description
In this course participants learn how aerodynamics drive the detailed exterior design of transport aircraft. What aerodynamic phenomena play a role in the exterior design of a wing, a cockpit, or an engine intake? What is the effect of aerodynamic add-ons such as vortex generators, fairings, or winglets? What are the advantages and penalties of wing sweep and how can the penalties be mitigated by the aerodynamic design of the wing? Those are the type of questions that are being addressed in this course. Participants learn to understand how the various aircraft components should be shaped in order to fulfil aerodynamic requirements in all corners of the flight envelope. The strong ties between aircraft performance, aircraft aerodynamics, and aircraft exterior design are demonstrated through numerous historical and contemporary examples. Although the main focus is on jet aircraft, the course also covers the effects of propeller installation on the aerodynamic design of the empennage.

Learning objectives

• Recognize the aerodynamic phenomena occurring around external shapes at a variety of conditions such as Mach number, Reynolds numbers or angles of attack.
• Derive how these phenomena can be affected by the detailed external shape and interposition of various airplane components such as wing, fuselage, tail, nacelle, pylon, and fuselage.
• Show how wing and tail movables can be applied to locally affect the flow at low subsonic and/or high-subsonic conditions.
• Explain the effect of the aerodynamic characteristics on the airplane’s cruise performance, field performance, stability, balance, and controllability.
• Identify the advantages and disadvantages of various external design features on the airplane’s aerodynamic performance and cross-disciplinary characteristics such as aeroelasticity, weight, or practical limitations resulting from the operational use of the aircraft.

Course highlights

• Causes for interference drag in high-subsonic conditions
• Effect of Reynolds number on shock-boundary-layer interaction
• Design characteristics of supercritical airfoils
• Mach number effects on flow over multi-element airfoils
• Design of root and tip airfoils of swept-wing aircraft
• Stability and control beyond the maximum operating Mach number
• Propeller slipstream effects on empennage design
• Design constraints resulting from transonic buffet
• Stalling characteristics of wings with high-lift devices

Course prerequisites

• Subsonic and Supersonic Aerodynamics
• Flight Mechanics
• Flight Dynamics

Course books

• Aerodynamic Design of Transport Aircraft
• Introduction to Transonic Aerodynamics

For more info, visit the course page in the Study Guide

In this course you will learn a novel computer-based technology, called Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE), which can offer drastic benefits to the engineering process of complex products by automating large part of the repetitive activities involved in (re)configuration, what-if studies and multidisciplinary analysis (and optimization).

First we will discuss the origins and technical foundations of KBE, which will bring us discussing the basics of Knowledge Based Systems, one of the main product of Artificial Intelligence.

To understand and appreciate the way KBE enables the formalization and re-use of engineering knowledge we will familiarize with concepts from the object oriented modeling paradigm and, on the way, we learn to use an industry-standard,  graphical/visual modeling language, called the Unified Modeling Language (UML).

At this point we will be ready to discuss the specific features of KBE languages (what is the difference w.r.t. general purpose programming languages?) and finally we will learn to program our first KBE applications! Indeed, KBE is about writing software applications with a specific programming language. In our case we will use ParaPy,  a commercial python based KBE language. 

Through a series of computer-based tutorials we will have to possibility to experienced directly the benefits of KBE in supporting design engineering. Then it will be your turn to identify a proper engineering challenges for which KBE can provide the best solution and, together with a team mate, you will program your first real KBE app… which you will demonstrate during a live demo session. That is how the course lecturers will assess how far you achieved the set of learning objectives set for this course. 

Learning objectives:

• To understand what is KBE, its technology foundations and principles
• To identify the opportunities for successful application of KBE technology to support the design of complex engineering products
• To learn, by practice, how to develop a KBE application by means of a commercial KBE system (e.g. ParaPy)
• To familiarize with the Object Oriented modeling paradigm
• To be able to model (formalize) engineering products and processes by means of the industry-standard graphical language UML (Unified Modeling Language) 

Preparation

Since ParaPy is a KBE system based on the Python programming language, you might find useful this list of references:

For students with no programming experience:
http://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-python  is a good place to start learning programming if you have no or very little experience in programming. The following units are recommended

• UNIT 1: PYTHON SYNTAX
• UNIT 2: STRINGS & CONSOLE OUTPUT
• UNIT 3: CONDITIONALS AND CONTROL FLOW
• UNIT 4: FUNCTIONS
• UNIT 5: LISTS & DICTIONARIES
• UNIT 7: LISTS AND FUNCTIONS
• UNIT 8: LOOPS
• UNIT 10: ADVANCED TOPICS IN PYTHON
• UNIT 11: INTRODUCTION TO CLASSES

For students with programming experience in Python or other languages:
Students that have already a basic understanding of programming may study the following tutorials from http://www.tutorialspoint.com/python/:

Basic tutorials:

• Basic Syntax
• Variable Types
• Basic Operators
• Decision Making
• Loops
• Tuples
• Dictionary
• Functions
• Modules
• Files I/O

Advanced tutorials:

• Python – Classes / Objects