AME 30333: Aerodynamics Laboratory

CATALOG DATA:
Use and operation of a subsonic wind tunnel, flow velocity, pressure and strain gage measurements, data acquisition and analysis, with emphasis on interpretatioin

Prerequisites: AME 20213 and AME 30331

TEXTBOOK:
Barlow, J.B., Rae, W.H. and Pope, A., Low-speed Wind Tunnel Testing, Wiley Interscinece, 1999

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The primary goals of this course are to: 1) provide students with an opportunity to observe first hand aerodynamic phenomena that have been introduced in previous courses; 2) introduce the students to the prectical elements of experimental aerodynamics and to develop an appreciation for how aerodynamic data are acquired; 3) provide the students with an opportunity to apply modern instrumentation and measurement techniques to the acquisition of aerodynamic data and understand the inherent limitations of each technique; 4) become proficient in estimating experimental uncertainty; 5) teach students to critically analyze the results of their experiments and present them in a concise and logical fashion, both in written and oral forms; 6) gain experience using embedded microprocessors for experimental applications.

TOPICS COVERED:

  1. Aerodynamic testing facilities
  2. Aerodynamic measurement techniques
  3. Force balance measurements
  4. Pressure measurements
  5. Airfoil theory
  6. Wind tunnel corrections
  7. Flow visualization
  8. Boundary layer theory
  9. Boundary layer measurements
  10. Propeller theory
  11. Measurement of propeller thrust and torque
  12. Dynamic model testing
  13. Embedded microprocessor

LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS :

  1. Airfoil aerodynamics - force and moment measurements
  2. Airfoil aerodynamics from pressure data
  3. Boundary layer measuremnts on a flate plate
  4. Torque and thrust measurements of a propeller
  5. The use of an embedded microprocessor and accelerometers on a free to roll delta wing
SCHEDULE:
The course meets 3 times a week for 50 minutes per meeting pluse five laboratory sessions that meet for 203 hours per lab.

CONTRIBUTION TO PROFESSIONAL COMPONENT:
This course is focused primarily on the engineering sciences. The engineering sciences deal with concepts in fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, experimental methods, data aquisition, data analysis and the prediction of uncertainty in the measurements. Engineering Sciences: 67% and Engineering Design: 33%

CONTRIBUTION TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT:
In this course lectures, demonstrations, laboratory exercises and quizzes are used to enable students to: 1) demonstrate their understanding of fundatmental aerodynamic phenomena, modern experimental testing techniques, interpretation of experimental results and to be able to:

    1. to critically assess experimental results. This include assessment of wind tunnel wall effect, blockage and support interference on the measuremnts as well as determining the uncertainty in the measurement technique
    2. to understand the limits and usefulness of the experimental approach
    3. to document the experimental findings in a well written technical report
    4. to present the experimental findings in clear oral and concise report
    5. to work in small groups to solve experimental problems

2) to use computers for data aquisition and data reduction as well as understanding how to incorporate an embedded microprocessor into an experiment

Student progress towards achieving the learning outcomes outlined above is assessed through biweekly quizzes and laboratory experiments. Several lecture periods are devoted to in class exercises where students work in groups to determine the design or an experiment that will provide information to help solve a problem.

Prepared by: Dr. Robert C. Nelson, May 21, 2004

Direct comments, questions, and corrections to amedept@nd.edu