AME 40451: Aerospace Dynamics

CATALOG DATA:
Mechanics and equations of motion, aerodynamics forces, airplane motions, longitudinal and lateral. Introduction to autopilot design.

Prerequisites:AME 30315

TEXTBOOK:
Nelson, R. C., Flight Stability and Automatic Control, McGraw-Hill, 1998

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the basic concepts of flight stability and control. Particular objectives include: 1) student understanding of the design variables that can be used to ensure static stability and control in pitch, yaw, and roll; 2) to understand the importance of c.g. travel on static stability; 3) to be able to design aerodynamic control surfaces; 4) to be able to predict the aerodynamic stability derivatives for a new airplane design; 5) to be able to predict the longitudinal and lateral dynamic characteristics of an airplane; 6) to be able to assess whether the dynamic characteristics are acceptable for safe flight.

TOPICS COVERED:

SCHEDULE:
The course meets 3 times a week for 50 minutes/meeting

CONTRIBUTION TO PROFESSIONAL COMPONENT:
This course represents a balance of approximately 50% engineering sciences and 50 % design. The engineering sciences deals with stability control and flight motions, while the design portion stresses the relationship between airplane design variables and airplane flight stability and control characteristics.

CONTRIBUTION TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT:
In this course lectures, demonstrations, projects and homework are used to enable students:

a) to demonstrate their understanding of the fundamental concepts of airplane stability and control and to be able:

  1. to predict the static stability and control characteristics of an airplane.
  2. to assess whether predicted static stability and control characteristics are sufficient for safe flight and if not how can the design be changed to make it safe.
  3. to understand how to determine the maximum moment requirements for the aerodynamic control surfaces and using this information design control surfaces to meet the requirements.
  4. to predict the longitudinal and lateral aerodynamic stability derivatives so the airplane’s dynamic characteristics can be predicted.
  5. to predict simple one degree of motions of a dynamic wind tunnel model and compare the prediction with the models actual motion.
  6. to assess the predicted longitudinal and lateral dynamic characteristics from a handling qualities point of view. When an airplane has poor handling qualities, how can it be improved by configuration design changes or the design of an automatic control system.

b) to program computers and use computer generated information:

Student progress towards achieving the learning outcomes outlined above is made through homework assignments, projects and examinations. In addition several lecture periods are devoted to in class exercises where students work in groups to determine the solution to a given design problem. Typically three projects are given during the course. One project deals with determining the horizontal and vertical tail surface area and wing dihedral angle to meet a given requirement for static stability. In addition one or more of the aerodynamic control surfaces are designed. The second project deals with predicting the aerodynamic derivatives and then using that information to predict the dynamic characteristics of the airplane. In the final project the students are given an airplane that is constrained to have only a one degree of freedom motion. The aerodynamic derivatives are such that the airplane is dynamically unstable. Student are asked to develop a state feedback control law to locate the closed loop eigenvalues so that the airplane motion meets a level one handling qualities rating.

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

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