Introduction to Aerospace

Description

This module introduces students to the broad types of vehicles operating and their varied missions and design requirements. Starting from a discussion of the forces and moments acting on an aerial vehicle and developing models for their prediction, we derive a number of equations that can be used for the prediction of key aircraft performance metrics, such as cruise range, operating envelope and take-off/landing performance. The performance of rotorcraft is also discussed. On successfully completing this module, you should be able to: 1. understand aeronautical terminology and be able to work with Imperial units commonly used in aerospace; 2. employ the International Standard Atmosphere model to predict the impact of altitude on air vehicle performance; 3. identify the main parameters affecting the propulsive and aerodynamics forces and moments acting on an aircraft and use simple models to predict them; 4. derive the equations of motion of an arbitrary aerial vehicle in 2D and use mathematical expressions for the prediction of fixed and rotary wing aircraft performance metrics; 5. demonstrate understanding of the way in which major vehicle design parameters affect performance metrics, (such as point performance, range and endurance, field performance, fuel efficiency and cost); 6. derive the moment balance for an arbitrary aircraft and carry out a basic static stability and trim analysis; 7. analyse wind tunnel and flight test data to assess the performance of a fixed-wing aircraft.