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AE216: Fluid Mechanics

Description: The course Fluid Mechanics covers the fundamental principles of fluid mechanics. It brings to you the principles that have ben well-established over years. This course won't give you the feel of aerospace as such, but the tools it equips you with are indispensable for an aerospace engineer.

Credits: 8 (3L-1T-0P-8C)

Prerequisites: None

Course Contents: The course covers most of the concepts that would be taught in Basic Fluid Mechanics in any institution across the globe. The instructor for the course has been prof. S.D. Sharma for the past few years and should continue to be so. The pace of the course is generally adjusted by the response he receives in the class, so the topics covered may vary a bit from year to year.

Following is the basic outline of the course:

• Properties of fluid, Statics and Buoyancy. Kinematics of fluid motion; Lagrangian vs. Eulerian description of flow motion, concept of Total Derivative
• Classification of Flows:
  • Uniform vs. non-uniform flows,
  • Steady vs. Unsteady flows,
  • Compressible and Incompressible flows,
  • Ideal vs. Real flows
• Potential flow theory; Velocity potential and stream function formulations; Ideal flow past circular cylinder. Euler equation in 1D
• Viscous flow on a flat plate, Boundary layer, displacement and momentum thicknesses, Laminar vs. Turbulent flows, Reynolds number
• Flow examples:
  • Flow in a pipe with a focus on boundary layer development and frictional losses
  • Flow past cylinder, critical Reynolds numbers (flow past cricket ball)
  • Incompressible viscous flow past an airfoil, wakes, types of drags.

A lot of discussion on flow separation in all these, causes, ways to prevent.

• Mach number and its importance in compressible flows
• Introduction to shock waves and calculations involved therein. Normal shock, oblique shock relations, strong, weak and detached

shocks

• Flow through variable area nozzle; Converging diverging nozzle, supersonic diffusers, supersonic wind tunnels
• Prandtl Meyer expansion and expansion fans
• Brief discussion on shock reflection, refraction and understanding shock diamonds, interaction of shock and expansion waves. (theoretical)

Text Books:

1. Megson, T. H. G., Aircraft Structures for Engineering Students, Butterworth-Heinemann, 4th Ed., 2007. (Available in Library)

2. Peery, D. J., Aircraft Structures, McGraw-Hill Education, 1st Ed., 1950 (Available in library)

3. Donaldson, B. K., Analysis of Aircraft Structures (Cambridge Aerospace Series), 2nd Ed., Cambridge University Press, 2008
4. Sun, C. T., Mechanics of Aircraft Structures, Wiley-Interscience, 1998
5. Bruhn, E. F., Analysis and Design of Flight Vehicle Structures, Jacobs Pub., 1973

6. Niu, M., Airframe Stress Analysis & Sizing, Adaso Adastra Engineering Center, 1998

7. Cutler, J. and Liber, J., Understanding Aircraft Structures, Wiley Blackwell, 4th Ed., 2006

Internet Resources

• Aircraft Structures Course, University of Sydney

• Structural Mechanics Course, MIT OpenCourseWare

Interesting Links

• Boeing 787 Wing Break Test

Video shows the testing of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner wing.

• Boeing 777 Wing test

Video shows the testing of Boeing 777 wing.

• Video showing the skeleton of RANS S-19 Venterra

Video shows skeleton of RANS S-19 Venterra. Wing box, spars, ribs, longerons are be clearly seen.