Unit Description and General Aims

Aerodynamics is the study of airflow and its principles, and applied aerodynamics is the science of improving movable manmade objects such as aeroplanes and automobiles in light of those principles. The unit describes the fundamentals of aerodynamics as a subject by focusing on analysis, computation and measurement of turbulent air flows associated with ground vehicles and high-speed aircraft. Design is a central theme in this unit. Students will learn to evaluate and apply experimental aerodynamic concepts established through wind tunnel testing. Students will complement this by learning advanced computational fluid dynamics and numerical procedures to counteract problems in the design process. There is a particular emphasis on understanding the aerodynamic designs of various vehicle types (passenger cars, trucks, trains, racing cars, etc.) along with aerodynamic concepts of high-speed compressible flow. The unit aims to improve the student’s understanding of aerodynamics of flow in cars and aircrafts.

Students will gain an understanding of the design philosophies that affect aeroplane and vehicle design and demonstrate that improved aerodynamics will lead to better fuel efficiency, improved performance, increased passenger comfort and race winning cars. Students will perform calculations in order analyse aerodynamic performance and efficiency.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this Unit, students are expected to be able to:

1. Determine the engineering science related to aircraft and vehicle aerodynamics
   • Bloom’s Level 5
2. Evaluate the essential elements of the design process and design methodologies in air-based transportation systems.
   • Bloom’s Level 5
3. Plan, design and formulate the behaviour of new transportation systems and propose operations to improve performance of existing designs.
   • Bloom’s Level 6
4. Evaluate and make recommendations to improve the aerodynamic performance on various types of vehicle transport by employing optimization.
   • Bloom’s Level 5
5. Judge and critique influence of aerodynamic performance on overall vehicle design based on experimental evidence and effectively communicate best practice guidelines to all stakeholders.
   • Bloom’s Level 5

Student assessment

Prescribed and Recommended readings

Required Textbook(s)

• Theory and Applications of Aerodynamics for Ground Vehicles, 2014-03-20, T Yomi Obidi
• P.W. Carpenter, D. Valentine, E. L. Houghton, and S. H. Collicott, Aerodynamics for Engineering Students, Seventh Edition, 2016.

Reference Materials

Number of peer-reviewed journals and websites (advised during lectures). Some examples are listed below.

• Analysis of Turbulent Flows (2nd Revised and Expanded Edition) 2004 Elsevier
• Simulation and Modelling of Turbulent Flows 1996 Oxford University Press
• The Automotive Aerodynamics Handbook, 13th Edition, 2012-01-01, H.C. Landa
• Aerodynamics of Road Vehicles, 1998-02-06
• Other material advised during the lectures

Unit Content

One topic is delivered per contact week

Topic 1

Introduction to Aerodynamics Part I

1. Brief history of Aerodynamics
2. Fundamentals of Aerodynamics
3. Aerodynamic variables and coefficients
4. Introduction to aerodynamics in aviation

Topic 2

Introduction to Aerodynamics Part II

1. Introduction to aerodynamics in land vehicles
2. Introduction to aerodynamics in energy production
3. Introduction to aerodynamics in fluid compression devices
4. Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
5. Introduction to wind tunnels

Topic 3

Principles of Aerodynamics

1. Basic concepts
2. Aerodynamic Forces and Moments
3. Aerodynamic Center and Center of Pressure
4. Types of drag on an airfoil.
5. Aerodynamic characteristics

Topic 4

Experimental Aerodynamics in wind tunnels

1. Wind Tunnel operation and Classification
2. Wind tunnel test floor modification
3. Wind Tunnel parameters and measurements
4. Effect of wheels
5. Track and Road testing

Topic 5

Vehicle Stability and Performance

1. Traction for a passenger car
2. Power calculation for vehicle operation
3. Tire contribution on vehicle performance
4. Trailing vortices
5. Truck-car passing interaction

Topic 6

Vehicle Sectional Design

1. Aerodynamics for flow over a passenger car
2. Car front and mid-section design
3. Car rear section design
4. Downforce Devices
5. Underside design and vehicle height

Topic 7

Aerodynamics of other ground vehicles

1. Trucks, Trailers and Busses
2. Railroad train Aerodynamics
3. Race car aerodynamics

Topic 8

One-dimensional Wing Theory 

1. Kutta Condition
2. Circulation, Vorticity and Lift
3. Thin Airfoil theory
4. Flat plate aerodynamic coefficients.
5. Thin Airfoil theory limitations

Topic 9

One-Dimensional Compressible flow

1. One Dimensional Flow: Plane normal shock waves
2. One Dimensional properties of normal shock waves.
3. Pressure jump across normal shock
4. Density jump across normal shock
5. Temperature rise across normal shock
6. Entropy change across normal shock
7. Total pressure change across normal shock

Topic 10

Two-Dimensional Compressible flow

1. Mach Waves
2. Mach wave reflection
3. Planar oblique shock relations
4. Two-dimensional supersonic flow past a wedge

Topic 11

Flow Control and Wing Design

1. Multi-element airfoils
2. Boundary layer control to prevent separation
3. Skin friction drag reduction
4. Induced drag reduction
5. Wave drag reduction

Topic 12

Unit Review

1. In the final week students will have an opportunity to review the contents covered so far. Opportunity will be provided for a review of student work and to clarify any outstanding issues. Instructors/facilitators may choose to cover a specialised topic if applicable to that cohort.
2. Recent trends and future scopes

Engineers Australia

The Australian Engineering Stage 1 Competency Standards for the Professional Engineer, approved as of 2013. This table is referenced in the mapping of graduate attributes to learning outcomes and via the learning outcomes to student assessment.

Software/Hardware Used

Software

·        Software: ANSYS SpaceClaim, ANSYS Meshing and ANSYS Fluent

·        Software Information: ANSYS FLUENT is a leading computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software used for simulating fluid flow, heat transfer, and chemical reactions. It is crucial for mechanical engineers as it enhances design accuracy, reduces prototyping costs, and optimizes performance. Applications include aerodynamic analysis, thermal management, and combustion simulations.

·        Version: 2020 R1

·        Instructions:  N/A

·        Additional resources or files: N/A

Hardware

·        N/A

Unit Changes Based on Student Feedback

• The due dates of unit assessments were spaced out, which alleviated student stress and provided sufficient time to work on assessments of various units in each semester. 
• Assessment 1 was converted from a traditional invigilated assessment to a more manageable ‘Weekly quizzes’ format.