Aerodynamics: Some Introductory Thoughts

Mohamed A. Samaha, Ph.D.

Professor
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Fundamentals of Aerodynamics, by John Anderson, Jr. and Christopher P. Cadou,

7th edition, McGraw-Hill, 2024 1
Why learn about Aerodynamics?

Douglas DC-3 (NASA), 1930s Boeing 707 (© Everett Collection

Low-speed subsonic aerodynamics Historical/Alamy), late 1950s
High-speed subsonic aerodynamics

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Subsonic Aerodynamics
 Why learn about Aerodynamics?

Bell X-1, 1947

First piloted airplane to fly faster than sound Lockheed F-104, 1950s, Mach = 2.0

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Lockheed-Martin F-22, 1996 – 2011 Blended wing body (NASA), 1st flight in 2007
Modern fighter aircraft, High Mach no. Modern high-speed subsonic flight
Subsonic/Supersonic Aerodynamics
Stealth Technology

Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, 1983 – 2008 Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II, 2006 – Present
From: [Link] From: [Link]

Sukhoi Su-57, 2009 – Present

From: [Link]
Flight Dynamics

The three critical flight dynamics parameters are the angles of rotation in three dimensions about
the vehicle's center of mass, known as pitch, roll and yaw. From [Link]
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Aircraft degrees of freedom
Flow

Aircraft can be maneuvered in any of the six ways that an aircraft moves,
including three translational degrees of freedom (vertical, lateral, and longitudinal)
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and three rotational degrees of freedom (pitch, roll, and yaw). From [Link] and
[Link]
Aircraft design parameters
Flow

• Cargo type & amount

• Wing aspect ratio (AR)
• Optimum Airfoil lift (CL)
• Thrust to Weight Ratio
• Wing Loading
• Take-off Distance (SL)
• Drag coefficient (CD)
• Moment coefficient (CM)
• Pressure coefficient (Cp)

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Aerodynamic forces and moments
Flow

From website
[Link]

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Aerodynamic forces
Flow

From website
[Link]

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Aerodynamic forces
Flow

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Aerodynamic moments
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Pitch up Pitch down

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Aerodynamic dimensionless coefficients
Flow

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Aerodynamic dimensionless coefficients
Flow

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Airfoil geometry
Flow

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Example
Consider the supersonic
Flowflow over a 5° half-
angle wedge at zero angle of attack, as sketched
in Figure a. The freestream Mach number
ahead of the wedge is 2.0, and the freestream
pressure and density are 1.01 × 105 N/m2 and
1.23 kg/m3, respectively (this corresponds to
standard sea level conditions). The pressures on
the upper and lower surfaces of the wedge are
constant with distance s and equal to each
other, namely, pu = pl = 1.31 × 105 N/m2, as
shown in Figure b. The pressure exerted on the
base of the wedge is equal to p∞. As seen
in Figure c, the shear stress varies over both
the upper and lower surfaces as τω = 431s−0.2.
The chord length, c, of the wedge is 2 m.
Calculate the drag coefficient for the wedge.
Also, calculate the pressure and skin friction
coefficients for upper and lower surfaces of the
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Wedge.
Example cont.
Flow

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Example cont.
Flow

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Example cont.
Flow

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Example cont.
Flow

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Center of pressure
Flow

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From [Link]
Center of pressure
Flow

In cases where the angle of attack of the body is small, sin α ≈ 0 and cos α ≈ 1; hence, L′ ≈ N′.
Thus,

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Example
In low-speed, incompressible flow, the following experimental data are obtained for an
Flow at an angle of attack of 4°: c = 0.85 and c
NACA 4412 airfoil section l m,c/4 = −0.09. Calculate
the location of the center of pressure.

Solution

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Example
Consider the Douglas DC-3 shown in the figure. Just outboard of the engine nacelle, the
Flow
airfoil chord length is 15.4 ft. At cruising velocity (188 mi/h) at sea level, the moments per
unit span at this airfoil location are and .
Calculate the lift per unit span and the location of the center of pressure on the airfoil.

Solution

Douglas DC-3 (NASA), 1930

Low-speed subsonic aerodynamics
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Design considerations
Flow

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Stall and maximum velocity
Flow

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Stall and maximum velocity affect CL
Flow

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Stall and maximum velocity affect CD
Flow

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Stall and maximum velocity affect CD
Flow

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Example
Consider an executive jet transport patterned after the Cessna 560 Citation V shown in
three-view in the figure.
FlowThe airplane is cruising at a velocity of 492 mph (791.8 km/h) at an
altitude of 33,000 ft (10058.4 m), where the ambient air density is 7.9656 × 10−4 slug/ft3
(0.4106 kg/m3). The mass and wing planform areas of the airplane are 15,000 lb (6803.9 kg)
and 342.6 ft2 (31.83 m2), respectively. The drag coefficient at cruise is 0.015. Calculate the
lift coefficient and the lift-to-drag ratio at cruise. Also, find the power required to drive the
aircraft. Assume the efficiency of the power train = 80%.
2𝑊 2 × 6803.9 × 9.81
𝐶𝐿 = = = 0.21
𝜌∞ 𝑉∞2 𝑆 791.8 × 1000 2
0.4106 × × 31.83
3600

𝑊 𝐿
= = 14
𝑇 𝐷
𝑊 6803.9 × 9.81
𝑇= = = 4767.6 𝑁
14 14
791.8 × 1000
𝑇 × 𝑉∞ 4767.6 × 3600
𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 = = 29
𝜂 0.8
𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 =1310.8 kW = 1783.3 hp
Cessna 560 Citation V
Example
The same airplane as described in the previous Example has a stalling speed at sea level of
Flowat the maximum take-off mass of 15,900 lb (7212.12 kg). The
100 mph (160.934 km/h)
ambient air density at standard sea level is 0.002377 slug/ft3 (1.225 kg/m3). Calculate the
value of the maximum lift coefficient for the airplane.

1000
𝑉𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑙 = 160.934 × = 44.7 𝑚/𝑠
3600
2𝑊 2 × 7212.12 × 9.81
𝐶𝐿,𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 2 = = 1.816
𝜌∞ 𝑉𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑆 1.225 × 44.7 2 × 31.83

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Cessna 560 Citation V

Flow

Thank you
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