AIRCRAFT DESIGN
LECTURE MATERIAL (POST-MIDSEM)
AIRCRAFT DESIGN
Lecture 1 +: INTRODUCTION
Introduction to the aircraft design process & subject, why design?, design driver and requirement
capture, current and future trends in aircraft design, status & forecast of aerospace sector & industry
(global & India), RPK, PKM, demand for narrow body single aisle aircraft, Technological Readiness
Level (TRL).
Lecture 2: AIRCRAFT TYPES & DESIGN DRIVER TEST CASE 1
Design driver (test case 1) : the Barn Owl (wing loading and noise mitigation). role of serrations,
camber, wing loading, trend line (great flight diagram), weight as multiplier, design variables in
optimization process.
Lecture 3: DESIGN DRIVER TEST CASE 2
Military transport aircraft (roles and categorization), Design driver (test case 2): procurement of
military transport aircraft ( ASQR, AON, RFI, RFP, OEMs, DPP 2013/16, LTIPP, rear ramp, pallet
loading, payload)
Lecture 4: DESIGN DRIVER TEST CASE 3
Fighter aircraft (roles and categorization), Design driver (test case 3): fifth generation fighter aircraft,
Air superiority, multi-role (QR, ASQR, feasibility studies, stealth, supercruise, super-maneuverability)
Lecture 5: CONFLICT & COMPROMISES IN DESIGN:
Case of Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft: top level QR vs ASQR, stealth vs aerodynamics/thrust,
performance vs weight, thrust-by-weight, feasibility studies. Other conflicts: aero-structural (AR vs
weight) , high speed (short straight Vs swept highs Aspect ratio), maneuverability vs BVR. Need for
optimization & MDO.
Lecture 6,7: AICRAFT DESIGN HISTORY
Stages (pre-Wright flyer, biplanes, propellers, jet), design signposts and evolution through the ages
with special emphasis on aerodynamics. Development through competitions, war, consortium. example
of SST : history (TU 144 & Concorde), commercial and technical issues, future of SST.
Lecture 8: AIRCRAFT DESIGN (INDIA)
HT2, HJT, IJT (trainer series), HF 24, LCA/Tejas. Current & future development (LCA Mark 2,
AMCA, Ghatak, MTA). Certification issues, HAL and the increasing role of the private sector, DPP-
2016 & “Design-in-India”.
Lecture 9: AIRCRAFT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT CYCLE (OVERVIEW)
Overview of design & development cycle: requirement, design, ground test, taxi trials, iron bird,
lightening test, flight testing (commercial vs military), prototypes, weather trials, weaponization,
certification.
Lecture 10, 11: STAGES IN AIRCRAFT DESIGN
Conceptual, preliminary & detail design (definition, content, technology, analysis), high and low
fidelity tools, funding, TRL.
Lecture 12: COSTS: Acquisition cost, direct operating cost, indirect operating cost, life cycle costs,
role in design.
Lecture 13, 14, 15: INITIAL SIZING
Design TOGW, empty weight fraction, mission profiles, fuel-fraction estimation, wetted area aspect
ratio, specific fuel consumption.
Lecture 16,17,18: EXAMPLE:
Initial sizing example for DGTOW, Big picture, Trade studies, Conceptual Sketch: gross (sub system
choice & placement, tractor vs pusher, canard vs horizontal tail) SWOT based
Lecture 19,20: AIRFOIL DESIGN
Evolution, nomenclature, types, properties, choice.
Lecture 21, 22,23,24: WING DESIGN
MAC, aspect ratio, sweep, taper, twist, dihedral, rigging, vertical placement, tips, winglet.
Lecture 25, 26: TAIL DESIGN
Tail types, canard vs aft tail, control authority, sizing.
Lecture 27: SIZING RECAP & POINT PERFORMANCE:
Recap of the sizing based on mission profile, point performance (T/W, W/S).
Lecture 28, 29, 30, 31: T/W & W/S ESTIMATION:
definitions, FAR 23, 25, mil specs., quick estimate T/W (statistical, thrust matching), W/S from
stall velocity, TO, landing, turn rate, cruise, loiter, climb rate, BVR vs WVR. Constraint Diagram
& Constraint Analysis, Design Point
Lecture 32, 33,34: REFINED SIZING:
Payload drop, rubber engine vs. fixed engine, refined empty weight, fuselage, wing, tail, CG,
control surface sizing.
Lecture: DESIGN OPTIMIZATION:
Design optimization with examples.
RECOMMENDED TEXTS:
1. Aircraft Design: A Conceptual; Approach (5 th ed.) , Daniel P Raymer, AIAA education series
(2012)
2. Aircraft Performance & Design, John D Anderson Jr., McGraw Hill (2010)
3. Advanced Aircraft Design, E Torenbeek, Wiley (2013)
SIZING : BIG PICTURE & FLOW
1. REQUIREMENTS (mission, performance, regulatory, cost,
function, aesthetics.......)
2. Estimate TOGW (Wo)
• Input (Mission, R, E, crude estimates of L/D, C, We, Sw, AR)
• Conduct TRADE STUDY based on output
3. CONCEPTUAL SKETCH (placement & type of sub-systems, CG
based on SWOT)
• Input (mission; aerodynamics, serviceability, functionality,
propulsion, stability, aesthetics...)
• Output conceptual sketch (without dimensions)
4. SELECTION airfoil, wing, tail, CG limits...,
• Input (mission, regulatory)
• Output (detail sketch, Cd, Cl max, AR, t/c, sweep, taper,
incidence etc.)
contd......
SIZING : BIG PICTURE & FLOW (contd.)
1. POINT PERFORMANCE
• Input (performance, regulatory)
• Output ( Constraint Diagram T/W versus W/S )
2. CONSTRAINT ANALYSIS
• Input (T/W vs W/S based on constraints; landing, TO, R/C,
sustained turn)
• Output (shrinking of design space, estimate of T & S)
3. CONFIGURATION LAYOUT
• Input (wing size, tail size, fuselage size, LG, CG)
• Output (baseline configuration, refined Wo)
4. REFINED SIZING
Optimization, MDO..............Preliminary Design