MAE 3241: AERODYNAMICS AND

FLIGHT MECHANICS
Aerodynamic Force and Vector Calculus Review

January 12, 2011

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department
Florida Institute of Technology
D. R. Kirk

READING ASSIGNMENT

Fundamentals of Aerodynamics, 5th edition

Chapter 1
All sections except: 1.7 and 1.9
Chapter 2
All sections except: 2.7

WHAT CREATES AERODYNAMIC FORCES?

Aerodynamic forces exerted by airflow comes from only two sources

Pressure, p, distribution on surface
Acts normal to surface

Shear stress, w, (friction) on surface

Acts tangentially to surface

Pressure and shear are in units of force per unit area (N/m 2)
Net unbalance creates an aerodynamic force
No matter how complex the flow field, and no matter how complex the shape of
the body, the only way nature has of communicating an aerodynamic force to a
solid object or surface is through the pressure and shear stress distributions that
exist on the surface.
The pressure and shear stress distributions are the two hands of nature that reach
out and grab the body, exerting a force on the body the aerodynamic force

VECTOR CALCULUS REVIEW (SECTION 2.2)

Natural and convenient representation to explain motion of fluids in 3D space

Expression of field quantities

Position
Velocity
Acceleration
Vorticity
Forces

Directly transfer to scalar forms to solve problems

Advantage of vector calculus/algebra:

Definition and theorems are independent of coordinate system
In scalar form expression are different between cartesian, cylindrical,
spherical, etc. coordinate systems

VECTOR CALCULUS REVIEW

a 0

The curl of the gradient of a scalar function is zero

A 0 The divergence of the curl of a vector is zero

V 0
V

If the curl of the velocity field is zero

Flow is irrotational
Velocity can be written as the gradient of a scalar function,

V 0

If the divergence of the velocity field is zero

Flow is incompressible

If both are true

Laplace equation

SUMMARY OF VECTOR INTEGRALS

adV andS
V

AdV A ndS
V

A ndS A dC
S

Gradient Theorem
Vector equation involving a scalar
function, a
Limits of integration such that surface
encloses the volume
n points normal outward
Divergence (Gauss) Theorem
Scalar equation

Stokes Theorem
Direction of n is given by right hand
rule

SCRAMJET PROPULSION: X-43 MACH 10!

EXAMPLE: SHOCK ENHANCED MIXING

Rayleigh scattering image of flow field development following M=1.146 shock passage
over a cylinder of helium embedded in air

Difficult to
explain with
velocity/pressure
field description
Vorticity field
useful for insight
Shockwave
moving left to
right in pictures
Interacting with
helium cylinder in
pictures (a) (c)

shockwave