Category Archives: Aeronautics
Hugoniot
Hugoniot with classmates from the École Polytechnique, 1870 . Hugoniot is second from left, front row, see insert.
Experiments in a Large-Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel: Propagation of Noise through the Turbulent Boundary Layer
My Group recently published a paper on a multiyear experiment campaign. We used the National Science Foundation Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel and sent acoustic waves through the boundary layer. We examined how turbulent structures altered the waveforms. The purpose is to create a high quality database available to the community to understand acoustic-turbulent interactions. Zhang, …
Paul Richard Heinrich Blasius
At Easter 1902 I had sat my final college examination, and was now studying mathematics. This was not simple for me: Although one can see what follows from certain algebraic manipulations, why would this be done? “By mathematics, you are convicted, instead of convinced”, according to the philosopher Schopenhauer. After some time, I realized that, …
The History of the Navier-Stokes Equations
Over the course of a few years I have collected pictures, biographies, and other tidbits about the many famous people who have created, studied, and dedicated their lives to the Navier-Stokes equations. I set it to the music of Carmina Burana of the MIT Choir (Creative Commons). Enjoy!
Sankar’s Helicopter Aerodynamics
I’m really impressed with Professor Sankar’s website on fundamentals of aerodynamics of helicopters. It is often said in the aerospace community that if you understand the aerodynamics of helicopters then you can understand anything. It is really challenging! He has also posted a number of interesting items on aeroacoustics of rotorcraft. I have learned a …
On Theory and Experiments
Regarding computing as a straightforward routine, some theoreticians still tend to underestimate its intellectual value and challenge, while practitioners often ignore its accuracy and overrate its validity. C. K. Chu, Columbia University, 1978
Foundations of Turbulence
The mathematical formulation of the problem of homogeneous turbulence is this: Given an infinite body of uniform fluid in which motions conform to the equations and, and given that at some initial instant the velocity of the fluid is a random function of position described by certain probability laws which are independent of position, to …
A Hypersonic Transport Concept
UIUC Applied Aerodynamics Group
https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads.html The UIUC has an amazing airfoil database containing coordinates and other quick aerodynamic information.