This excellent, innovative reference offers a wealth of useful information and a solid background in the fundamentals of aerodynamics. Fluid mechanics, constant density inviscid flow, singular perturbation problems, viscosity, thin-wing and slender body theories, drag minimalization, and other essentials are addressed in a lively, literate manner and accompanied by diagrams.

Like previous editions, this text has retained it's excellent coverage of basic concepts and broad coverage of the major aspects of aerodynamics. Numerical techniques are described for computing invicid incompressible flow about airfoils and finite wings. Plus, the design of devices and aircraft components that were constructed from theoretical considerations are shown so readers can see the realistic applications of mathematical analyses.

Why do aircraft fly? How do their wings support them? In the early years of aviation, there was an intense dispute between British and German experts over the question of why and how an aircraft wing provides lift. The British, under the leadership of the great Cambridge mathematical physicist Lord Rayleigh, produced highly elaborate investigations of the nature of discontinuous flow, while the Germans, following Ludwig Prandtl in Göttingen, relied on the tradition called “technical mechanics” to explain the flow of air around a wing. Much of the basis of modern aerodynamics emerged from this remarkable episode, yet it has never been subject to a detailed historical and sociological analysis. In The Enigma of the Aerofoil, David Bloor probes a neglected aspect of this important period in the history of aviation. Bloor draws upon papers by the participants—their restricted technical reports, meeting minutes, and personal correspondence, much of which has never before been published—and reveals the impact that the divergent mathematical traditions of Cambridge and Göttingen had on this great debate. Bloor also addresses why the British, even after discovering the failings of their own theory, remained resistant to the German circulation theory for more than a decade. The result is essential reading for anyone studying the history, philosophy, or sociology of science or technology—and for all those intrigued by flight.

Starting from a basic knowledge of mathematics and mechanics gained in standard foundation classes, Theory of Lift: Introductory Computational Aerodynamics in MATLAB/Octave takes the reader conceptually through from the fundamental mechanics of lift to the stage of actually being able to make practical calculations and predictions of the coefficient of lift for realistic wing profile and planform geometries. The classical framework and methods of aerodynamics are covered in detail and the reader is shown how they may be used to develop simple yet powerful MATLAB or Octave programs that accurately predict and visualise the dynamics of real wing shapes, using lumped vortex, panel, and vortex lattice methods. This book contains all the mathematical development and formulae required in standard incompressible aerodynamics as well as dozens of small but complete working programs which can be put to use immediately using either the popular MATLAB or free Octave computional modelling packages. Key features: Synthesizes the classical foundations of aerodynamics with hands-on computation, emphasizing interactivity and visualization. Includes complete source code for all programs, all listings having been tested for compatibility with both MATLAB and Octave. Companion website (www.wiley.com/go/mcbain) hosting codes and solutions. Theory of Lift: Introductory Computational Aerodynamics in MATLAB/Octave is an introductory text for graduate and senior undergraduate students on aeronautical and aerospace engineering courses and also forms a valuable reference for engineers and designers.

Written to teach students the nature of transonic flow and its mathematical foundation, this book offers a much-needed introduction to transonic aerodynamics. The authors present a quantitative and qualitative assessment of subsonic, supersonic and transonic flow around bodies in two and three dimensions. The book reviews the governing equations and explores their applications and limitations as employed in modeling and computational fluid dynamics. Some concepts, such as shock and expansion theory, are examined from a numerical perspective. Others, including shock-boundary-layer interaction, are discussed from a qualitative point of view. The book includes 60 examples and more than 200 practice problems. The authors also offer analytical methods such as Method of Characteristics (MOC) that allow readers to practice with the subject matter. The result is a wealth of insight into transonic flow phenomena and their impact on aircraft design, including compressibility effects, shock and expansion waves, shock-boundary-layer interaction and aeroelasticity.

In the rapidly advancing field of flight aerodynamics, it is especially important for students to master the fundamentals. This text, written by renowned experts, clearly presents the basic concepts of underlying aerodynamic prediction methodology. These concepts are closely linked to physical principles so that they are more readily retained and their limits of applicability are fully appreciated. Ultimately, this will provide students with the necessary tools to confidently approach and solve practical flight vehicle design problems of current and future interest. This book is designed for use in courses on aerodynamics at an advanced undergraduate or graduate level. A comprehensive set of exercise problems is included at the end of each chapter.