AE 3021 High Speed Aerodynamics

Fall 2014

Catalog Description: AE 3021 High Speed Aerodynamics. 3-0-3. Compressibility

effects on airfoil and wing aerodynamics; supersonic potential flow; method of
characteristics; boundary layer effects on airfoil and wing performance.
Text Fundamentals of Aerodynamics by J. Anderson.
Learning Objectives: Learn to account for compressibility effects in subsonic
aerodynamics. Learn to model 2-D supersonic aerodynamics. Estimate viscous drag in
attached laminar and turbulent flow.

Lecture Topics
1. Review: lift, drag, fluid motion
2. Full potential equation
3. Linearized potential equations
4. Subsonic similarity
5. Airfoils in supersonic flow
6. Solution methods for supersonic flows
7. Wings and bodies in compressible flow
8. Transonic aerodynamics
9. Review of boundary layer theory
10. Laminar boundary layers
11. Transition to turbulence
12. Turbulent boundary Layers
13. Effects of compressibility in boundary layers
14. Advanced topics TBA
Instructor: Dr. Narayanan M. Komerath, Professor. komerath@gatech.edu Office: 353
Guggenheim.
Grading: 2 tests, 20% each. Assignments: 40%, Final: 20%
Tentative Test Dates: September 18, Oct. 30
Policies: 1. No relative / curve grading. "WYEIWYG".
Grading levels: 50:D. 65: C. 75: B. 90:A.
2. Ask anyone for help on assignments, but what you submit for grades must be your
own work.

On Office hours etc. :

this repeats what was discussed in detail in the first class of this semester.
This is the Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, not a bureaucracy to have
office hours where people come in nattily dressed and warm up their chairs for hours
on the off-chance that people might show up. We generally try to have our brains turned
ON all the time and are happy to discuss technical matters, and learning. So you are
most welcome to email the professor and the GTA any time (dont expect instant
responses, please!)
Other than that, I am also happy to see students come in to discuss technical questions.
Students in classes generally have priority (it does not take very long to answer
questions from students who have already put in a lot of thought and effort). So you are
welcome to peek into my office and let me know that you are there, even if there is
someone inside. The worst I may do is tell you to wait a minute or when I can talk.
A moments thought and some experience will convince anyone that no Office Hour
during reasonable working days is suitable to everyone in the class. Between Ms.
Basak and I, we try to make sure that students in this class can get to see at least one
of us on every day of the week. This works quite well for all interested students. In 35
years of teaching, I dont recall any instance where I had to tell someone: Sorry, my
Office Hours are over for today, I waited for 2 hours twiddling my thumbs, go away!
I plan to keep it that way.
As far as when are you usually in your office? the answer is:
a) immediately before and after your class
b) USUALLY the mornings on class days
c) USUALLY Monday mornings. Usually because I do have many other
commitments, but these work most of the time.
Any other times, please email me for an appointment.
Finally, all the above apply to people who want to discuss technical questions to learn
and advance. For people who want to come in saying: What are my chances of getting
an A? No, I havent done any of the assignments, I didnt study all those derivations, I
didnt do the problems in the book, I didnt bother to get my calculator out as you did
problems on the board, I didnt ask any questions in class, I dont know how to contact
the TA, I did poorly on the test but it is NOT a reflection of my excellence (surprise!), I
havent started on the present assignment that you handed out a week ago and is due
tomorrow, I dont even know that you discussed Office Hours in the first lecture, but I
am VERY INTERESTED in the subject, and feel that I UNDERSTAND ALL THE
MATERIAL extremely well
- they can save themselves the effort to impress me with their dedication to High Speed
Aerodynamics and Aerospace Engineering in general. The answer should be evident.
The Median grade on Test 1 was 85+ because people worked very hard on the
assignments and did well there.