CHAPTER 4 BASIC AERODYNAMICS

We will start out with the statement of three fundamental physical principles from physics:

1. Mass is conserved.
2. Newton’s second law (force = mass × acceleration) holds.
3. Energy is conserved.

Conservation of Mass: mass is conserved and obtain a governing equation labeled the continuity equation.

Making the assumption of an inviscid flow. We will invoke Newton’s second law and obtain the momentum equation for an inviscid flow, called Euler’s equation (pronounced like
“oilers”). A specialized but important form of Euler’s equation is Bernoulli’s famous equation.

Then we will invoke the principle of conservation of energy and obtain the energy equation for a flow. However, because the science of energy is thermodynamics, we have to first
examine some basic concepts of thermodynamics.

We will introduce the idea of a viscous boundary layer, the region of flow immediately adjacent to a solid surface, where friction is particularly dominant. We will examine two types
of viscous flows with quite different natures— laminar flow and turbulent flow—and how a laminar flow transitions to a turbulent flow.

INCOMPRESSIBLE AND COMPRESSIBLE FLOW

Compressible flow —flow in which the density of the fluid elements can change from point to point.

Incompressible flow —flow in which the density of the fluid elements is always constant.
MOMENTUM EQUATION

Application of Newton’s Second Law

Relates rate of change of momentum to force; hence it can also be designated as the momentum equation.
Euler’s equation itself holds for both cases of compressible and incompressible flow. For compressible flow, ρ is a variable; for incompressible flow, ρ is a constant.

For incompressible flow, ρ is a constant.

ELEMENTARY THERMODYNAMICS
ISENTROPIC FLOW

Isobaric, Isochoric, Isothermal, Adiabatic, Reversible, Isentropic

ENERGY EQUATION
SUMMARY OF EQUATIONS

SPEED OF SOUND
MEASUREMENT OF AIRSPEED: INCOMPRESSIBLE FLOW

MEASUREMENT OF AIRSPEED: SUBSONIC COMPRESSIBLE FLOW

MEASUREMENT OF AIRSPEED: SUPERSONIC COMPRESSIBLE FLOW
SUPERSONIC WIND TUNNELS AND ROCKET ENGINES
VISCOUS FLOW
LAMINAR BOUNDARY LAYER

TURBULENT BOUNDARY LAYER

TRANSITION
FLOW SEPARATION

ADVERSE PRESSURE GRADIENT

VISCOUS EFFECTS ON DRAG