Experimental Aerodynamics: An introductory Guide

Abstract

This book presents experimental techniques in the field of aerodynamics, a discipline that is essential in numerous areas, such as the design of aerial and ground vehicles and engines, the production of energy, and understanding the wind resistance of buildings. Aerodynamics is not only concerned with improving the performance and comfort of vehicles, but also with reducing their environmental impact. The book provides updated information on the experimental and technical methods used by aerodynamicists, engineers and researchers. It describes the various types of wind tunnels – from subsonic to hypersonic – as well as the problems posed by their design and operation. The book also focuses on metrology, which has allowed us to gain a detailed understanding of the local properties of flows, and examines current developments toward creating a methodology combining experiments and numerical simulations: the computer-assisted wind tunnel. Lastly, it offers an overview of experimental aerodynamics based on a prospective vision of the discipline, and discusses potential futures challenges. The book can be used as a textbook for graduate courses in aerodynamics, typically offered to students of aerospace and mechanical engineering programs, and as a learning tool for professionals and engineers in the fields of aerodynamics, aeronautics and astronautics automobile.