Graduate Catalog

2023-2024

Policies, Procedures, Academic Programs

Aerospace Engineering

College of Engineering

Academics and laboratories; west section completed 1952; dedicated Oct. 24, 1953. Cost $884,070. East section completed Fall 1959; cost $889,944. Building contains 165,918 sq. ft. Attached to the building is a six-foot stability wind tunnel, acquired from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1958 and made a part of building in 1959. Valued at $1,000,000 at the time, the tunnel was acquired for about $1,700 as surplus equipment.

Aerospace & Ocean Engineering (MC 0203) 1600 Innovation Drive Virginia Tech Blacksburg VA 24061

Degree(s) Offered:

• MS

MS Degree in Aerospace Engineering
Minimum GPA:	3.0
Offered In:	Blacksburg Virtual

• MEng

MEng Degree in Aerospace Engineering
Minimum GPA:	3.0
Offered In:	Blacksburg Virtual

• PhD

PhD Degree in Aerospace Engineering
Minimum GPA:	3.0
Offered In:	Blacksburg

Email Contact(s):

• Graduate Contact

Web Resource(s):

• Student Handbook

• Graduate Site

Phone Number(s):

540/231-3579

Application Deadlines:

Fall: Dec 30

Spring: Sep 01

Directions

To get Google Maps directions from:

The Graduate School

Randolph Hall

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Department Head : Ella Atkins

Graduate Program Director : Olivier Coutier-Delgosha (Assistant Department Head for Graduate Studies)

Professors: Ella Atkins; Jonathan Black; Stefano Brizzolara; Alan Brown; Robert Canfield; Olivier Coutier-Delgosha; William Devenport; Mazen Farhood; Rakesh Kapania; Kevin Lowe; Eric Paterson; Michael Philen; Mark Psiaki; Pradeep Raj; Shane Ross; Christopher Roy; Gary Seidel; Kevin Shinpaugh; Cornel Sultan; Craig Woolsey

Associate Professors: Colin Adams; William Alexander; Scott England; Yao Fu; Christine Gilbert; Justin Jaworski; Luca Massa; Bhuvana Srinivasan; Kevin Wang; Gregory Young

Assistant Professors: Riley Fitzgerald; Mathieu Joerger

NAVSEA Professor of Naval Ship Design: Alan Brown

Kevin Crofton Professor: William Devenport; Mark Psiaki

Norris and Laura Mitchell Professor of Aerospace Engineering: Rakesh Kapania

Rolls-Royce Commonwealth Professor of Marine Propulsion: Eric Paterson

Research Associate Professors: Aurelien Borgoltz

Professor of Practice: Harry Artis; William Butler

Research Assistant Professors: Nanyaporn Intaratep; Jie Song

Aerospace Engineering Introduction

Master of Science Degree

The Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering offers a Master of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering and in Ocean Engineering. Each of these degrees has two options, a Master of Science with or without thesis. Although both degrees require the same number of credit hours for graduation, the thesis option requires some of these credits be devoted to a research project. The non-thesis option can be obtained by taking only course work, or it can include credits for a project and report. Such a project and report is generally not research oriented, but deals with other aspects of an engineering problem and may involve a team of students.

In order to ensure that all our students can communicate with scientists and engineers outside their primary field of interest, all students take at least one course in the general areas of aerodynamics, structures, flight mechanics and control, and numerical methods. In addition, students in the non-thesis program are required to take additional courses in their area of study. Students in this program have the opportunity to work on advanced research projects in the three areas mentioned previously as well as in the interdisciplinary arena where familiarity with two or more disciplines is required. As a result many of our students are in a position to satisfy the rapidly growing demand for well rounded engineers and scientists.

Students following the thesis route work with faculty that have both national and international reputations in their respective areas of research. These areas pose exciting new challenges to the students who have the opportunity to work closely with their faculty advisor on current problems. These problems reflect the latest interests in new advancements in science and technology by NASA, Navy, Air Force, and various aerospace and non-aerospace industries.

Our masters students do significant hands-on research and often work in teams with other masters and Ph.D. students on wide-range of topics, some focused in a newly developing area, and some multidisciplinary in nature. These activities include state-of-the-art research in aerodynamics, structures, flight dynamics and control, and multidisciplinary analysis and design. Students are encouraged to present their research results at conferences and in archival journals tied to industry and/or government or sponsored projects and include interaction with personnel and facilities from those organizations.

The requirements for the degrees focused on applied physics or applied mathematics are slightly different from those of the other categories in that some required courses from the Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Department are replaced with others from either Physics or Mathematics respectively. These programs are specially tailored for students whose backgrounds are from outside the engineering environment and are interested in applying their skills to solving aerospace problems. Such programs encourage interaction with disciplines outside the usual engineering environment and result in new approaches to analyzing and solving problems.

Master of Engineering Degree

The Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Department offers a Master of Engineering degree in Aerospace Engineering. This degree requires the completion of a project and report which in some cases is required to be in conjunction with other students.

For the Aerospace Engineering Degree, students are required to take at least one course in each general area of aerodynamics, structures, and flight mechanics and control. This requirement is to insure that graduates from this program can operate in a multidisciplinary environment. In all cases the Master of Engineering program focuses on engineering type problems and their solutions.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

The Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Department offers a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Aerospace Engineering. This degree is a research oriented degree which can be focused toward one (or more) of several disciplines. These disciplines include Aero-Hydrodynamics, Dynamics and Control, Structures and Structural Dynamics, Ocean Engineering, Applied Physics, Space Engineering and Applied Math.

All of these degrees require an in depth research project which will serve as the subject of the final dissertation. Research projects have been carried out in the areas of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), experimental fluid mechanics (both high and low speed), instrumentation development, composite materials, structural optimization, flutter analysis, nonlinear flight control, pilot- aircraft interactions, aerodynamic modeling, computer aided design, interdisciplinary design and optimization, trajectory analysis and optimization, space mechanics and space vehicle design, to name a few. Many of these programs are tied to industry and/or government sponsored projects and include interaction with personnel and facilities from those organizations.

The requirements for the degrees focused on applied physics or applied mathematics are slightly different from those of the other categories in that some required courses from the Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Department are replaced with others from either Physics or Mathematics respectively. These programs are specially tailored for students whose backgrounds are from outside the engineering environment and are interested in applying their skills to solving aerospace problems. Such programs encourage interaction with disciplines outside the usual engineering environment and result in new approaches to analyzing and solving problems.

Students in the PhD program work with faculty members known nationally and internationally for their contributions in their research area. Opportunities exist to work on the very latest research projects in the areas of aerodynamics, structures, flight dynamics and control, and multidisciplinary analysis and design. Many of these projects are in support of aerospace and non-aerospace industry, NASA, Navy and Air Force initiatives and include both analytical and experimental components. Modern computational and experimental facilities are available to each student including four subsonic wind tunnels and one supersonic wind tunnel. Advanced instrumentation is available for taking measurements of all type in these facilities.

Offered In (Blacksburg, Virtual)

Degree Requirements

Minimum GPA: 3.0

Institution code: 5859

Testing Requirements:

TOEFL
- iBT
  - 90.0

GRE
- General Test
  - Verbal :
  - Quantitative :
  - Analytical :

Master of Science Requirements: Thesis and (Non-Thesis)

1. A minimum of 30 credit hours is required.

• For thesis students, up to 9 credit hours may be allotted for Research and Thesis (AOE 5994).

2. A minimum of 15 credit hours (18 for non-thesis) of graded course work numbered 5000 and higher must be included in the Plan of Study. These credit hours do not include the AOE Seminar (AOE 5944), Research and Thesis (AOE 5994) hours, or Project and Report (AOE 5904) hours.

3. A maximum of 6 credit hours of 5974 and 5984 is allowed.

4. A maximum of 6 credit hours of approved 4000 level course work is allowed.

5. Up to 50% of the courses on the Plan of Study may be transferred from a graduate program at another institution, subject to the approval of the Advisory Committee. Substitution of a transferred course for a specific required course is subject to the approval of the Graduate Program Director or a designee, usually the responsible instructor. Each transferred course must have a grade of B (3.0/4.0) or better.

6. Breadth Requirement: All MS AE students are required to take at least one course each in three out of the four disciplinary areas identified below.

Fluid Mechanics

• AOE 5104, Advanced Aero and Hydrodynamics;

• AOE 5114, High Speed Aerodynamics;

• AOE 5124, Aero and Hydroacoustics;

• AOE 5135, Vehicle Propulsion;

• AOE 5144, Boundary Layer Theory.

Dynamics and Control

• AOE 5204, Vehicle Dynamics and Control;

• AOE 5744, Linear Systems Theory;

• AOE 5754, Applied Linear Systems;

• AOE 5774, Nonlinear Systems Theory;

• AOE 5234, Orbital Mechanics.

Structures and Materials

• AOE 5024, Vehicle Structures;

• AOE 5034, Mechanical and Structural Dynamics;

• AOE 5054, Stability of Structures;

• AOE 5064, Structural Optimization.

Applied Physics

• AOE 5174, Introduction to Plasma Science;

• AOE 5xxx, Spacecraft Propulsion;

• AOE 5654, Introduction to Space Science I: The Solar Wind and Magnetosphere;

• AOE 5664, Upper Atmosphere and Ionosphere;

• ECE 5194, Remote Sensing: Principles and Techniques.

7. Math Requirement: All MS Students are required to take at least one course (of three credits or more) focused on graduate-level mathematics, statistics, or numerical methods. A sample list of courses satisfying this requirement is given in Appendix B. The MS Advisory Committee can approve other courses that have majority of their learning outcomes on advanced mathematics, statistics, or numerical methods.

APPENDIX B

Sample of approved courses focused on Mathematics, Statistics, or Numerical Methods:

1. AOE 5404, Applied Numerical Methods;

2. AOE 5434G, Advanced Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics;

3. AOE 5734, Convex Optimization;

4. AOE 6145, Computational Fluid Dynamics;

5. AOE 6174, Computational Plasma Dynamics;

6. AOE 6314, Advanced Dynamics;

7. AOE 6444, Verification and Validation in Scientific Computing;

8. ESM 5734, Introduction to the Finite Element Method;

9. ESM 5744, Energy and Variational Methods in Applied Mechanics;

10. ESM 6714, Applied Tensor Analysis;

11. ESM 6734, Finite Element Analysis;

12. MATH 5225, Real Analysis

13. MATH 5235, Complex Analysis;

14. MATH 5424, Numerical Linear Algebra;

15. MATH 5425, Applied Partial Differential Equations;

16. MATH 5465, Numerical Analysis; 17. MATH 5474, Finite Difference Methods for Partial Differential Equations;

18. MATH 5484, Finite Element Methods for Partial Differential Equations;

19. STAT 5044, Regression and Analysis of Variance;

20. STAT 5104, Probability and Distribution Theory;

21. STAT 5434, Applied Stochastic Processes;

22. STAT 5444, Bayesian Statistics;

23. STAT 5525, Data Analytics;

24. STAT 5616, Statistics in Research;

25. STAT 5664, Applied Statistical Time Series Analysis for Research Scientists.

8. Non-thesis MS AE students must take at least two additional graduate courses in AOE. See Appendix C for a list of courses to take for a specialization in (i) Fluid Mechanics, (ii) Dynamics, Controls, and Estimation, (iii) Structures and Materials, and (iv) Space Engineering.

APPENDIX C

Sample List of Courses for MS AE Specializations

Fluid Mechanics

This area is concerned with the determination of forces and moments caused by the motion of an aerospace or ocean vehicle through a liquid or gaseous medium, and with the nature of the flow field around the vehicle and in its wake. This determination ranges from very low subsonic speeds through the speed of sound (transonic) to supersonic and hypersonic speeds. Both inviscid and viscous flow phenomena are significant. In addition, the study of internal flow fields associated with propulsion is a subset of this area.

Sample course list:

• AOE 5024, Vehicle Structures

• AOE 5104, Advanced Aero and Hydrodynamics

• AOE 5114, High Speed Aerodynamics

• AOE 5124, Aero and Hydroacoustics

• AOE 5135, Vehicle Propulsion

• AOE 5144, Boundary Layer Theory

• AOE 5204, Vehicle Dynamics and Control

• AOE 5404, Applied Numerical Methods

• AOE 5434G, Advanced Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics

Dynamics, Control and Estimation

The area of dynamics involves dynamic modeling and analysis for space, atmospheric, and ocean vehicles. The area of control and estimation involves the development and application of methods for vehicle guidance, navigation, and control.

Sample course list:

• AOE 5024, Vehicle Structures

• AOE 5104, Advanced Aero and Hydrodynamics

• AOE 5204, Vehicle Dynamics and Control

• AOE 5744, Linear Systems Theory

• AOE 5754, Applied Linear Systems

• AOE 5774, Nonlinear Systems Theory

• AOE 5234, Orbital Mechanics

• AOE 5404, Applied Numerical Methods

• AOE 5734, Convex Optimization

Structures and Materials

This area involves development and application of methods for design and evaluation of aerospace and ocean structures. Principal subjects of study are structural analysis, computational mechanics, structural optimization, composite structures, smart structures, 31 structural health monitoring, material science, machine learning, and multi-disciplinary analysis and optimization.

Sample course list:

• AOE 5024, Vehicle Structures

• AOE 5034, Mechanical and Structural Dynamics

• AOE 5054, Stability of Structures

• AOE 5064, Structural Optimization

• AOE 5104, Advanced Aero and Hydrodynamics

• AOE 5204, Vehicle Dynamics and Control

• AOE 5404, Applied Numerical Methods

• ESM 5734, Introduction to the Finite Element Method

• ESM 5744, Energy and Variational Methods in Applied Mechanics

Space Engineering

This area is concerned with the multidisciplinary application of Aerospace, Electrical, Mechanical, and Systems Engineering (among others) to the development of advanced space instrumentation, vehicles, constellations, and space exploration systems.

Sample course list:

• AOE 5024, Vehicle Structures

• AOE 5104, Advanced Aero and Hydrodynamics

• AOE 5174, Introduction to Plasma Science

• AOE 5204, Vehicle Dynamics and Control

• AOE 5234, Orbital Mechanics

• AOE 5404, Applied Numerical Methods

• AOE 5654, Introduction to Space Science I: The Solar Wind and Magnetosphere

• AOE 5664, Upper Atmosphere and Ionosphere

• AOE 5xxx, Spacecraft Propulsion

Offered In (Blacksburg, Virtual)

Degree Requirements

Minimum GPA: 3.0

Institution code: 5859

Testing Requirements:

GRE
- General Test
  - Verbal :
  - Quantitative :
  - Analytical :

TOEFL
- Paper
  - 90.0
- iBT
  - 90.0

Master of Engineering Requirements

1. The M. Eng. degree is a non-thesis degree. However, each candidate is required to prepare a paper, the subject and outline of which must be approved by the student’s Advisor and Advisory Committee. The purpose of this paper is to develop and demonstrate the student’s ability to plan and carry out projects or problems relating to engineering practice. This project is carried out under the auspices of a special project (AOE 5904, Project and Report).

2. A minimum of 30 credit hours is required, of which 3-6 credit hours must be allotted for AOE 5904.

3. A minimum of 18 credit hours (including 5974 and 5984) of graded course work numbered 5000 and higher must be included in the Plan of Study.

4. A maximum of 6 credit hours of approved 4000 level course work is allowed.

5. A maximum of 6 credit hours of 5974 and 5984 is allowed.

6. Up to 50% of the courses on the Plan of Study may be transferred and are subject to approval of the Advisory Committee. Substitution of a transferred course for a specific required course is subject to the approval of the Graduate Program Director or a designee, usually the responsible instructor. Each transferred course must have a grade of B (3.0/4.0) or better.

7. All M. Eng. candidates are required to take:

• AOE 5404, Applied Numerical Methods;

• AOE 5104, Advanced Aero-Hydrodynamics;

• AOE 5024, Vehicle Structures; 15

• AOE 5204, Vehicle Dynamics and Control; and

• One additional AOE graduate course. If a student has previously taken, while an undergraduate or student elsewhere, any of the specific required AOE courses above or equivalent, that course must be replaced with another AOE graduate course acceptable to the Advisory Committee. A student will not be allowed to repeat a course from Virginia Tech or one that is equivalent from another institution for a grade.

8. The project described in requirement (1) may be carried out in conjunction with other students in the same program (e.g., a design project with several students of varied interests).

Offered In (Blacksburg)

Degree Requirements

Minimum GPA: 3.0

Institution code: 5859

Testing Requirements:

TOEFL
- iBT
  - 90.0

GRE
- General Test
  - Verbal :
  - Quantitative :
  - Analytical :

Doctor of Philosophy Requirements (beyond B.S.)

1. A minimum of 90 credit hours beyond the B.S. degree are required.

2. A minimum of 30 hours of Research and Dissertation (AOE 7994) must be included on the Plan of Study. All Ph.D. students must register for dissertation credit in accordance with the amount of time devoted to dissertation research. For example, a full-time research load would be 12 credit hours of dissertation credit, and would require a minimum of 40 hours per week of work devoted to research.

3. A minimum of 30 credit hours of graded course work numbered 5000 or above must be included. Up to 6 credit hours of 4000-level course work is allowed if approved by the PhD Advisory Committee.

4. A maximum of 9 credit hours of Independent Study (5974) and Special Study (5984) may be included.

5. A minimum of two consecutive semesters of full-time enrollment must be spent in residence at the Blacksburg campus (or with prior approval at some designated off-campus graduate center). At least 12 credit hours of course work (not including AOE 7994) must be earned while in residence.

6. Up to 15 credits of course work on the Plan of Study may be transferred from another university and is subject to the approval of the PhD Advisory Committee. Each transferred course must, (i) have a grade of B (3.0/4.0) or better, (ii) have been earned while in good standing in graduate status, and (iii) have been graduate courses at the institution where the student took the courses. Courses that are double-counted for both an undergraduate and graduate degree for students in Virginia Tech’s UG/G Program are subject to the grade requirements for transfer courses.

7. All Ph.D. candidates are required to have taken or be enrolled in all of the courses on the Plan of Study by the semester in which the student presents the PhD Pre-defense.

8. AOE Course Requirement: All PhD candidates are required to take at least six AOE courses. All graduate courses with an AOE number are considered AOE courses. Any graduate course taught by an AOE faculty will also be considered an AOE course for this requirement. All courses on the list of Breadth courses (see below) can count towards both the AOE Course Requirement and the Breadth Requirement.

a. Students may use transfer courses to satisfy this requirement. Substitution of a transferred course for a specific AOE course from the graduate course catalogue is subject to the approval of the Graduate Program Director on the recommendation of the responsible instructor. The student may request that a transfer course not listed in the graduate course catalogue be used to satisfy an AOE course requirement if the course is typically taught in an Aerospace or Ocean Engineering program. The Graduate Program Director will approve it on the recommendation of the PhD Advisory Committee.

9. Breadth Requirement: All PhD candidates are required to take at least one course each in three out of the four disciplinary areas identified below.

a. The student must have taken or be enrolled in at least two of the three disciplinary breadth courses by the semester in which the student takes the PhD Preliminary Examination.

b. Students may use transfer courses to satisfy this requirement. Substitution of a transferred course for a specific course listed below is subject to the approval of the Graduate Program Director on the recommendation of the responsible instructor. The student may request that a transfer course not listed below be used to satisfy a breadth requirement if the course is transferred from an Aerospace or Ocean Engineering program and primarily covers the breadth area. The Graduate Program Director will approve it on the recommendation of the AOE Graduate Committee.

Fluid Mechanics

Sample course list:

i. AOE 5104, Advanced Aero and Hydrodynamics;

ii. AOE 5114, High Speed Aerodynamics;

iii. AOE 5124, Aero and Hydroacoustics;

iv. AOE 5135, Vehicle Propulsion;

v. AOE 5144, Boundary Layer Theory;

vi. AOE 5304, Advanced Naval Architecture.

Dynamics and Control

Sample course list:

i. AOE 5204, Vehicle Dynamics and Control;

ii. AOE 5744, Linear Systems Theory;

iii. AOE 5754, Applied Linear Systems;

iv. AOE 5774, Nonlinear Systems Theory;

v. AOE 5234, Orbital Mechanics;

vi. AOE 5334, Advanced Ship Dynamics;

vii. AOE 5444G, Advanced Dynamics of High-Speed Craft.

Structures and Materials

Sample course list:

i. AOE 5024, Vehicle Structures;

ii. AOE 5034, Mechanical and Structural Dynamics;

iii. AOE 5054, Stability of Structures;

iv. AOE 5064, Structural Optimization;

v. AOE 5074, Advanced Ship Structural Analysis.

Applied Physics

Sample course list:

i. AOE 5174, Introduction to Plasma Science;

ii. AOE 5xxx, Spacecraft Propulsion;

iii. AOE 5654, Introduction to Space Science I: The Solar Wind and Magnetosphere;

iv. AOE 5664, Upper Atmosphere and Ionosphere;

v. ECE 5194, Remote Sensing: Principles and Techniques.

10. Math Requirement: All PhD candidates are required to take at least one course (of three credits or more) focused on graduate-level mathematics, statistics, or numerical methods. A sample list of courses satisfying this requirement is given in Appendix B. The PhD Advisory Committee can approve other courses (including transfer courses) that have majority of their learning outcomes on advanced mathematics, statistics, or numerical methods.

Aerospace Engineering Facilities Introduction

Our graduate students do significant hands-on research and often work in teams with other graduate students on wide-range of topics, some focused in a newly developing area, and some multidisciplinary in nature.

These activities include state-of-the-art research in aerodynamics, structures, flight dynamics and control, and multidisciplinary analysis and design Students are encouraged to present their research results at conferences and in archival journals tied to industry and/or government sponsored projects and include interaction with personnel and facilities from those organizations.

Research in Aerospace and Ocean Engineering poses exciting new challenges to the students who have the opportunity to work closely with their faculty advisor on current problems. These problems reflect the latest interests in new advancements in science and technology by NASA, Navy, Air Force, and various aerospace and non-aerospace industries. Our graduate students do significant hands-on research and often work in teams with other graduate students on wide-range of topics, some focused in a newly developing area, and some multidisciplinary in nature. These activities include state-of-the art research in aerodynamics, structures, flight dynamics and control, and multidisciplinary analysis and design Students are encouraged to present their research results at conferences and in archival journals tied to industry and/or government sponsored projects and include interaction with personnel and facilities from those organizations.

Aerospace Structures and Materials Laboratory (ASML)

The Aerospace Structures and Materials Laboratory (ASML) in the Aerospace and Ocean Engineering department at Virginia Tech is a research and educational facility dedicated to the understanding of structures and materials. The laboratory serves as an instructional center for students who are learning about structures related research at the undergraduate and graduate level. The facility is located in Room 15 of Randolph Hall.

Aerostructures Axial-Torsional Test Facility

This equipment is a large, multi-axial, servo-hydraulic testing machine purchased in 1988 from the MTS Systems Corporation (Eden Prairie, Minnesota), and it is located in 107 Hancock Hall. This machine is capable of simultaneously loading of test articles axially and torsionally, controlling either the axial load or axial displacement and controlling either torque or rotation. The computer automation (MTS TestStar workstation and Model 490 Digital controller) makes it possible to specify random independent biaxial loading on each axis in fatigue, or of a controlled phase relationship between each axis, or to input load spectrums obtained from field measurements, as well as providing data acquisition. The load unit has a fatigue load rating of 110,000 lbs axial and 50,000 lbs-in. torsional. The usable test space is 60 inches vertical spacing between actuator and load cell. Horizontal clearance between the load frame columns is 30 inches. The maximum stroke of the linear actuator is 6 inches, and the maximum rotation of the rotary actuator is 100 degrees.

Boundary Layer Research Wind Tunnel Laboratory

This research laboratory consists of a low-speed low-turbulence-intensity open-loop pressurized wind tunnel and associated equipment and instrumentation. Downstream of the blower a feedback-controlled rotating-blade damper can produce large-amplitude gusts up to 2 Hz, which is useful for simulating unsteady separating turbulent boundary layers in the test section.

The test section is 3 feet wide and 24 feet long, has an adjustable upper wall that permits various streamwise pressure gradients, and has active suction and tangential wall-jet boundary controls on the non-test walls that are used to prevent unwanted stalls in strong adverse-pressure-gradient and unsteady flows.

This facility has been used over the past 28 years in a number of experimental studies. Custom-designed and constructed laser-Doppler anemometers have been used. The results have revealed new features of the turbulence structure of turbulent boundary layers and separated flows. Recently Olcmen and Simpson (1995) developed a fiber-optic "5-velocity-component" laser-Doppler velocimeter system for measuring 3 velocity components simultaneously at one point (30 um diameter) and 2 other velocity components at 2 other points. Turbulent convective heat transfer in 3-D and separated flows have also been examined in this facility (Lewis and Simpson, 1996). Currently, this facility and instrumentation are being used to define the second-order turbulence structure of three-dimensional flows around hull/appendage and wing/body junctions.

Center for Space Science and Engineering Research

The Center for Space Science and Engineering (Space@VT) comprises a group of faculty, students and staff devoted to the investigation of the space environment. We presently include members from the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering. The Center resides in the College of Engineering.

Our mission is to provide forefront research, instruction, and educational outreach in the fields of space science and engineering utilizing a holistic approach of theoretical modeling, advanced simulation techniques, space system and instrument design, and experimental data acquisition, analysis and interpretation.

Dynamic Plunge-Pitch-Roll Apparatus (DyPPiR)

The DyPPiR represents the next generation in wind tunnel testing methodologies: simulation of true unsteady aerodynamics. The DyPPiR is essentially a hydraulically powered, computer controlled, three degree-of-freedom robotic arm that is used to force sting mounted wind tunnel models through general, large excursion, high rate, high Reynolds number maneuvers. The DyPPiR is being used to study the maneuvering performance of submarines and fighter aircraft, and future work will involve even transient racecar aerodynamics. In addition to standard force and moment measurements, surface skin friction measurements (for three-dimensional separation location detection) and surface pressure measurements are made, and a Doppler Global Velocimeter (DGV) will permit 3-component velocity measurements to be made in a plane in the flow at specific instances during a maneuver.

Graduate Computational Laboratory

The computational requirements for Aerospace and Ocean Engineering are often very demanding. Students require access to graphical workstations, super-computers, networking applications, and document processing facilities.

Graduate students in Aerospace and Ocean Engineering have access to a wide variety of computer facilities. In addition to those resources provided by Virginia Tech and the College of Engineering, the Department maintains personal computers, graphics workstations, and powerful servers. The Graduate Computer Laboratory includes workstations all of which are equipped with a wide variety of application software.

Hypersonic Wind Tunnel

The Virginia Tech blow-down type high-speed wind tunnel which operates at speeds ranging from Mach 2 to 7 is shown in Figures 1 and 2. The blow-down type wind tunnel offers run times on the order of a few seconds at high Mach numbers with relatively steady flow conditions. This facility was obtained through our close and long-term collaborations with the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk, Russia. Air (or other working gas) is supplied from a compressor to charge the storage bottles visible within the frame at the bottom. A special fast-acting control valve initiates flow into the plenum chamber. The flow then passes through a contoured, converging-diverging nozzle and out through the diffuser. Due to the working principle of the tunnel and the fast-acting control valve, there is only a slow decrease in total pressure during the run. The variation of the total pressure during the run is in the range of approximately 10%. For Mach numbers above 4, an electric heater raises the total temperature up to 800 K to prevent liquefaction. The nozzle exit diameter is 100 mm. The test cabin arrangement permits the use of relatively large instream models, especially at the higher Mach numbers.

This facility can be used for aerodynamic problem investigations which involve proper values of Mach and Reynolds number, to try out new measurement methods in high-speed flows, and for laboratory instruction of students. This laboratory type facility produces a gas flow with good metrology features, which are comparable to the corresponding features of steady flow in modern wind tunnels. -Working gases: air, nitrogen, argon, helium, and other safe gases. The total mass of storage air in 8*40 dm 3 bottles with pressure of 150 bars is 56 kg. Each run uses about 2.7 kg/s of pressurized gas. It is possible that standard bottles or a high-pressure compressor with low delivery (capacity) will be used as a working gas supply.

The upper limit of stagnation pressure in the storage bottles is Pb = 15 MPa. The upper limit of stagnation temperature is To = 800 K. The minimal values of stagnation pressure Ps and temperature Ts within the test chamber and diffuser are Table No. 1. test section size is 100mm.
-Electric heater (220/380 V) with capacity 15 - 20 kW provides the flow stagnation temperature up to 800 K to prevent condensation of air at hypersonic speeds.
-Tested models usually have the length 200 - 300 mm at the angle of attack 00 - 100 and 80 - 120 mm at the angle attack up to 400 - 500. The diameter of tested models is 20 - 40 mm.
-Inner dimensions of test chamber are 360*226*200 mm.
-Run duration depends on the test conditions and is usually from 1.0 to 2.0 s. During this time the flow stagnation pressure and temperature decrease smoothly nevertheless relative flow parameters and Mach number keep their constant values.
-Axisymmetric replaceable contoured nozzles are fitted to the flange of a settling chamber.

Kentland Experimental Aerial Systems (KEAS) Laboratory

The Kentland Experimental Aerial Systems (KEAS) Laboratory is located at Virginia Tech's Kentland Farm agricultural research facility, which includes about 1800 acres of university-owned farmland in a sparsely populated area southwest of the main campus. The 300 ft by 70 ft asphalt airstrip located at the center of the Kentland Farm is routinely used to support small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight operations. The airfield includes a state-of-the-art weather station to log meteorological data. A wireless network covering the area provides direct internet access. The adjacent UAV hangar provides nearly 2000 sq ft of workspace to support research, education, and outreach.

The KEAS Lab was developed with support from the:

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science
College of Engineering
Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science
Office of the Vice President for Research
Virginia Center for Autonomous Systems

The KEAS Lab's primary purpose is to enable research collaborations involving UAVs among university faculty. However, the facility is available to others in the university community who have a research, educational, or outreach related need.

Low Speed Cascade Wind Tunnel

The Low Speed Compressor Cascade Wind Tunnel was designed to simulate conditions found near the tips of fan blades in high bypass ratio aircraft engines. Coincidentally it is also a fairly good representation of flow near the blade tips of a marine propulsion pump. It is sited in the basement of Randolph hall. The cascade consists 8 cantilevered GE rotor B section blades mounted with an adjustable tip gap. The blades are fabricated from aluminum and have a total chord of 10" and an effective span of 10". The blades are instrumented with mean surface pressure taps, and a microphone array for unsteady surface pressure measurement. The cascade configuration has a rectangular cross section of 65" by 10". The blade spacing is 9.29", and the stagger angle of the cascade is 56.93 degrees. The inlet angle of the cascade is 65.1 degrees. The centrifugal fan powering the facility produces a free steam velocity of about 25m/s resulting in a chord Reynolds number of close to 400,000.

Instrumentation regularly used with the facility includes a two-axis computerized traverse, single and 3-component hot-wire anemometry, a 3-component fiber-optic LDV system, and instrumentation to sense the instantaneous position and speed of the belt. Work is being conducted on this facility by research groups under the direction of Dr. William Devenport and Dr. Roger Simpson. Recent sponsors include the Office of Naval Research and NASA Langley.

Nonlinear Sytems Laboratory (NSL)

The Nonlinear Systems Laboratory (NSL) in the Aerospace and Ocean Engineering department at Virginia Tech provides a facility for research and instruction in dynamics and control of nonlinear systems. Founded by Dr. Craig Woolsey and Dr. Naira Hovakimyan in 2005, the NSL is now co-directed by Dr. Cornel Sultan, Dr. Mazen Farhood, and Dr. Woolsey. The NSL is a Core Laboratory in the Virginia Center for Autonomous Systems (VaCAS).

Open Jet Wind Tunnel

The open jet wind tunnel was designed in the Fall of 2008 by members of the Aerospace & Ocean Engineering faculty and constructed in 2009 in the AOE machine shop. This research quality facility main purpose is to serve as an educational tool for undergraduate instruction.

The open-jet wind tunnel is a blower type, open circuit facility shown in Figure 1. A steel frame at the base of the facility provides stability while the combination of aluminum composite panels and extruded aluminum frame results in a light weight yet strong structure. The tunnel is powered by a 30hp BC-SW Size 365 Twin City centrifugal fan capable of up to 15m³/s.

The fan discharges into a 6^o, 4m-long diffuser. The flow is then directed into a 1.47m-high by 1.78m-wide settling chamber. A combination of 0.01m-cell size, 0.09m long honeycomb followed by three turbulence reduction screens (made of 0.3mm-diameter fiberglass screen with a 55% open area ratio) ensure a low turbulence and uniform flow. The flow then discharges in the atmosphere through a 5.5:1 contraction nozzle based on a 5th degree polynomial profile.

Flow speed is controlled by an AF-600 General Electric variable frequency drive. At a maximum fan speed of 1180 RPM, the flow exits the 5.5:1 contraction at 30m/s. The flow velocity is measured using static pressure taps located at the exit of the settling chamber. A manometer mounted on the side of the tunnel measures the difference between the settling chamber static pressure and the atmospheric.

To minimize the impact of the flow on the lab environment, the tunnel is equipped with a jet catcher located 1.2m downstream of the contraction exit (as seen in Figure 2). The main purpose of the jet catcher is to deflect and defuse the stream of air. The jet catcher is made of an extruded aluminum frame with composite panels. Two fiberglass high-loss screens inside the catcher deflect the flow towards the ground and ceiling. Further high-loss screens located at the top and bottom of the jet catcher reduce the flow velocity before it enters the room.

For model mounting, the tunnel is also equipped with an adjustable support frame (show in Figure 2). The frame is built out of extruded aluminum beams. The various slots on these beams provide great flexibility for positioning models.

Supersonic Wind Tunnel

The Virginia Tech 23 x 23 cm supersonic/transonic wind tunnel was designed and originally constructed at the NASA Langley Research Center. In 1958, the tunnel was purchased by Virginia Tech and put into operation in 1963. During recent years, several modifications were introduced into the air pumping, tunnel control, and instrumentation equipment which increased the capabilities of the facility.

The air pumping system consists of an Ingersoll-Rand Type 4-HHE-4 4-stage reciprocating air compressor driven by a 500 hp, 480V Marathon Electric Co. motor. The compressor can pump the storage system up to 51 atm. A drying and filtering system is provided which includes both drying by cooling and drying by absorption. Air storage system consists of two tanks with a total volume of 23 m. Tunnel control system includes quick opening butterfly valve and a hydraulically actuated pressure regulating 30.5 cm diameter valve.

The settling chamber contains a perforated transition cone, several damping screens, and probes measuring stagnation pressure and temperature. The nozzle chamber is interchangeable with two-dimensional contoured nozzle blocks made of steel. The tunnel is equipped with three complete nozzle chambers which presently are fitted with the nozzles for the Mach numbers 2.4, 3.0, and 4.0.

The working section of the tunnel is equipped with a remotely controlled model support which allows one to vary the position of a model in the vertical plane. An arrangement for side wall model mounting is also available. An extractable mechanism can be provided for supporting the model during the starting and stopping of the flow. Due to large doors containing the windows in the nozzle and working sections a very good access to the model is ensured.

Instrumentation

A 30 cm Schlieren apparatus uses two parabolic mirrors and air cooled high pressure mercury lamp. Shadowgraph pictures can be taken either with a direct-shadowgraph system or with a focused shadowgraph arrangement. A 1 microsecond spark source is used for this purpose. Interferograms may be taken with a laser-based single plate interferometer system and a CCD camera.

To record flow phenomena of very rapid action and short time duration, the Hycam high speed motion picture camera can be used. The camera can be optically coupled with either Schlieren or shadowgraph apparatus. Operating speed limits are from 1,000 to 45,000 pictures per second. A six-component force and moment balance is also available.

The main pressure measuring system includes a PSI Model 780B electronically scanned pressure system. The system is IBM PC computer controlled and presently can handle 32 pressure inputs (0 to 1 atm) simultaneously but, if a need arises, it can be expanded up to 512 pressure inputs. Pressure data rate is up to 20,000 measurements per second and the accuracy is 0.1% of span. In addition to the electronically scanned pressure system, there are two Scanivalve systems available, each allowing to record up to 48 pressures (0-3 atm) during a run of a few seconds duration.

Temperature and heat transfer measurements can be made using an automatic multipoint thermocouple reference system and high-speed potentiometric recorders.

Data acquisition is all IBM PC based using modern software such as LabView.

Towing Basin

Modeling ship resistance is done by towing a model in a towing basin. The basin, located in the basement of Norris Hall is made of reinforced concrete painted with a chemical and moisture resistant enamel. The width of the basin is 6 feet and the maximum water depth is 4 feet. The overall length of the basin is 98 feet but the first 4 feet and the last 24 feet are used for braking the carriage. The usable test length is then approximately 70 feet. There are two glass walled observation pits along the side of the tank, one located approximately in the middle of the test region and the other pit located at the starting end. The observation pit at the starting end is intended for use in the study of wave reflection and absorption.

The carriage and rails were designed and constructed by the firm of Kempf and Remmers of Hamburg, Germany and were shipped in sub-assemblies to Virginia Tech. The allowable tolerance on rail height was 0.1mm. Wedges were used to give final straight alignment of each rail. The allowable tolerance on alignment was 0.2mm. Final alignment was done optically. After final adjustments in height were made, the space between the bearing plates and the bottom of the rail was filled with concrete.

A 400 V DC motor drives the carriage through a gear reduction box. The DC power is supplied from a 220 V AC motor-generator set. A maximum speed of the carriage of 3.0 meters per second can be obtained.

The carriage braking is done automatically using trips installed at both ends. An emergency brake button is also on the console. The brake is of the magnetic clutch type and brakes the DC motor directly. The brake is applied if power to the carriage is interrupted. Braking deceleration is 0.7 meter per second per second.

Ocean Engineering undergraduate students perform two experiments in the basin. They test the resistance of both a surface ship and a submarine.

Transonic Cascade Wind Tunnel

The Virginia Tech Transonic Cascade Wind Tunnel is a blow down transonic facility capable of a twenty second run time. An overall layout is given in Figure X, and a photo is shown in Figure Y. The air supply is pressurized by a four-stage Ingersoll-Rand compressor and stored in large outdoor tanks. The maximum tank pressure used for transonic tests is about 1725 kPa (250 psig).

A representative test section for gas turbine cascade testing is given in Fig. Y. Test sections for other types of testing such as a steam turbine cascade and compressor cascades have been used in this facility.

During a run, the upstream total pressure is held constant by varying the opening of a butterfly valve controlled by a computerized feedback circuit. There is also a safety valve upstream of the control valve to start and stop the tunnel. The test section area is 37.3 cm high, and is designed for blades with an outlet angle of approximately 70 degrees. The blade isentropic exit Mach number is varied by changing the upstream total pressure; the usual range for exit Mach number is 0.7 to 1.35. The throat Reynolds number for typical tests is 340,000.

Figure Z is a diagram of the test section. The tunnel mean flow is left to right on the figure, and is turned through 68 degrees by the blade passages, which act as the tunnel throat. Upstream of the blades, the bundle of three shock shapers protrudes from the test section top block; the shocks propagate down from the shaper exit to the bottom of the test section. The high-response total pressure probe for downstream surveys is also shown on the figure, pointing into the cascade exit flow. The probe moves up and down in line with wall static pressure taps. No tailboard is used downstream of the cascade, which means that a free shear layer forms between the exit plane of the blades and the test section back wall. Note also the upstream total pressure probe, which is fixed at mid-pitch of the Lower passage.

Instrumentation

Virginia Tech Stability Wind Tunnel

The Stability Wind Tunnel is operated by the Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Department. With a 1.83m-by-1.83m test-section, it is one of the largest university operated wind tunnels in the United States with maximum speeds of 80m/s (corresponding to a Reynolds number of 5,000,000 per meter). In addition to its size, the flow quality is remarkable making it a prime research facility. The aerodynamic capabilities were recently increased by the addition of a removable anechoic test-section allowing for full-scale aero-acoustic testing. Since May, 2004, the facility has been under the direction of Dr. William Devenport, and currently employs one full time test engineer and several part time student employees. Detailed information about the Virginia Tech Stability Wind Tunnel can be found in the sections below. You can download the Stability Tunnel brochure for a summary of key features.

The Virginia Tech Six Foot Stability Wind Tunnel was originally built at the NACA Langley Aeronautical Laboratory in 1940. It was designed to determine dynamic stability derivatives using a fixed model position, and was known at Langley as the "stability tunnel." Many of the NACA reports containing stability derivative data describe wind tunnel tests conducted in this tunnel. The wind tunnel was acquired by VPI in 1958, and the tunnel was erected in 1959 in a specially designed wing of Randolph Hall. Calibration of the tunnel was carried out from 1959 to 1961, when it became operational again. In 1994 the fan motor was completely overhauled and the windings reinsulated. In 1996 new fan blades were installed increasing the overall tunnel efficiency.

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