AAE520 Class Account Homepage

AAE 520: Experimental Aerodynamics

(Please Note that Prof. J. Jewell began teaching this course in Spring 2021. Prof. S. Schneider no longer teaches this course. Please address questions about 2021 and onward to Prof. Jewell.)

Click for general information about the course Click for Spring 2024 Lab Schedule for Preplanned Labs

Click for Outline of Schedule for First Eight Weeks Click for map of labs at Aerospace Sciences Lab

NOTE: NO CLASS on Monday, 8 April 2024. Go see the eclipse instead!

The AAE520 Technical Report Rubric (introduced 2024) is available for download here.

Background Information from Previous Years

(authored by Prof. Sullivan; much is taken from various websites):

Uncertainty and System Response

Phase Sensitive Detection

Wind Tunnels
Wind Tunnel Balance
Pressure Measurements
Hot Wires

Flow Visualization
Optical Flow Visualization

Laser Doppler Velocimeter

Particle Image Velocimeter

Preplanned Labs

1: Turbulence and Wakes

Click for lab handout Click for scope info Click for hot-wire info Click for MDO3014 scope manual

Click for new Tek 3014 digital scope quick reference info Click for introductory info Best report 2004

Click for anemometer manual Click for introduction to power spectra Click for multimeter manual

Click for quick reference info for new Tektronix scope Click for tekread.m Click for Tekread pdf

Click for isfread.m for Matlab to read data from MDO3014 scope, similar to tekread.m

Click for Tektronix oscilloscope primer Click for Tektronix primer on computing power spectra with scope

2: Forebodies at High Angle of Attack with Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV) in Water Tunnel

Click for Introductory Slides Click for Image of LDV Probe Volume

Click for LDV introduction Click for water tunnel manual Click for instrumentation drawings

Click for Prof. Sullivan's notes re LDV Click for Circular Cylinder Model, Alternate to Cone

Click for sketch of LDV apparatus Best report 2004 Sample report 2004 Click for F-18 flow viz Best report 2018

3: Shock/Boundary-Layer Interaction at Mach 2.0, 2.5 or 3.6

Click for introductory info Best student report from 2004 Best student report from 2005 Best student report from 2022

NEW for 2024 and on: pulsed light source information

Click for 37MB NACA report, to be used for comparisons Click for Batcho paper

Click for Batcho color graphic Click for wind tunnel and instrumentation info

Click for some operational details for supersonic tunnel

Click for a description of schlieren systems (copyrighted, need password)

Projects (the 8 week project will follow the preplanned labs)

Introduction to Projects

Schedule and Info for Projects

Collicott's suggested topics (2005)

Click for Rules for Use of Laboratory

Click for AIAA 92-4018 with Wind Tunnel Descriptions (passwd needed)

List for 2004 Note: The Boeing 4x6 ft subsonic tunnel is again operational.

List for 2005 It is very useful for projects. See below for manual and MS thesis documentation.

List for 2007 Note: The 12-inch Ludwieg tube is no longer available.

List for 2008 In 2016 it was sold to the University of Arizona. It had not been

List for 2009 used for several years and the space was needed for other purposes.

List for 2020
How to find the existing literature

Click for design report on possible future free piston shock tunnel

Click for 20MB report, transonic Schlieren images in cookie-cutter test section of shock tube

For a classical and introductory approach to the analysis of experimental uncertainty, see

Describing Uncertainties in Single-Sample Experiments, by Kline and McClintock,

in the ASME journal Mechanical Engineering, vol. 75, Jan. 1953, pp. 3-8.

Laboratory Report Format
Labview Manuals
Conversion Table

Information on the Boeing Subsonic Wind Tunnel
Claire Diffey MS Thesis (Purdue 2019) password protected
Boeing Subsonic Wind Tunnel Manual password protected

Link to High Quality Films teaching Fluid Mechanics, from 1960's (check also the Purdue library)

Flow Calculators
NACA 1135 Compressible Flow Calculator (Excel Program)
NACA 1135 Report ( PDF) Equations, Tables and Charts for Compressible Flow

Joseph Jewell, Ph.D., P.E.

Purdue University

School of Aeronautics and Astronautics

West Lafayette IN 47907

Campus Office: Armstrong 3216

HARF Office: HARF 105H

Lab Office:
Aerospace Sciences Lab 13B

Phone: (765) 494-6549

(more often at lab or HARF)

e-mail:

Last modified: 10 February 2024