2000 Summary of Engineering Research
M. B. BRAGG, Head
306 Talbot Laboratory
104 S. Wright St.
Urbana
Urbana 61801-2935 · 217-333-2651
Aerospace engineering requires depth in the engineering sciences and systems integration of technology contained in vehicles for commercial aviation, space flight, and national defense. Accordingly, research activities in the Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering encompass a wide range of technical areas in aerospace engineering and related engineering disciplines. Through its research program, the department maintains a prominent position in the rapidly changing environment of aerospace technology while educating future engineers for leadership roles in aerospace.
Active research programs include: applied aerodynamics, composites, aircraft icing research, structural dynamics, dynamic fracture, aeroelasticity, stochastic dynamics, combustion, computational fluid dynamics, chemical propulsion, electric propulsion, chemical lasers, optimal orbit analysis, optimal spacecraft trajectories, two-phase flow, systems and control, and wind energy. The department promotes a strong interaction with aerospace industries and government agencies, which sponsor many of its research projects. The department also maintains close cooperation in research and education with other departments and research laboratories in the College of Engineering.
Supercomputer access, departmental workstations, and high-speed networking provide new opportunities for computational research activities in various areas including fluid dynamics, structural analyses, vehicle performance simulation, space mission analyses, and optimization of high-energy lasers. Current major research initiatives include smart mesoflaps for aeroelastic transpiration, self-healing composites, and research for the Center for Simulation of Advance Rockets in the areas of fracture problems, crack propagation, and the combustion processes of a solid propellant rocket system.
2000 Summary of Engineering Research
