Aerospace engineering/Introduction

Aerospace engineering is the branch of engineering that concerns aircraft, spacecraft, and related topics. Originally called aeronautical engineering and dealing solely with aircraft, the broader term "aerospace engineering" has replaced the former in most usage, as flight technology advanced to include craft operating outside Earth's atmosphere. In analogy with "aeronautical engineering", the branch is sometimes referred to as astronautical engineering, although this term usually only concerns craft which operate in outer space.

Suggested structure

 * General Introduction

General Prerequisites

 * Basic Mathematics - differentials, integrals, basic mechanics, vector algebra, matrices and matrix manipulation, total derivative (for mass and momentum equations, among others)
 * Reading - Introductory calculus on Wikibooks, Differential Equations on Wikibooks
 * Thermodynamics/Heat Transfer - Zereoth, First, Second and Third Laws, Enthalpy, Entropy, Clausius Inequality and ??, Steady State Equation, Modelling Gas Turbines/Engines, Conduction, Convection, Radiation (Black Body, Grey Body)
 * Potential reading - Engineering Thermodynamics on Wikibooks
 * Circuits/Electronics
 * Physics - Forces, Gravity Equation
 * Reading - Gravity on Wikibooks

Statics

 * Structural analysis
 * Mechanics - Friction on a surface, Rolling bodies, Stability, Pure/Damped/Forced Harmonic Motion, Orbits (reaching orbit, geostationary point, changing orbit, escape velocity)
 * Reading - Solid Mechanics on Wikibooks - a good overview for both SA and Mechanics. A litte dense for a beginner however?
 * Nonlinear finite elements

Fluid mechanics

 * Aerodynamics - Derivation of shear stress on a fluid, perfect gas equation, Bernoulli equation, Langrangian and Eulerian reference frames, control volumes and control surfaces, Conservation of mass up to 3-d, balance of momentum equations up to 3-d, Aerofoils, Circulation, Mach Number & Reynold's Number, Laminar and turbulent flow, Boundary Layer and its transition
 * Propulsion - Turbomachinery



Materials science

 * Material science - Metals, Ceramics, Composites, Polymers, Ionic and Covalents
 * Material Microstructure
 * Properties of materials - Strength, Stiffness, Young's Modulus, Elasiticity and Modulus of Elasticity, Hardness, Toughness, Electrical Properties?
 * Materials selection
 * Material Processes - Annealing, Quenching, Precipitaiton Hardening, Case Hardening
 * Failure - Fatigue, Creep, Fracture, Case studies (aircraft)
 * Composites - matrix and fibers, explanation of directional properties, case studes (carbon fibre, kevlar, fibreglass)
 * Protective Coatings - Polymers(static & nonstatic), Ceramic, Rain Erosion, Low Observable(L.O.)/Stealth

Aircraft design

 * Basic Aircraft Performance - Air density at altitudes, Perfect Gas equation, propulsion
 * Dynamics and Control - Control Surfaces http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Leading-edge-device, avionics, loading
 * do 178b standard for development
 * aircraft design - wing geometry, aircraft configuration

Related news

 * March 2007 Allowing flight speeds above Mach 5, scramjets become one step closer to reality.
 * February 2007 Novel methods used to help satellites achieve orbit with less fuel.