Aerounautical Engineering
Introduction
Aerospace engineering is the branch of engineering that
concerns aircraft, spacecraft and related topics. It is
often called aeronautical engineering, particularly when
referring solely to aircraft, and astronautical engineering,
when referring to spacecraft. |
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Some
of the elements of aerospace engineering are:
- Aerodynamics - the study of fluid flow around objects
such as wings or through objects such as wind tunnels
- Propulsion - the energy to move a vehicle through the
air (or in outer space) is provided by internal combustion
engines, jet engines, or rockets
- Control engineering - the study of mathematical modelling
of systems and designing them in order that they behave
in the desired way
- Structures - design of the physical configuration of the
craft to withstand the forces encountered during flight.
Aerospace engineering aims very much at keeping structures
lightweight.
- Materials science - related to structures, aerospace engineering
also studies the materials of which the aerospace structures
are to be built. New materials with very specific properties
are invented, or existing ones are modified to improve
their performance.
- Aeroelasticity - the interaction of aerodynamic forces
and structural flexibility, potentially causing flutter,
divergence, etc
- Computer science - specifically concerning the design
and programming of any computer systems on board an aircraft
or spacecraft and the simulation of systems.
The basis of most of these elements lies in theoretical
mathematics, such as fluid dynamics for aerodynamics or
the equations of motion for flight dynamics. However,
there is also a large empirical component. Historically,
this empirical component was derived from testing of scale
models and prototypes, either in wind tunnels or in the
free atmosphere. More recently, advances in computing
have enabled the use of computational fluid dynamics to
simulate the behavior of fluid, reducing time and expense
spent on wind-tunnel testing.
Additionally, aerospace engineering addresses the integration
of all components that constitute an aerospace vehicle
(subsystems including power, communications, thermal control,
life support, etc.) and its life cycle (design, temperature,
pressure, radiation, velocity, life time), leading to
extraordinary challenges and solutions specific to the
domain of aerospace systems engineering
Eligibility
Those who have passed the plus Two/equivalent examination or three-year diploma holders in any branch of engineering/equivalent examination are eligible for admission.
Job Prospects
Engineers work as part of a very organized and efficient team who maintain aircraft and ensure a high level of technical precision. For maintenance during turnarounds, they often work at great speed and under immense pressure. Work is normally carried out under supervision of senior engineers. The main thrust of the engineering profession lies in design, development, maintenance and teaching of aeronautics. Engineers are also involved in other non-conventional fields such as air turbine production plants or design development programmes for the aviation industry.
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