This course extends fluid mechanic concepts from Unified Engineering to the aerodynamic performance of wings and bodies in sub/supersonic regimes. 16.100 generally has four components: subsonic potential flows, including source/vortex panel methods; viscous flows, including laminar and turbulent boundary layers; aerodynamics of airfoils and wings, including thin airfoil theory, lifting line theory, and panel method/interacting boundary layer methods; and supersonic and hypersonic airfoil theory. Course material varies each year depending upon the focus of the design problem.

Boundary layers as rational approximations to the solutions of exact equations of fluid motion. Physical parameters influencing laminar and turbulent aerodynamic flows and transition. Effects of compressibility, heat conduction, and frame rotation. Influence of boundary layers on outer potential flow and associated stall and drag mechanisms. Numerical solution techniques and exercises. The major focus of 16.13 is on boundary layers, and boundary layer theory subject to various flow assumptions, such as compressibility, turbulence, dimensionality, and heat transfer. Parameters influencing aerodynamic flows and transition and influence of boundary layers on outer potential flow are presented, along with associated stall and drag mechanisms. Numerical solution techniques and exercises are included.

Classical dynamics beyond Unified Engineering. Application of vector kinematics to analyze the translation and rotation of rigid bodies. Formulation and solution of the equations of motion using both Newtonian and Lagrangian methods. Analytical and numerical solutions to rigid body dynamics problems. Applications to aircraft flight dynamics and spacecraft attitude dynamics.

This course meets weekly, to discuss a combination of aerospace history and current events, in order to understand how they are responsible for the state of the aerospace industry. With invited subject matter experts participating in nearly every session, students have an opportunity to hone their insight through truly informed discussion. The aim of the course is to prepare junior and senior level students for their first industry experiences. Deliverables include a journal and class participation.

Subject addresses the architecting of air transportation systems. Focuses on the conceptual phase of product definition include technical, economic, market, environmental, regulatory, legal, manufacturing, and societal factors. Subject centers on a realistic system case study and includes a number of lectures from industry and government. Past examples included the Very Large Transport Aircraft, a Supersonic Business Jet and a Next Generation Cargo System. Subject identifies the critical system level issues and analyzes them in depth via student team projects and individual assignments. The overall goal of the semester is to produce a business plan and a system specifications document that can be used to assess candidate systems.

Brief review of applied aerodynamics and modern approaches in aircraft stability and control. Static stability and trim. Stability derivatives and characteristic longitudinal and lateral-directional motions. Physical effects of wing, fuselage, and tail on aircraft motion. Flight vehicle stabilization by classical and modern control techniques. Time and frequency domain analysis of control system performance. Human pilot models and pilot-in-the-loop control with applications. V/STOL stability, dynamics, and control during transition from hover to forward flight. Parameter sensitivity and handling quality analysis of aircraft through variable flight conditions. Brief discussion of motion at high angles-of-attack, roll coupling, and other nonlinear flight regimes.

Subject addresses a holistic systems engineering approach for aircraft development. Focuses on the conceptual phase of product definition during which all aspects relevant to a new or derivative aircraft must be considered. These include technical, economic, market, environmental, regulatory, legal, manufacturing, and societal factors. Subject centers on a realistic aircraft system case study and includes a number of lectures from industry and government. Past examples included the Very Large Transport Aircraft and a Supersonic Business Jet. Subject identifies the critical system level issues and analyzes them in depth via student team projects and individual assignments. The overall goal of the semester is to produce a business plan and aircraft level system specifications document which can serve as an independent assessment of a current candidate aircraft system. Aircraft are complex products comprised of many subsystems which must meet demanding customer and operational lifecycle value requirements. This course adopts a holistic view of the aircraft as a system, covering: basic systems engineering; cost and weight estimation; basic aircraft performance; safety and reliability; lifecycle topics; aircraft subsystems; risk analysis and management; and system realization. Small student teams "retrospectively analyze" an existing aircraft covering: key design drivers and decisions; aircraft attributes and subsystems; and operational experience. Finally, the student teams deliver oral and written versions of the case study.

Explores a variety of models and optimization techniques for the solution of airline schedule planning problems. Schedule design, fleet assignment, aircraft maintenance routing, crew scheduling, robust planning, passenger mix, integrated schedule planning, and other topics. Solution techniques involving decomposition, e.g., Lagrangian relaxation, column generation and partitioning, and state-of-the-art applications of these techniques to airline problems. Explores a variety of models and optimization techniques for the solution of airline schedule planning and operations problems. Schedule design, fleet assignment, aircraft maintenance routing, crew scheduling, passenger mix, and other topics are covered. Recent models and algorithms addressing issues of model integration, robustness, and operations recovery are introduced. Modeling and solution techniques designed specifically for large-scale problems, and state-of-the-art applications of these techniques to airline problems are detailed.

Introduces the fundamentals of digital communications and networking. Topics covered include elements of information theory, sampling and quantization, coding, modulation, signal detection and system performance in the presence of noise. Study of data networking includes multiple access, reliable packet transmission, routing and protocols of the internet. Concepts discussed in the context of aerospace communication systems: aircraft communications, satellite communications, and deep space communications.

The course begins with the basics of compressible fluid dynamics, including governing equations, thermodynamic context and characteristic parameters. The next large block of lectures covers quasi-one-dimensional flow, followed by a discussion of disturbances and unsteady flows. The second half of the course comprises gas dynamic discontinuities, including shock waves and detonations, and concludes with another large block dealing with two-dimensional flows, both linear and non-linear.

Topics in surface modeling: b-splines, non-uniform rational b-splines, physically based deformable surfaces, sweeps and generalized cylinders, offsets, blending and filleting surfaces. Non-linear solvers and intersection problems. Solid modeling: constructive solid geometry, boundary representation, non-manifold and mixed-dimension boundary representation models, octrees. Robustness of geometric computations. Interval methods. Finite and boundary element discretization methods for continuum mechanics problems. Scientific visualization. Variational geometry. Tolerances. Inspection methods. Feature representation and recognition. Shape interrogation for design, analysis, and manufacturing. Involves analytical and programming assignments.

16.225 is a graduate level course on Computational Mechanics of Materials. The primary focus of this course is on the teaching of state-of-the-art numerical methods for the analysis of the nonlinear continuum response of materials. The range of material behavior considered in this course will include: linear and finite deformation elasticity, inelasticity and dynamics. Numerical formulation and algorithms will include: Variational formulation and variational constitutive updates, finite element discretization, error estimation, constrained problems, time integration algorithms and convergence analysis. There will be a strong emphasis on the (parallel) computer implementation of algorithms in programming assignments. At the beginning of the course, the students will be given the source of a base code with all the elements of a finite element program which constitute overhead and do not contribute to the learning objectives of this course (assembly and equation-solving methods, etc.). Each assignment will consist of formulating and implementing on this basic platform, the increasingly complex algorithms resulting from the theory given in class, as well as in using the code to numerically solve specific problems. The application to real engineering applications and problems in engineering science will be stressed throughout.

Introduction to computational techniques arising in aerospace engineering. Applications drawn from aerospace structures, aerodynamics, dynamics and control, and aerospace systems. Techniques include: numerical integration of systems of ordinary differential equations; finite-difference, finite-volume, and finite-element discretization of partial differential equations; numerical linear algebra; eigenvalue problems; and optimization with constraints.

This course provides students with an opportunity to conceive, design and implement a product, using rapid prototyping methods and computer-aid tools. The first of two phases challenges each student team to meet a set of design requirements and constraints for a structural component. A course of iteration, fabrication, and validation completes this manual design cycle. During the second phase, each team conducts design optimization using structural analysis software, with their phase one prototype as a baseline.

This course focuses on the design of control systems. Topics covered include: frequency domain and state space techniques; control law design using Nyquist diagrams and Bode plots; state feedback, state estimation, and the design of dynamic control laws; and elementary analysis of nonlinearities and their impact on control design. There is extensive use of computer-aided control design tools. Applications to various aerospace systems, including navigation, guidance, and control of vehicles, are also discussed.

Gain practical insight and improved understanding of engineering experimentation through design and execution of "project" experiments. Building upon work in 16.621, students construct and test equipment, make systematic experimental measurements of phenomena, analyze data, and compare theoretical predictions with results. Written final report on entire project and formal oral presentation. Includes instructions on oral presentations. Provides valuable link between theory and practice.

Introduces laboratory experimental techniques. Principles of experimental design and reliable measurement. Laboratory safety. Instruction in effective report writing and oral presentation, including revision of written work. Selection and detailed planning of an individual research project, including design of components or equipment. Preparation of a detailed proposal for the selected project carried through to completion under 16.622.

Principles of supervisory control and telerobotics. Different levels of automation are discussed, as well as the allocation of roles and authority between humans and machines. Human-vehicle interface design in highly automated systems. Decision aiding. Tradeoffs between human control and human monitoring. Automated alerting systems and human intervention in automatic operation. Enhanced human interface technologies such as virtual presence. Performance, optimization, and social implications of the human-automation system. Examples from aerospace, ground, and undersea vehicles, robotics, and industrial systems. Human Supervisory Control of Automated Systems discusses elements of the interactions between humans and machines. These elements include: assignment of roles and authority; tradeoffs between human control and human monitoring; and human intervention in automatic processes. Further topics comprise: performance, optimization and social implications of the system; enhanced human interfaces; decision aiding; and automated alterting systems. Topics refer to applications in aerospace, industrial and transportation systems.

Addresses some of the important issues involved with the planning, development, and implementation of lean enterprises. People, technology, process, and management dimensions of an effective lean manufacturing company are considered in a unified framework. Particular emphasis on the integration of these dimensions across the entire enterprise, including product development, production, and the extended supply chain. Analysis tools as well as future trends and directions are explored. A key component of this subject is a team project.