What Is Aerospace Engineering?

After the 1960s, the term had been expanded to include space vehicles. It mainly includes aerodynamics, propulsion, structure, stability and maneuverability. At the beginning of the invention of the aircraft, the design was based on experimental knowledge and the use of simple manufacturing techniques. Later, it was realized that to make the aircraft an effective weapon, physics and mathematics must be used to study a large number of technical problems.

Aerospace engineering

Also known as aerospace engineering, also known as aeronautical engineering.

Applied physics and mathematical principles to study, design, manufacture, test, and use engineering techniques for aircraft flying within the Earth's atmosphere.

In 1909 and 1915, the United Kingdom and the United States successively established aviation consulting agencies. The two world wars promoted the rapid development of aircraft. Jet aircraft emerged at the end of the Second World War,

The British Meteor Jet entered service in 1944, and soon the German Me-262 jet fighter was used for combat. After the war, the aircraft reached unprecedented flight speeds. Low-speed aerodynamics gave way to near-sonic, supersonic and supersonic aerodynamics. The frame structure was replaced by a thin metal shell structure. The internal combustion engine was replaced by a rocket engine and a turbojet engine. Manipulation evolved into automatic control.

Aerospace engineering has become a profession, and advanced industrial countries have professional groups in aerospace engineering. In 1866 Britain established the Royal Aeronautical Society. In 1933, the United States established the Institute of Aeronautics. In the early 1960s, it was expanded to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and its membership increased to 36,000 in 10 years. Aerospace engineering education was first established in 1915 by the University of Michigan School of Engineering, and MIT also opened aerospace engineering courses soon. By the end of the 1920s, dozens of universities around the world were offering such courses. Independent aerospace engineering departments were established in most engineering schools in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1970, 40 institutions in the United States were approved to award degrees in aerospace engineering or aerospace engineering. University graduates hold major technical jobs in aerospace engineering. In addition, a large number of technicians are provided by technical secondary schools, technical colleges, mechanical schools, and flight schools. These schools have a schooling period of 1 to 2 years.

Modern aviation technology is very complicated, and there is a long research process before the production of new aircraft. The research institute is located in the laboratories of the industrial sector, government and universities. It conducts theoretical research and proposes basic ideas for designing new aircraft types. The design organization of the industrial sector is very large, usually divided into several groups. One group uses the latest technological achievements to make the overall design according to the above-mentioned assumptions, and then the long-term demonstration of months and even years. During this period, several other groups made detailed design of each part: the aerodynamic group is responsible for wind tunnel testing, designing aerodynamic shapes, calculating performance, and participating in all other design activities related to airflow; the structural group is responsible for designing shapes that meet the needs , The strength and weight can make the aircraft achieve the required performance of the structure; the power unit group is responsible for selecting the engine and designing the installation site; the stability and maneuverability group is responsible for ensuring the aircraft's flight stability and maneuverability within its speed range; the flight test group is responsible for the prototype The flight test of the aircraft, the members of this group include engineers and test pilots, conduct flight tests very carefully and use various sensors to determine the working conditions of the aircraft's various systems under different conditions of use. After the test flight of the prototype is successfully completed, it can be mass-produced and used. All aspects of this process require the participation of aviation engineers.