Aerodynamics
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Use:various subsonic airfoil and configuration analysis and design
Author:Ilan Kroo
Address:Desktop Aeronautics, P.O. Box 9937,
Stanford, CA 94305, (415) 424-8588
Platform:primarily Macintosh, some IBM Windows
Documentation:manuals (some with hypercard versions), also describe the methods used
Availability:priced as shown below
License:University site licenses are available.
Code:users get executable modules
Graphics:yes
Discussion:Several codes are available:
LinAir 1.4 - Multiple Lifting Surface Analysis Program ($200), LinAir Pro ($950).
These codes treat complete configurations in subsonic flow, using a discrete Weissinger method.
They include profile drag integration and Trefftz-plane induced drag calculation. They handle
wing canard, aft tail, and winglet configurations. The Pro version includes asymmetric aircraft or
sideslip, roll, pitch, and yaw rates, and nearfield drag calculations. (LinAir Pro is available
for both Mac and Windows, LinAir will also be available for Windows soon).
PANDA: Program for Analysis and Design of Airfoils ($175). Subsonic, including
compressibility effects via Karman-Tsien rule. Includes an integral boundary layer calculation
for laminar and turbulent flow. A design option permits interactive change of airfoil geometry and
display of the new pressure distribution. I use this code to discuss airfoil aerodynamics in class,
and it is quite effective. (both Mac and Windows versions)
Wing Design ($50), for quick computation and plotting of lift and Cl distributions
on swept, tapered, twisted wings. Wing geometry changes effects on lift, drag, moment, and load
distribution are found rapidly.
SAND - Simulation of Aircraft Nonlinear Dynamics($200). Six degree of freedom
time history computation. Interactive specification of control deflections, time and position
dependent wind, and built in plotting are included. User supplied subroutine for computation of
nonlinear aerodynamics and/or control laws can be included (requires Absoft FORTRAN). Linear
dynamics analysis displays root-locus plots.
Aircraft Design Workshop ($295). Developed as an interactive museum exhibit,
using a simple expert system to help the user meet field length, climb, range, and thrust constraints.
Engineering Flight Simulator (EFS) ($379). Provides an interactive, real time
simulation of aircraft handling qualities. EFS was written to enable quick evaluation of
aircraft handling qualities and control systems. With EFS, an engineer can specify very general
aircraft dynamic properties with easily prepared input files and thereby simulate virtually
any airplane in flight.
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Use:various aerodynamics programs developed for NASA and the Air Force
Author:compiled by Ralph Carmichael
Address:Public Domain Aeronautical Software, P.O. Box 1438,
Santa Cruz, CA 95061, (831) 454-9754
Platform:primarily for IBM and FORTRAN, but some codes require other platforms/software
Documentation:instruction manuals on the CD
Availability:the CD is currently $295
License:University site licenses are available.
Code:users get source code, and sample cases and some executables
Graphics:in some cases yes
Discussion: Check Ralph's web site for the details on the latest version of his CD. This
is a good collection of codes that were originally developed under government sponsorship
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Use:subsonic airfoil analysis and design
Author:Mark Drela
Address:Dept. of Aero & Astro., MIT, Cambridge, MA, drela@henry.mit.edu
Platform:UNIX and Windows
Documentation:code manual/theory file included with code on the website,
paper by the author (Drela, 1989). The website also points to an Xfoil buletin board
AvailabilityXfoil has been put in the public domain under the GNU public license
License:see above
Code:FORTRAN, source expected to be available in 2001, check the web site
Graphics:yes
Discussion:This is a very good code. It has had a lot of development, and is very easy to use,
while providing remarkable capability. It has a very good viscous capability, and can also be used to
do inviscid analysis. It can handle blunt trailing edges, and the viscous model can handle a variety of
separation types. It also has a design capability. If you have access to a workstation, this is the code
to use. Another code, MSES, is by the same author and can handle transonic flow and multi-element airfoils.
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Use: subsonic airplane analysis and design
Author: Peter Garrison
Address: AeroLogic, Peter Garrison, 1613 Altivo Way, Los Angeles, CA 90026-2025,
Phone: (323) 665-1397 Fax: (323) 953-8378, email peter@aerologic.com or sales@aerologic.com, and
AeroLogic, David F. Pinella, P.E., 1713 Tanglewood Drive, Loveland, OH 45140 (near Cincinnati), Phone: (513) 683-6217,
email dave@aerologic.com
Platform:PC, including Windows
Documentation: from the website it's not clear exactly what the level of documentation is
Availability: This is a commercial code, check the website for details
License:see above
Code:Written in C, the user gets an executable
Graphics:yes
Discussion:This is a system of codes, where the aerodynamic analysis is done using a version of the NASA Ames
panel method program PMARC, which has been recoded in C, and called Cmarc. The key is that there is a
lofting (geometry) program to develop the airplane lines, Loftsman/P, and a post processing package, Postmarc,
to examine the results.
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MELFOIL
Use:subsonic airfoil analysis and design
Author:Melvin S. Garelick
Address:52 Fawn Meadow Drive,
Trumbull, Connecticut, 06611,
(203) 452-0902
Platform:IBM 80386 or 80486, DOS Version 5.0
or later,
8Mb RAM, 5 Mb hard disk space,
VGA graphics card
Documentation:User's manual, no Doc of methods used
Availability:$99.95 per copy
License:install on one computer at a time, one copy of manual and disk allowed
Code:user gets executable only
Graphics:yes, a variety of good graphics available
Discussion:This code is also very nice. It provides a complete inviscid analysis of an airfoil and presents the data in numerous forms: Standard pressure distribution/airfoil plots, streamlines and velocity potential, velocity vectors and surface
normal pressure vectors. It also has a design capability. Given the pressure distribution the program will find the airfoil shape. The drag is estimated from a boundary layer analysis made using the inviscid pressure distribution. We found this program
to be fast and easy to use. It reflects the considerable experience that Prof. Garelick had in industry doing difficult airfoil design problems. The program is very fast.
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SUB2D V1.0
Use:subsonic airfoil analysis
Author:Barrett D. Flansburg
Address:SoftwAeronautics, Inc.,
4430 Wade Green Rd., #9,
Kennesaw, GA 30144,
voice: (800) 949-1812,
fax: (404) 974-2826
Platform:IBM /Windows Application
Doc:User's manual describing both program use and methods
Availability:Students: $125 + $5 s&h with second airfoil library, otherwise: $145. Site license: $500
License:single computer use, no copies of the
manual allowed, purchase from company.
single back-up copy of disk allowed
Code:user gets executable only
Graphics:yes, a wide range of good graphics
Discussion:This program has a very colorful interface, but is slower than MELFOIL and does not have a design capability. It can however handle multiple bodies. Some of the details are non-standard, including the default for plotting the airfoil
pressure
distribution "upside down" from an aerodynamicist's viewpoint (this can be changed in the preferences section). The way the viscous effects are handled is not standard industrial practice. However, the manual is big and a lot of time went into its
development. It also plots streamlines and surface normal pressure vectors, and has color shaded flowfield plots and built-in model generation.
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AAT
AAT (Aerodynamic Accounting Techniques for Determining Effects of Nuclear Damage to Aircraft)
Use:Estimates drag polars across the speed range, including trim
Author:Roy Schemensky and George Howell
Address:Lockheed Martin Fort Worth Company
Platform:any PC or workstation
Documentation:Final Report (Schemensky and Howell, 1978)
Availability:Can be obtained from Lockheed Martin Fort Worth with a release letter from the Defense Nuclear Agency. There is no charge
License:made available on an individual basis
Code:FORTRAN 77, available
Graphics:no
Discussion:This is an upgraded version of an earlier program by Schemensky (Schemensky, 1973). Thus it represents an analytic equation/empirical adjustment approach. It provides estimates over the Mach range, and includes trim and high lift device effects, as
well as
nonlinear aerodynamic effects. It is apparently still used in Fort Worth. This is an example of a three dimensional program appropriate for use in senior design, where the big panel methods require to much detail and time to impact the design. Includes
zero lift drag estimate. Results are obtained instantaneously, but the output is the old-fashioned 133 character/line stile. Lockheed Martin Fort Worth was very helpful working with us to get the code. I expect it to play a role in future design efforts,
after we have done some validation.
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AEROX (CANARD)
Use:aircraft drag due to lift estimation across
the speed range
Author:John Axelson
Address:3274 Ptarmigan #1B,
Walnut Creek, CA 94595
Platform:any computer
Documentation:several papers by the author (Axelson, 1977, Axelson, 1977, Axelson and Hill, 1981)
Availability:CANARD is longitudinal aero, AERO6X is full long./lat/dir aero. Each code is available at a price depending on the use. The original AEROX was developed within NASA.
License:one copy for backup only
Code:FORTRAN 77
Graphics:no
Discussion:This is the code originally used in ACSYNT to estimate the drag due to lift aerodynamics. It has since been supplemented by other methods. It handles a number of cases remarkably well using a novel momentum approach based on
Laitone's work
and further adapted by Axelson.The code is very fast, taking seconds to produce an estimated drag polar. Based on his experience examining numerous sets of flight data, Axelson does not believe it is possible to estimate minimum drag at the preliminary
design level with no information on the extraneous pieces to be placed on the aircraft.
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MRsoft.html
Use:various
Author:collected from various sources
Address:whmason@vt.edu
Platform: mainly PC, source code allows use on other
Documentation:manuals are available, mostly converted from original sources
Availability: anything posted on the website is available to download
License:not to be sold, contribution of Virginia Tech AOE should be acknowledged.
Code:source code available, mainly FORTRAN
Graphics:generally not
Discussion:the code details are listed on the website
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VORSTAB-PC
Use:subsonic and supersonic configuration analysis
Author: C. Edward Lan
Address: Alan Hsing, Unicom Technology Systems, 2721 Bishop Street,
Lawrence, KS 66046, ARC3D@KUHUB.CC.UKANS.EDU
Platform: IBM 486 8mb ram/4mb hd, DOS 5+
Documentation: manual included with code
Availability: $500/copy, discount for volume orders, a 30-day evaluation
disk is available for $5 shipping upon request.
License: academic price is available at $350, a special
educational version without the forebody vortex analysis is $250
Code:executable only
Graphics:yes
Discussion: This is a new version of the VORSTAB code that
Prof. Lan wrote for NASA and that is available from COSMIC. Although it
uses Prof. Lan's quasi-vortex lattice methodology for the baseline
calculations, the code has many, many features not found in normal
vortex lattice codes. It handles wings, vertical tails,
horizontal tails, leading edge flaps, strakes, ailerons, trailing edge
flaps and winglets. The fuselage is either a body of revolution or non-circular.
Arbitrary camber and airfoil thickness distributions can be used.
It computes all the longitudinal characteristics
and nine lateral-directional stability parameters and the pitch damping
derivatives at pre- and post-stall conditions. It includes high
angle-of-attack characteristics, both in- and out-of-ground effect.
It computes hinge moments, and torsional and bending moment distributions.
It includes interactive input preparation with built-in graphics for
both input geometry verification and the results. Asymmetric forebody
vortex separation is avalable. No design options are available.
I had an early version of this code evaluated at Grumman, with particular
interest in the model capability for estimating the break in Cl-beta with
angle of attack due to viscous effects for fighters. While not perfect,
Prof. Lan was the only researcher even attempting to develop a code
that included these effects.
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Winglab
Use:subsonic wing analysis (Vortex Lattice)
Author:Frederick Stoll
Address:Aero Concepts, 7630 Rozelle Ct., West Chester, OH 45069,
stoll@udavxb.oca.udayton.edu
Platform:IBM PC, DOS 3.1 or later
Documentation:extensive manual included with code
Availability:$175/copy
License: academic license available at $225 per year, copies of the
manual available for $7, or copy royalty at $2/copy.
Code:executable only
Graphics:yes
Discussion:This appears to be a two surface vortex lattice code
without the ability to handle winglets or other nonplanar effects. It can
handle pure anti-symmetric flow (roll damping and aileron effectiveness).
There are no design options. It is primarily for basic instruction,
and would probably serve that purpose very well.
The manual has many examples. The primary attraction is a good interface.
The time limit on my sample copy ran out before I actually used it.
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