Introduction to Engineering is a project-based learning experience for engineering students, who are tasked with designing a hypersonic trans-atmospheric vehicle. It leads students through the same process that a team of engineers would follow by breaking a large design problem into smaller, more tractable sub-problems.
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The first phase of this vehicle's mission profile is a vertical launch like a rocket. Students begin by studying Newton's laws and the principles of rocket propulsion and aerodynamics. Armed with this knowledge, they will design, build, and launch a test vehicle.
After flying to the edge of space, the hypersonic trans-atmospheric vehicle will slow down and glide back to a horizontal landing on the earth. Students study this second phase of the mission, learning about glider aerodynamics and performance, as well the shaping required for hypersonic vehicles.
By the end of this course students will learn one fundamental lesson inherent in most problem-solving. Life is full of challenges for which we are not prepared. An engineer, or any creative problem solver, first determines what knowledge and skills are necessary to solve a problem. Then they identify those facts and skills they need to know but they don t yet know, and they set out to learn them. This course is built around that approach. In the process, students will discover the fascinating, challenging, and motivating world of engineering.
Table of Contents
Foreword - How to Use This Book
Introduction to Engineering
The Engineering Method
Engineering and Teamwork
Engineering Fundamentals
Ballistic Motion
Rocket Propulsion
Rocket Aerodynamics and Stability
Rocket Design, Build, and Launch
Green Engineering, Sustainability, and Engineering Ethics
Aerodynamics and Glide Performance
Aircraft Stability and Control
Supersonic and Hypersonic Design Considerations
Glider Build and Launch
Boost Glider Structures
Boost Glider Mechanisms
Boost Glider Build and Launch
Digital Logic
Closing Thoughts
MARTIQUA L. POST, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Aeronautics at the United States Air Force Academy. She is an engineer, has over 13 years of teaching experience, has a private pilot's license, is an Associate Fellow of AIAA, and currently serves half-time at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Martiqua earned a Ph.D. in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.
STEVEN A. BRANDT, Ph.D., Lt. Col. USAF (Ret.), is Professor of Aeronautics at the United States Air Force Academy. He is an engineer and a pilot with over 3000 hours flying time in jet fighter and training aircraft, and over 30 years experience as a platform instructor. He is the author of the textbook Introduction to Aeronautics, and has taught university-level aircraft design for 26 years.
D. NEAL BARLOW, Ph.D., Brig. Gen. USAF (Ret.), served as Permanent Professor and Head of the United States Air Force Academy Department of Aeronautics from 2000 to 2015. He is a pilot with over 4000 hours flying time in jet fighter and training aircraft, and over 25 years experience as a platform instructor. He is Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Arkansas Tech University.
