Bulletin Archive
This archived information is dated to the 2008-09 academic year only and may no longer be current.
For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.
Registrar's Office
Stanford Bulletin, Archive 2008-09
Stanford Bulletin, Archive 2008-09
Graduate courses in Aeronautics and Astronautics
Primarily for graduate students; undergraduates may enroll with consent of instructor.
AA 200A. Applied Aerodynamics
Fundamental equations of fluid dynamics and the physical assumptions on which they are based; overview of appropriate methods for solving these equations including nonlinear CFD, linear panel and vortex methods; estimation of pressure distributions and resultant airloads on 2-D airfoils, finite wings, slender bodies, and lifting systems; compressibility effects; boundary layer analysis and prediction of drag, separation, and displacement effects. Application to airfoil and wing design. Prerequisite: undergraduate aeronautics course. Recommended: 210A.
3 units, Win (MacCormack, R)
AA 201A. Fundamentals of Acoustics
Acoustic equations for a stationary homogeneous fluid; wave equation; plane, spherical, and cylindrical waves; harmonic (monochromatic) waves; simple sound radiators; reflection and transmission of sound at interfaces between different media; multipole analysis of sound radiation; Kirchoff integral representation; scattering and diffraction of sound; propagation through ducts (dispersion, attenuation, group velocity); sound in enclosed regions (reverberation, absorption, and dispersion); radiation from moving sources; propagation in the atmosphere and underwater. Prerequisite: first-year graduate standing in engineering, mathematics, sciences; or consent of instructor.
3 units, not given this year
AA 201B. Topics in Aeroacoustics
Acoustic equations for moving medium, simple sources, Kirchhoff formula, and multipole representation; radiation from moving sources; acoustic analogy approach to sound generation in compact flows; theories of Lighthill, Powell, and Mohring; acoustic radiation from moving surfaces; theories of Curl, Ffowcs Williams, and Hawkings; application of acoustic theories to the noise from propulsive jets, and airframe and rotor noise; computational methods for acoustics. Prerequisite: 201A or consent of instructor.
3 units, Spr (Lele, S)
AA 202. Hypersonic Flow
The fundamental principals and equations governing hypersonic flight and high temperature gas dynamics, including chemical and thermal equilibrium and non-equilibrium; statistical thermodynamics; kinetic theory; transport phenomena; radiation; surface heating; and scramjet engines. Prerequisite: understanding of aerodynamics. Recommended: AA 200A.
3 units, Spr (MacCormack, R)
AA 206. Bio-Aerodynamics
Topics: flapping flight, low Reynolds number aerodynamics, wing design, flocks, swarms, and dynamic soaring. Readings from current and historical literature dealing with theoretical and observational studies. Applications in aircraft design, and simulation-based problem sets. Prerequisite: course in aerodynamics such as 100, 200A, or 241A.
3 units, not given this year
AA 208. Aerodynamics of Aircraft Dynamic Response and Stability
Companion to 200A for those interested in control and guidance. Typical vehicles and the technical tradeoffs affecting their design. Equations of motion, stressing applications to dynamic performance, stability, and forced response. Forms and sources for the required aerodynamic data. Response to small disturbances and stability derivatives. Static stability and trim. Review of aerodynamic fundamentals, leading to airload predictions for wings, bodies, and complete aircraft. Paneling and other methods for derivative estimation. Natural motions of the aircraft, and the influence on them of various configuration parameters. Vehicle behavior in maneuvers of small and large amplitudes. Prerequisites: 200A, 210A, or equivalents (may be taken concurrently).
3 units, not given this year
AA 210A. Fundamentals of Compressible Flow
Topics: development of the three-dimensional, non-steady, field equations for describing the motion of a viscous, compressible fluid; differential and integral forms of the equations; constitutive equations for a compressible fluid; the entropy equation; compressible boundary layers; area-averaged equations for one-dimensional steady flow; shock waves; channel flow with heat addition and friction; flow in nozzles and inlets; oblique shock waves; Prandtl-Meyer expansion; unsteady one-dimensional flow; the shock tube; small disturbance theory; acoustics in one-dimension; steady flow in two-dimensions; potential flow; linearized potential flow; lift and drag of thin airfoils. Prerequisites: undergraduate background in fluid mechanics and thermodynamics.
3 units, Aut (Cantwell, B)
AA 210B. Fundamentals of Compressible Flow
Continuation of 210A with emphasis on more general flow geometry. Use of exact solutions to explore the hypersonic limit. Identification of similarity parameters. Solution methods for the linearized potential equation with applications to wings and bodies in steady flow; their relation to physical acoustics and wave motion in nonsteady flow. Nonlinear solutions for nonsteady constant area flow and introduction to Riemann invariants. Elements of the theory of characteristics; nozzle design; extension to nonisentropic flow. Real gas effects in compressible flow. Flows in various gas dynamic testing facilities. Prerequisite: 210A.
3 units, Win (Alonso, J)
AA 214A. Numerical Methods in Fluid Mechanics
Principles underlying the Navier-Stokes equations. Relations between time-accurate and relaxation methods. Implicit and explicit methods combined with flux splitting and space factorization. Considerations of accuracy, stability of numerical methods, and programming complexity. Prerequisites: linear algebra and CME 200, 204, or equivalents with consent of instructor.
3 units, Aut (Pulliam, T)
AA 214B. Numerical Computation of Compressible Flow
Numerical methods for solving hyperbolic sets of partial differential equations. Explicit, implicit, flux-split, finite difference, and finite volume procedures for approximating the governing equations and boundary conditions. Numerical solution by direct approximate factorization and iterative Gauss-Seidel line relaxation. Application to Euler equations. Computational problems. Prerequisite: 214A.
3 units, Win (MacCormack, R)
AA 214C. Numerical Computation of Viscous Flow
Numerical methods for solving parabolic sets of partial differential equations. Numerical approximation of the equations describing compressible viscous flow with adiabatic, isothermal, slip, and no-slip wall boundary conditions. Applications to the Navier-Stokes equations in two and three dimensions at high Reynolds number. Computational problems are assigned. Prerequisite: 214B.
3 units, Spr (MacCormack, R)
AA 215A. Advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics
(Same as CME 215A.) High resolution schemes for capturing shock waves and contact discontinuities; upwinding and artificial diffusion; LED and TVD concepts; alternative flow splittings; numerical shock structure. Discretization of Euler and Navier Stokes equations on unstructured meshes; the relationship between finite volume and finite element methods. Time discretization; explicit and implicit schemes; acceleration of steady state calculations; residual averaging; math grid preconditioning. Automatic design; inverse problems and aerodynamic shape optimization via adjoint methods. Pre- or corequisite: 214B or equivalent.
3 units, Win (Jameson, A)
AA 215B. Advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics
(Same as CME 215B.) High resolution schemes for capturing shock waves and contact discontinuities; upwinding and artificial diffusion; LED and TVD concepts; alternative flow splittings; numerical shock structure. Discretization of Euler and Navier Stokes equations on unstructured meshes; the relationship between finite volume and finite element methods. Time discretization; explicit and implicit schemes; acceleration of steady state calculations; residual averaging; math grid preconditioning. Automatic design; inverse problems and aerodynamic shape optimization via adjoint methods. Pre- or corequisite: 214B or equivalent.
3 units, Spr (Jameson, A)
AA 218. Introduction to Symmetry Analysis
Methods of symmetry analysis and their use in the reduction and simplification of physical problems. Topics: dimensional analysis, phase-space analysis of autonomous systems of ordinary differential equations, use of Lie groups to reduce the order of nonlinear ODEs and to generate integrating factors, use of Lie groups to reduce the dimension of partial differential equations and to generate similarity variables, exact solutions of nonlinear PDEs generated from groups. Mathematica-based software developed by the instructor is used for finding invariant groups of ODEs and PDEs.
3 units, Spr (Cantwell, B)
AA 222. Introduction to Multidisciplinary Design Optimization
Design of aerospace systems within a formal optimization environment. Mathematical formulation of the multidisciplinary design problem (parameterization of design space, choice of objective functions, constraint definition); survey of algorithms for unconstrained and constrained optimization and optimality conditions; description of sensitivity analysis techniques. Hierarchical techniques for decomposition of the multidisciplinary design problem; use of approximation theory. Applications to design problems in aircraft and launch vehicle design. Prerequisites: multivariable calculus; familiarity with a high-level programming language: FORTRAN, C, C++, or MATLAB.
3 units, not given this year
AA 236A. Spacecraft Design
The design of unmanned spacecraft and spacecraft subsystems emphasizing identification of design drivers and current design methods. Topics: spacecraft configuration design, mechanical design, structure and thermal subsystem design, attitude control, electric power, command and telemetry, and design integration and operations.
3-5 units, Aut (Staff)
AA 236B. Spacecraft Design Laboratory
Continuation of 236A. Emphasis is on practical application of systems engineering to the life cycle program of spacecraft design, testing, launching, and operations. Prerequisite: 236A or consent of instructor.
3 units, Win (Staff)
AA 236C. Spacecraft Design Laboratory
3 units, Spr (Staff)
AA 236D. Spacecraft Design Laboratory
Continuation of the 236A,B,C. Emphasis is on practical application of systems engineering to the life cycle program of spacecraft design, testing, launching, and operations. Prerequisites: 236A and consent of instructor.
3 units, Sum (Staff)
AA 238. Human-Centered Design for Aerospace Engineers
The what, when, who, and how of human-centered design. Is it art, magic, science, or engineering? How to integrate human-centered processes into engineering design processes. Analysis of recent human-centered aeronautical and space systems to evaluate successes and limitations.
3 units, Win (Null, C)
AA 240A. Analysis of Structures
Elements of two-dimensional elasticity theory. Boundary value problems; energy methods; analyses of solid and thin walled section beams, trusses, frames, rings, monocoque and semimonocoque structures. Prerequisite: ENGR 14 or equivalent.
3 units, Aut (Chang, F)
AA 240B. Analysis of Structures
Thin plate analysis. Structural stability. Material behavior: plasticity and fracture. Introduction of finite element analysis; truss, frame, and plate structures. Prerequisite: 240A or consent of instructor.
3 units, Win (Chang, F)
AA 241A. Introduction to Aircraft Design, Synthesis, and Analysis
New aircraft systems emphasizing commercial aircraft. Economic and technological factors that create new aircraft markets. Determining market demands and system mission performance requirements; optimizing configuration to comply with requirements; the interaction of disciplines including aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, guidance, payload, ground support, and parametric studies. Applied aerodynamic and design concepts for use in configuration analysis. Application to a student-selected aeronautical system; applied structural fundamentals emphasizing fatigue and fail-safe considerations; design load determination; weight estimation; propulsion system performance; engine types; environmental problems; performance estimation. Direct/indirect operating costs prediction and interpretation. Aircraft functional systems; avionics; aircraft reliability and maintainability. Prerequisite: 100 or equivalent.
3 units, Aut (Kroo, I; Alonso, J)
AA 241B. Introduction to Aircraft Design, Synthesis, and Analysis
New aircraft systems emphasizing commercial aircraft. Economic and technological factors that create new aircraft markets. Determining market demands and system mission performance requirements; optimizing configuration to comply with requirements; the interaction of disciplines including aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, guidance, payload, ground support, and parametric studies. Applied aerodynamic and design concepts for use in configuration analysis. Application to a student-selected aeronautical system; applied structural fundamentals emphasizing fatigue and fail-safe considerations; design load determination; weight estimation; propulsion system performance; engine types; environmental problems; performance estimation. Direct/indirect operating costs prediction and interpretation. Aircraft functional systems; avionics; aircraft reliability and maintainability. Prerequisite: 100 or equivalent.
3-4 units, Win (Kroo, I)
AA 241X. Design, Construction, and Testing of Autonomous Aircraft
Students grouped according to their expertise to carry out the multidisciplinary design of a solar-powered autonomous aircraft that must meet a clearly stated set of design requirements. Design and construction of the airframe, integration with existing guidance, navigation, and control systems, and development and operation of the resulting design. Design reviews and reports. Prerequisites: expertise in any of the following disciplines by having satisfied the specified courses or equivalent work elsewhere: conceptual design (241A,B); applied aerodynamics (200A,B); structures (240A); composite manufacturing experience; guidance and control (208/271, ENGR 205).
3 units, Spr (Kroo, I; Alonso, J)
AA 242A. Classical Dynamics
(Same as ME 331A.) Accelerating and rotating reference frames. Kinematics of rigid body motion; Euler angles, direction cosines. D'Alembert's principle, equations of motion. Inertia properties of rigid bodies. Dynamics of coupled rigid bodies. Lagrange's equations and their use. Dynamic behavior, stability, and small departures from equilibrium. Prerequisite: ENGR 15 or equivalent.
3 units, Win (Mitiguy, P)
AA 242B. Advanced Dynamics
(Same as ME 331B.) Formulation of equations of motion with Newton/Euler equations; angular momentum principle; D'Alembert principle; power, work, and energy; Kane's method; and Lagrange's equations. Numerical solutions of nonlinear algebraic and dfferential equations govering the behavior of multiple degree of freedom systems. Computed torque control.
3 units, Spr (Mitiguy, P)
AA 243. Modern Dynamics
Vector fields on manifolds. Curvilinear coordinate transforms. Tensor calculus. Lagrangian and Hamiltonian systems. Symmetry groups and conservation laws. Holonomic and non-holonomic constraints. Unilateral constraints and contact. Invariant structures in phase space. Linearized dynamics. Linear and nonlinear stability. Prerequisite: 242A.
3 units, not given this year
AA 246. Computational Impact and Contact Modeling
Rigid body contact including multi-body impact, persistent contact, complementarity formulations, and solution techniques. Impact of elastic bodies using finite elements including penalty and mixed constraint formulations, solution techniques, and time-stepping methods. Shocks and vibration induced by impact. Friction and plasticity models for impact and persistent contact. Prerequisites: 242A, 242B or equivalent, familiarity with MATLAB.
3 units, not given this year
AA 247. Innovation for Aerospace and Space Exploration
How advancing technology needs have stimulated innovation in the aerospace industry. Guest speakers address their own experiences and their vision for those needs which can only be satisfied by innovations. May be repeated for credit.
1 unit, Aut (Twiggs, R)
AA 252. Techniques of Failure Analysis
Introduction to the field of failure analysis, including fire and explosion analysis, large scale catastrophe projects, traffic accident reconstruction, aircraft accident investigation, human factors, biomechanics and accidents, design defect cases, materials failures and metallurgical procedures, and structural failures. Product liability, failure modes and effects analysis, failure prevention, engineering ethics, and the engineer as expert witness.
3 units, Spr (Murray, S)
AA 253. Product and Systems Development
Modern approaches to aerospace design development for life cycle value. Concepts of air and space systems development in a systems context. Stakeholder value issues and requirements through manufacturing and delivery. Processes and practices for functional analysis, concept and architecture development, trades, domain criteria, interfaces, and verification and validation. Reliability, risk, and safety. Value stream analysis, integrated product and process development, key characteristics, and hardware/software integration aimed at information systems. Tools involve quality function deployment, design structure matrices, and decision mechanisms.
3 units, Spr (Weiss, S)
AA 254. Information Systems in Aerospace Vehicles
Sensors, processors, activators, and operators, and the media and protocols that integrate them for performance and safety.
2 units, Win (Weiss, S)
AA 256. Mechanics of Composites
Fiber reinforced composites. Stress, strain, and strength of composite laminates and honeycomb structures. Failure modes and failure criteria. Environmental effects. Manufacturing processes. Design of composite structures. Individual design project required of each student, resulting in a usable computer software. Prerequisite: ENGR 14 or equivalent.
3 units, Win (Chang, F)
AA 257. Design of Composite Structures
Hands-on design, analysis, and manufacturing in composites. Composite beams, columns, and plates; application of finite element methods to composite structures; failure analysis and damage tolerance design of composite structures; and impact damage, compression after impact, and bolted and bonded composites joints. Class divided into working teams (design, analysis, manufacturing, and tests) to design and build a composite structure to be tested to failure; the structure may enter the national SAMPE composite bridge design contest. Prerequisite: 256 or consent of instructor.
3 units, not given this year
AA 260. Sustainable Aviation
Quantitative assessment of the impact of aviation on the environment including noise, local, and global emissions, and models used to predict it. Current and future technologies that may allow the air transportation system to meet anticipated growth while reducing or minimizing environmental problems. Atmospheric effects of NOx, CO2, particulates, unburned hydrocarbons, and water vapor deposition at high altitudes and metrics for assessing global climate effects. Noise sources, measurement, and mitigation strategies. Fundamentals of aircraft and engine performance needed to assess current and future concepts. Major national and international policy implications of existing and future technology choices. Recommended: AA 241B.
3 units, Spr (Alonso, J; Kroo, I)
AA 271A. Dynamics and Control of Spacecraft and Aircraft
The dynamic behavior of aircraft and spacecraft, and the design of automatic control systems for them. For aircraft: non-linear and linearized longitudinal and lateral dynamics; linearized aerodynamics; natural modes of motion; autopilot design to enhance stability, control the flight path, and perform automatic landings. For spacecraft in orbit: natural longitudinal and lateral dynamic behavior and the design of attitude control systems. Prerequisites: AA242A, ENGR 105.
3 units, Spr (Rock, S)
AA 272C. Global Positioning Systems
The principles of satellite navigation using GPS. Positioning techniques using code tracking, single and dual frequency, carrier aiding, and use of differential GPS for improved accuracy and integrity. Use of differential carrier techniques for attitude determination and precision position determination. Prerequisite: familiarity with matrix algebra.
3 units, Win (Enge, P)
AA 272D. Integrated Navigation Systems
Navigation satellites (GPS, GLONASS), GPS receivers, principles of inertial navigation for ships, aircraft, and spacecraft. Kalman Filters to integrate GPS and inertial sensors. Radio navigation aids (VOR, DME, LORAN, ILS). Doppler navigation systems. Prerequisites: 272C; ENGR 15, 105. Recommended: ENGR 205.
3 units, not given this year
AA 278. Optimal Control and Hybrid Systems
Models for continuous-time and discrete-event dynamic systems. Modeling techniques for hybrid systems. Optimization problems for continuous and discrete dynamic systems. Dynamic programming and the Hamilton-Jacobi equation. Differential games. Automatic verification and controller synthesis for hybrid systems. Hybrid systems simulation. Driving examples from flight management system logic, and automated air traffic systems. Prerequisites: EE 263, ENGR 209.
3 units, not given this year
AA 279. Space Mechanics
Orbits of near-earth satellites and interplanetary probes; transfer and rendezvous; decay of satellite orbits; influence of earth's oblateness; sun and moon effects on earth satellites. Prerequisite: ENGR 15 or equivalent.
3 units, Spr (Enge, P)
AA 283. Aircraft and Rocket Propulsion
Introduction to the design and performance of airbreathing and rocket engines. Topics: the physical parameters used to characterize propulsion system performance; gas dynamics of nozzles and inlets; cycle analysis of ramjets, turbojets, turbofans, and turboprops; component matching and the compressor map; introduction to liquid and solid propellant rockets; multistage rockets; hybrid rockets; thermodynamics of reacting gases. Prerequisites: undergraduate background in fluid mechanics and thermodynamics.
3 units, Win (Cantwell, B)
AA 284A. Advanced Rocket Propulsion
The principles of rocket propulsion system design and analysis. Fundamental aspects of the physics and chemistry of rocket propulsion. Focus is on the design and analysis of chemical propulsion systems including liquids, solids, and hybrids. Nonchemical propulsion concepts such as electric and nuclear rockets. Launch vehicle design and optimization issues including trajectory calculations. Limited enrollment. Prerequisites: 283 or consent of instructor.
3 units, Spr (Karabeyoglu, M)
AA 284B. Propulsion System Design Laboratory
Propulsion systems engineering through the design and operation of a sounding rocket. Students work in small teams through a full project cycle including requirements definition, performance analysis, system design, fabrication, ground and flight testing, and evaluation. Prerequisite: 284A and consent of instructor.
5 units, Aut (Zilliac, G)
AA 284C. Propulsion System Design Laboratory
Continuation of 284A,B. Prerequisite: 284B, and consent of instructor.
3 units, Win (Zilliac, G)
AA 290. Problems in Aero/Astro
(Undergraduates register for 190 or 199.) Experimental or theoretical investigation. Students may work in any field of special interest. Register for section belonging to your research supervisor. May be repeated for credit.
1-5 units, Aut (Staff), Win (Staff), Spr (Staff), Sum (Staff)
AA 291. Practical Training
Educational opportunities in high-technology research and development labs in aerospace and related industries. Internship integrated into a student's academic program. Research report outlining work activity, problems investigated, key results, and any follow-on projects. Meets the requirements for Curricular Practical Training for students on F-1 visas. Student is responsible for arranging own employment and should see department student services manager before enrolling. May be repeated for credit.
1-3 units, Aut (Staff), Win (Staff), Spr (Staff), Sum (Staff)
AA 294. Case Studies in Aircraft Design
Presentations by researchers and industry professionals. Registration for credit optional. May be repeated for credit.
1 unit, Spr (Jameson, A)
AA 295. Aerospace Structures and Materials
Presentations by researchers and industry professionals in aerospace structures and materials. May be repeated for credit.
1 unit, Spr (Chang, F)
AA 297. Seminar in Guidance, Navigation, and Control
For graduate students with an interest in automatic control applications in flight mechanics, guidance, navigation, and mechanical design of control systems; others invited. Problems in all branches of vehicle control, guidance, and instrumentation presented by researchers on and off campus. Registration for credit optional. May be repeated for credit.
1 unit, Aut (Staff), Win (Staff), Spr (Staff)
AA 300. Engineer Thesis
Thesis for degree of Engineer. Students register for section belonging to their thesis adviser.
1-15 units, Aut (Staff), Win (Staff), Spr (Staff), Sum (Staff)
AA 301. Ph.D. Dissertation
Prerequisite: completion of Ph.D qualifying exams. Students register for section belonging to their thesis adviser.
1-15 units, Aut (Staff), Win (Staff), Spr (Staff), Sum (Staff)
© Stanford University - Office of the Registrar. Archive of the Stanford Bulletin 2008-09. Terms of Use | Copyright Complaints