A/C Design on Computer
 

I am interested in any information you have on aircraft design on computer. Even though I'm not an Engineering grad, i would like to try my hands at designing an aircraft.
Nowadays, i hear a lot about aircraft being designed entirely on computers. I would like to know what type of programms are used(providing they are not"G14 classified":) ).
The closest I have come to aircraft design is an interesting program called X-plane which i bought from £1.99 at my local shopping center. I was able to design a cessna 152 using the data from the POH and i was impressed. Apart from the usual shortcomings of PC sims, the engine and cntrol response was similar to that of the real 152 i fly.
I've heard that a real turboprop was designed using this program.
If anyone knows any similar (more "serious") program, please feel free to let me know. also is there any such thing as a computer based wind tunnel, i.e. i could creat objects in a virtual world and test their aerodynamic feature without actually having to do it physically?
Also does anyone know of a good amateur aircraft design website.
Thanks
Capt. manuvar

Wondrous things computers, and yes most design work nowadays is done on computer software. It would be fair to say that certifying authorities (internal and external) prefer to treat such computer output as "guilty until proven innocent", and a lot of testing work - structural and flight, is needed before the rest of us will trust our lives and careers to it.

The most well known design package used in the aircraft industry is "Catia", which is a huge mainframe based package that will allow huge design teams to work in parallel, with the computer ensuring that the electrical team isn't trying to put their cables through the same space as the systems team's hydraulics, and so-on. Boeings version will even allow maintenance experts to put on VR suits and helmets and try out all the maintenance tasks and ensure they can be done (as well as write the maintenance manuals before the aircraft's ever been built).

So far as wind tunnel testing is concerned, the same applies - whilst there's no substitute for testing, there are lots of predictive packages about. They are all bunched under the term of "CFD" or "Computational Fluid Dynamics". Generally a company will have bought-in a basic CFD package then will develop it to suit their own needs.

Detail design can be done on packages like Catia, but that's well out of reach of most companies, let-alone private individuals. The industry standard package for PC based design drawing is "Autocad", which is still quite expensive, but there's a much cheaper (and compatible) clone called "Turbocad" which you can buy for £10-£300 from Amazon (depending upon version).


Where you're talking about X-planes designer, that's really a conceptual design package, and is only making a stab-in-the-dark at the outline characteristics of a proposed design. Of course, it's great fun and ties up with a PC Flight Sim, but I wouldn't get carried away by thinking it's really designing an aeroplane. If you want to look at a reasonably serious piece of design software, I'd start
here . It'll do a lot of the donkey work for you.

But, frankly there's never going to be any subsitute for working through some serious textbooks and learning the basic theories and using them. I'd start by reading Dan Raymer's simplified aircraft design for homebuilders which will show you the general idea. If that hasn't put you off (it's small but remarkably meaty), then download thePFA Information Sheet and BMAA Technical Information Leaflet that cover the practicalities and legalities of doing it in the UK. Join one or other association, and follow their recommended reading lists.

Well, that's my opinion anyway.

G

Genghis,
Thanks for the information. I'll try to see if I can wake my brain up. I know it requires a lot of technical knowledge.
If i design anything interesting, i'll give you a 50% discount:O
Capt. Manuvar

Try DARCorp for serious aircraft design. Not cheap, but evidently pretty good.

I've come upon this problem before - somehow I don't fancy spending 3 grand on AutoCAD for something which is really a bit of fun at weekends.

So, as I'm a computer programmer, I've decided to set about writing one. It will be a basic 3-D CAD system, with some built in routines for basic aerodynamic, weight&balance, structural analysis, etc. Its not supposed to compete with the likes of CATIA, but instead to be accessible.

I'm about 35-40% of the way there at the moment, limited to working evenings and weekends so its a bit slow. Best thing though, it will be "open-source" (in effect, Free! -> I hope, as long as it doesn't end up costing too much to develop). Will keep you all posted when things get a little closer to completion. (+PM me if you're interested, or have ideas of things you might like it to do.)

cheers

dhd (alias Chris)

pdq
 

DeadHeadingDuck

If you're having "fun" writing your own program, then go for it.

But here's something that might be just what you're looking for. You can download a 'no-save' demo version

http://www.davincitechnologies.com/AirplanePDQ.htm

Mike

Ghengis,

Have you read Raymer's "Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach" ?

I have that book, and it seems to cover just about everything for initial designing.

Is there anything in the "HomeBuilders" version that is not included in the A.D:A.C.A book ?

Mike

Raymer's homebuilder's book is the "Janet and John" version of the conceptual design approach book. If you've the latter, I'd not bother with the former.

Regards,

G

Ghengis,

Ok thx.

Mike