Abstract Integration of a Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate (CDIO) Experience in a Sophomore-Level Aerodynamics Course

• Main Authors: P. Bhatnagar, S. Crowder, C. Mcinnis, C. Hebert, D. Guo, N. Bertozzi
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Humpback Whale
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.114.4478; http://content.dwc.edu/academics/engsci/images/asee_edgd_2007_cdio_experience.pdf

The CDIO Initiative is a partnership for improving engineering education through a multidisciplinary hands-on curriculum, real-world applications, and communication skills. The formation of the CDIO Initiative was a response to feedback from industry surveys which communicated that although today’s engineering graduates are technically competent, they generally need one to two years of additional training before they are ready to function as engineers. Some of the common weaknesses cited are communication skills, including graphics, the ability to work in teams, and design skills. This paper will present a plan for a five-semester concurrent engineering design sequence, as well as an expanded use of design experiences in core engineering courses. Students will present an aerodynamics CDIO project that enhances their understanding of the effect of planform shape on finite wing performance and gives them additional experience with solid modeling, CAD/CAM, and analysis tools. Of particular interest will be an airfoil that is modeled after a humpback whale flipper and has bumps on the leading edge called tubercles. I.