Technische Universiteit Delft - Faculteit Aerospace Engineering

The Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, is the Dutch academic institute to provide education in aerospace technology. The Faculty is internationalizing its curriculum and its research program. In December 1995 the Faculty obtained for its curriculum a ’declaration of substantial equivalency’ from the US Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

Given the rapid developments in aerospace technology, the faculty’s overall goal is to train engineers who can respond to these changes and advance with them. Training is directed towards future research and management positions in the (aerospace) industry - not to mention positions within the government. There are several co-operative projects with national and international industries and research establishments, both involving students and staff members. 

The regular educational program in Dutch has a duration of 5 years. An English version of this program is in development. The curriculum has a three-year basic program and two final years of elective programs within nine fields of concentration.
During the last two years students are encouraged to become familiarized with industrial practice. For example, they are required to spend one period of at least twelve weeks in an industrial or research environment. In general this practical training period is spent in a foreign country. In the final year the thesis work is usually carried out as a contribution to the research program of the Faculty. A 2-year English language M.Sc. program leads to an advanced degree for students, having taken an initial education in Aerospace Engineering already.

The options for thesis work are:

• Theoretical and experimental aerodynamics
• Flight mechanics and propulsion
• Control and simulation
• Production and materials
• Aerospace structures and computational mechanics
• Industrial engineering and management
• Astrodynamics and satllite systems
• Engineering mechanics
• Thesis work with emphasis on design will contain aspects of several of these options.

Either aeronautics or space technology can be emphasized within each of these options. The research program of the Faculty is organized as follows.

1. Aerodynamics
   Boundary layers, shock wave-boundary layer interaction, configuration aerodynamics, topology of 3D separated flows, airfoil and wing theory, vortex flows, transonic flows, singularity theory, unsteady flows, turbulence modeling, wave interaction theory, magneto fluid dynamics, combustion theory, aero acoustics, computational fluid dynamics, hypersonic flow. 
   
   
2. Fligth dynamics
   Flight testing and aircraft parameter identification, robust control, adaptive control, fly-by-wire, flight simulation, Electronic Flight Instrument Displays (EFIS), human factors, spacecraft dynamics.
3. Aircraft design and performance, maintenance Aircraft preliminary design, aircraft performance and operation, propulsion and noise, including Computer Aided Design (CAD) of aircraft and engine concepts, and aircraft trajectory optimization, aircraft maintenance management and technology.
   
   
4. Space technology
   Airbreathing space launchers, jet propulsion, rockets, aerospaceplanes, launcher preliminary design, orbital mechanics, rocket propulsion, satellite geodesy, satellite altimetry, satellite navigation, satellite tracking and orbit determination.
   
   
5. Production and materials for light weight structures
   Composites, Fibre Metal Laminates (ARALL, GLARE), Al-alloys, MMC (mechanical properties, fatigue, fracture toughness, residual strength, impact and durability, adhesion technology). Production techniques.
   
   
6. Aerospace structures and computational mechanics
   Stability and collapse of imperfect composite shells; development of solution algorithms for crack propagation in pressurized fuselages, crash simulation, structural optimiziation. Development of Stochastic Design Procedures; Aeroelasticity. 

The Faculty is supported by well equipped laboratories and computer infrastructure (including the University CRAY T3E super computer). The following (non-exhaustive) list gives an impression of the available infrastructure:

• Wind tunnels for low speed, transonic, supersonic and hypersonic flows, special boundary layer research channels for low speed and transonic flows, hot-wire and laser-doppler anemometry, Schlieren/ Shadowgraph system, holographic interferometry, infrared thermography, equipment for testing aircraft models with propulsion simulation, etc.;
• CAD hard and software for aircraft design studies;
• An advanced flight simulator and a Cessna Citation II jet aircraft for flight testing;
• A construction and materials laboratory for fatigue testing, development and testing of advanced composite materials, etc.