Knowledge Based Engineering framework for preliminary spaceplane design

The concept of a spaceplane, a launch system that is a combination of an airplane and a rocket, is one of the most promising concepts of sustainable access to space. Along its trajectory, it experiences most extreme conditions with frequently opposing design requirements, making it one of the most complicated challenges in aerospace engineering....

Experimental and Numerical Analyses of a Novel Wing-in-Ground Vehicle

The AeroCity is a new form of transportation concept that has been developed to provide high-speed ground transportation at a much lower cost than the existing high-speed railway. Utilizing the Wing-in-Ground (WIG) effect, the AeroCity vehicle does not require complex infrastructures like other contemporary concepts, such as the Hyperloop or...

Ducted wind turbines revisited: A computational study

Ducted Wind Turbines (DWTs) are one of the many concepts that have been proposed to improve the energy extraction from wind in comparison to bare wind turbines. In reviewing the DWT studies, investigations based on the combined use of theoretical, computational, and experimental techniques have been presented. Although indicated in these studies...

Simulation & Analysis of the Aerodynamic Interactions between Distributed Propellers and Wings

The recent advances in complementary technologies have given a new impulse in the research activities related to distributed propulsion. Light electric engines, whose performance is rather insensitive to scaling, improved battery capacities and autonomous flight all contribute to this trend. Promising concepts featuring electrically powered...

A numerical investigation into the aerodynamic characteristics of AeroCity

Some Results on Bobsleigh Aerodynamics

Bobsleighs races nowadays are decided upon hundredths of a second. As the margins are that small the aerodynamics of a bobsleigh can play a significant role in a race outcome. This paper investigates the influence of the gap between the nose and the rear cowling of a two-man bobsleigh. The paper especially focusses on the misalignment between...

An Investigation of the Non-Linear 3D Flow Effects Relevant for Leading Edge Inflatable Kites

The kite power group at TU Delft is currently researching the use of leading edge inflatable (LEI) kites for use in power generation. A thorough understanding of the aeroelastics of these kites is paramount to the development of system simulation models and optimum kite and system designs. The current lack of understanding is therefore seen as a...