Seminar: ACA Evolution and Pursuit of Effectiveness: Reflections of My Journey on a Long and Winding Road

This seminar will also be livestreamed to Aerospace Research Center, room 100, 2300 W Case Rd, Columbus, OH 43235.

Abstract

The speaker will share his unique perspective on the evolution of the applied computational aerodynamics (ACA) discipline. He has been a keen observer of, and an active participant in, the phenomenal advancement of ACA by virtue of conducting and leading many research, development, and application campaigns at Lockheed Martin that were primarily focused on increasing the effectiveness of ACA for aircraft design. Today we have a full-spectrum ACA capability to support aircraft design needs. However, even after seven decades of development, the effectiveness is less than satisfactory for configurations whose aerodynamic characteristics are dominated by complex flows, that is, separated flows and/or free vortices. The presentation will illustrate the capabilities and limitations of ACA through representative examples including the YF-22 and F-22 design efforts. The speaker will share his thoughts on the challenges and future prospects of achieving a truly effective capability.

About the Speaker: Dr. Pradeep Raj is a Professor in the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering at Virginia Tech since 2012. His responsibilities include teaching senior capstone aircraft design courses, and pursuing collaborative development of more effective multidisciplinary analysis, design, and optimization tools and processes for aircraft design. He joined Virginia Tech after a 32-year career with Lockheed Martin where he started out in 1979 as a Senior Aerodynamics Engineer and retired in 2011 as a Program Management Director from Advanced Development Programs, commonly known as the Skunk Works® and widely recognized for creating breakthrough technologies and landmark aircraft. He earned his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering in 1976 from Georgia Tech. He received a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering in 1972, and a bachelor’s degree in electrical technology in 1970, both from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS).