An Aerodynamic Assessment of Micro-Drag Generators (MDGs)
Commercial transports as well as fighter aircraft of the future are being designed with very low drag (friction and pressure). Concurrently, commuter airports are being built or envisioned to be built in the centers of metropolitan areas where shorter runways and/or reduced noise footprints on takeoff and landing are required. These requirements and the fact that drag is lower on new vehicles than on older aircraft have resulted in vehicles that require a large amount of braking force (from landing-gear brakes, spoilers, high-lift flaps, thrust reversers, etc.). Micro-drag generators (MDGs) were envisioned to create a uniformly distributed drag force along a vehicle by forcing the flow to separate on the aft-facing surface of a series of deployable devices, thus, generating drag. The devices are intended to work at any speed and for any type of vehicle (aircraft, ground vehicles, sea-faring vehicles). MDGs were applied to a general aviation wing and a representative fuselage shape and tested in two subsonic wind tunnels. The results showed increases in drag of 2 to 6 times that of a "clear" configuration.
The Langley 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel: Description, Flow Characteristics, and Guide for Users
The Langley 14- by 22-foot Subsonic Tunnel is a closed circuit, single-return atmospheric wind tunnel with a test section that can be operated in a variety of configurations (closed, slotted, partially open, and open). The closed test section configuration is 14.5 ft high by 21.75 ft wide and 50 ft long with a maximum speed of about 338 ft/sec. The open test section configuration has a maximum speed of about 270 ft/sec, and is formed by raising the ceiling and walls, to form a floor-only configuration. The tunnel may be configured with a moving-belt ground plane and a floor boundary-layer removal system at the entrance to the test section for ground effect testing. In addition, the tunnel had a two-component laser velocimeter, a frequency modulated (FM) tape system for dynamic data acquisition, flow visualization equipment, and acoustic testing capabilities. Users of the 14- by 22-foot Subsonic Tunnel are provided with information required for planning of experimental investigations including test hardware and model support systems.
Project management education: The human skills imperative
Abstract This paper is intended to provide an insight into the importance of human skills in project management success and the apparent lack of emphasis placed on this within the context of university education. The discussion will call upon the viewpoints of many notable authors in respect to the human or ‘soft’ skills that are necessary in the management of projects. Against this background a review will be conducted into how well project management literature and university education equips potential project managers in the area of human skills. As the PMBOK ® Guide is one of the major recommended texts in Australian universities offering project management education, the paper will identify that it predominantly emphasises the required ‘hard (technical) skills’ at the expense of the ‘soft (human) skills’. Subsequent discussion will highlight the need for a balance between hard and soft skills within project management education in universities. It will conclude that educators within this discipline should recognise the importance of incorporating greater human skills aspects into their educational programs.