Propulsion Systems Design Research at
ASDL
The primary objective of the research going on at ASDL in the field of propulsion
system design is to develop the methods, analysis tools, concepts, and technologies
that will be needed to design tomorrow's propulsion systems.
Fundamental Challenges to the Propulsion Industry
The propulsion systems required for tomorrow's aerospace
systems will be orders of magnitude more complicated than today's systems,
more expensive, and will also deliver diminishing marginal returns
(less bang for the buck) as current technologies mature - unless
a revolutionary change occurs in the way tomorrow's propulsion systems
are conceived, designed, built, and tested. In a nutshell, the fundamental
challenges facing tomorrow's propulsion system designers can be distilled
to a handful of trends:
- Cost Escalation
- Increasing Complexity of Next-Generation Systems
- Technology Maturation/Obsolescence
- Demand for Revolutionary Advances in Propulsion Technology
Our role is to develop new, creative, and innovative methods to assist
designers in meeting these challenges in the future.
Online overview of ASDL's propulsion research (5 minutes runtime, Real Player Required) 
Under Construction!
Strategic Vision
Propulsion system technology is a key enabler that is capable
of bringing about revolutions in transportation. It is a fundamental
commodity needed to make modern society function. Looking back on the
20th century, it is astounding to contemplate the scope and magnitude of
advancements in propulsion technology that have occurred in the past 100 years.
Today, many consider propulsion to be a mature field, a commodity in which
the fundamental principles are well-known and the basic technology is relatively
static.
However, anyone who is a student of thermodynamics, materials technology,
fluid dynamics, controls system technology, or any of the other basic ingredients
to propulsion system technology realizes that today's modern
propulsion systems are still far from the theoretical limits. For example,
today's state-of-the-art turbofan engines are generally less than 40%
efficient! If you were to compare the theoretical strength of today's
best materials against their actual strength, you will find that the best
we can do is on the order of a few percent of theoretical strength. Contrary
to being a mature field, propulsion is a field rife with opportunity for improvement.
And there is a clear and present societal need for improvements in propulsion
technology.
The Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory at Georgia Tech is uniquely positioned
to play a role in the research and development of propulsion systems in the
future. First, ASDL is dedicated entirely to systems design, unlike
the traditional disciplinarian labs found in Universities. Our systems
design charter gives us a unique perspective to look across the entire spectrum
of design activity, not only in the aerospace field, but also in other disciplines.
One of our primary strengths is having the freedom and breadth of view to
find those methods which can be applied to any complex system and adapt them
to aerospace systems design needs. In fact, many of the most useful
and intriguing ideas come not from within aerospace, but from the fields
of biology, information theory, applied mathematics, etc. Cross-fertilization
amongst disparate fields of study is key to what we do. Our primary
function is to discover, understand, and apply techniques from other fields
in order to address the fundamental challenges relevant to the propulsion
industry.
Second, as a university lab, we are uniquely positioned to interact with all
entities in the aerospace propulsion industry. This is especially critical
as design is inherently an integrating function requiring vigorous interaction
with all players including government, industry, and academia.This interaction
is critical to understand the needs, the current state-of-the-art, and how
disparate fields can be brought together to provide new and useful results
that have never been contemplated before.
Finally, as a university laboratory, we have the freedom to pursue unorthodox
ideas and approaches. A university lab also has the advantage of having
a constant infusion of new, talented people to participate in shaping the
research. Many of these same people then go forth into industry and
government positions and become the users of the ideas, concepts, methods,
and tools they helped create.