Master-/Bachelor-Thesis in Flight Physics (d/f/m)

Job description

Job Description:

Flight Physics - Bachelor Thesis - Impact of Ground Effect Modelling on Fighter Aircraft Performance (d/f/m)

Do you want to push boundaries at the heart of Airbus together with a team in Flight Physics? We want to pave the way into a more digital, sustainable and safer future. Come join us.

Flight Physics is responsible for the design and characterization for all military aircraft programs along their product life cycle. We use numerical simulations and testing to understand the aircraft behaviour and to create and deliver aircraft representative data for flight performance, aerodynamics, structural dynamics, mass properties, acoustics and vibration.

A vacancy for a Bachelor thesis "Impact of Ground Effect Modelling on Fighter Aircraft Performance" (d/f/m) has arisen within Airbus Defence and Space in Flight Physics. The successful applicant will join "TADGI Integration & Strategy". TADGI Integration & Strategy within Flight Physics Centre of Competence (CoC) is a German-Spanish engineering organisation in Airbus Defence and Space – Air Power Engineering. The organisation is responsible for the flight physics deliverables for all Airbus Military Aircraft programmes and digitalization & technology.

In this role you will join the Technology & Capability Development team to conduct a bachelor thesis.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities:

Aircraft inherently operate close to the ground during take-off and landing. Flow conditions change between flight in free air and flight in close proximity to the ground, as the ground influences flow displacement and thereby the pressure distribution on the aircraft. This ground effect influence on aerodynamics naturally also influences flight performance in terms of required distances for take-off and landing and the associated speeds. During aircraft development, the fidelity of ground effect modelling in the flight performance calculations ranges from empirical methods at early stages of preliminary design to flight-test-derived models used for certification.

This thesis shall investigate the differences in the results of typical ground effect models of different fidelity and quantify the influence of ground effect modelling on fighter aircraft performance throughout the design cycle. 

Objectives

1.   Literature Review

Review the existing literature on ground effect modelling for fighter aircraft and its integration in flight performance models. Investigate the uncertainty in different approaches to ground effect modelling. 

2.   Ground Effect Modelling

Employ low order aerodynamic tools to model the ground effect of a reference fighter aircraft configuration.

3.   Flight Performance Integration

Integrate the ground effect model into an existing flight performance tool.

4.   Impact Assessment

Assess the impact of different ground effect models on the flight performance calculations.

5.   Documentation

Document the results in the frame of a thesis.

Required Skills and Experiences:

· 
Enrolled student in aerospace engineering, or similar field of study 

· 
Theoretical knowledge on:

· 
flight dynamics

· 
flight performance 

· 
aerodynamic modelling

· 
Aircraft aerodynamics: Good Knowledge

· 
Python: Basic knowledge

· 
Linux: Basic knowledge

This job requires an awareness of any potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, as the foundation for the Company’s success, reputation and sustainable growth.

Company:
Airbus Defence and Space GmbH

Employment Type:
Final-year Thesis

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Experience Level:
Student

Job Family:
Support to Management

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