Preface

Summary

Beginning with the class-notes version, this book is the outcome of teaching the courses of Principles of Turbomachinery and Aerospace Propulsion in the mechanical and aerospace engineering departments of Texas A&M University. Over a period of fourteen years, the contents were continually altered and upgraded in light of the students' feedback. This has always been insightful, enlightening, and highly constructive.

The book is intended for junior- and senior-level students in the mechanical and aerospace engineering disciplines, who are taking gas-turbine or propulsion courses. In its details, the text serves the students in two basic ways. First, it refamiliarizes them with specific fundamentals in the fluid mechanics and thermodynamics areas, which are directly relevant to the turbomachinery design and analysis aspects. In doing so, it purposely deviates from such inapplicable subtopics as external (unbound) flows around geometrically standard objects and airframe-wing analogies. Instead, turbomachinery subcomponents are utilized in such a way to impart the element of practicality and highlight the internal-flow nature of the subject at hand. The second book task is to prepare the student for practical design topics by placing him or her in appropriate real-life design settings. In proceeding from the first to the second task, I have made every effort to simplify the essential turbomachinery concepts, without compromising their analytical or design-related values.

Judging by my experience, two additional groups are served by the book. First, practicing engineers including, but not necessarily limited to, those at the entry level. As an example, the reader in this category will benefit from the practical means of estimating the stage aerodynamic losses.