Elements of Propulsion: Gas Turbines and Rockets

by J. Mattingly, H. von Ohain

Publisher: AIAA
ISBN: 1563477793

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Book Description

This text provides a complete introduction to gas turbine and rocket propulsion for aerospace and mechanical engineers. Building on the very successful Elements of Gas Turbine Propulsion, textbook coverage has been expanded to include rocket propulsion and the material on gas dynamics has been dramatically improved. The text is divided into four parts: basic concepts and gas dynamics; analysis of rocket propulsion systems; parametric (design point) and performance (off-design) analysis of air breathing propulsion systems; and analysis and design of major gas turbine engine components (fans, compressors, turbines, inlets, nozzles, main burners, and afterburners).

Design concepts are introduced early (aircraft and rocket performance in an introductory chapter) and integrated throughout. Written with extensive student input on the design of the book, the book builds upon definitions and gradually develops the thermodynamics, gas dynamics, rocket engine analysis, and gas turbine engine principles. The book contains over 100 worked examples and numerous homework problems so concepts are applied after they are introduced. Over 600 illustrations and pictures show basic concepts, trends, and design examples.

Eight computer programs accompany the text, which allow for rapid calculation of trends, “what if” questions, conceptual design, homework problems, and homework verification. The software runs in the Windows operating system on PC-compatible systems.

Customer Reviews

This is the best textbook written on the modeling and performance prediction of gas turbine engines. A systematic method is used to model a variety of engines from the basic turbojet to the advanced afterburning turbofan used in modern fighters. Performance predictions include the effect of engine controls - a unique feature. Turbomachinery design includes structural considerations. This book is a great textbook for junior/senior level courses in aerospace/mechanical engineering. It is being used for a basic course in gas turbine engine and a followup course in engine component design...

The foreword by Hans von Ohain is very good. I always like the aerospace textbooks that have some sort of history or commentary before getting into the equations. The content of the book is very thorough, and the equations are often grouped into step-by-step methods to analyze an engine which can be imported into a program like Excel very easily. The support programs are good enough for most applications that a student will run into. However, there appears to be a very large amount of typographical errors in this book. Most of them are minor and can be caught quickly, but I have seen a couple of major equations (2.76 for example) with errors. Considering that the textbook is for students who aren't always used to these equations, this can lead to a lot of confusion. This is compounded by the use of both BE and SI units in the text. These same problems occurred in the last edition. Overall I would still recommend using the book for a class, but beware of the errors.