TABLE OF CONTENTS This is a textbook on design. We have attempted to capture the essence of the design process by means of a realistic and complete design experience. In doing this, we have had to bridge the gap between traditional academic textbooks, which emphasize individual concepts and principles, and design handbooks, which provide collections of known solutions. The most challenging and productive activities of the normal engineering career are at neither end of the spectrum, but, instead, require the simultaneous application of many principles for the solution of altogether new problems.
The vehicle employed in order to accomplish our teaching goals is the airbreathing gas turbine engine. This marvelous machine is a pillar of our modern technological society and comes in many familiar forms, such as the turbojet, turbofan, turboprop, and afterburning turbojet. With such a variety of engine configurations, the most appropriate for a given application cannot be determined without going through the design process.
It should be made clear at the outset what is special about the design process, for that is what this textbook will attempt to emphasize. Every designer has an image of what elements constitute the design process, and so our version is not likely to be exhaustive. Nevertheless, the following list contains critical...
