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Aeronautics - Fluid Dynamics - Level 3

FoilSim

Basic Aerodynamics Software is educational software designed at the NASA Lewis Research Center to instruct students in the basics of aerodynamics. The software contains two main parts, a baseball pitch and a wing-airflow simulator. The software also includes lessons which prompt students to engage in problem solving and discovery. The software was created to satisfy an objective to cultivate a more thorough understanding of the research being done at the NASA Lewis Research Center, while also filling a critical need for additional intuitive tools that supplement and enhance math and science curricula.

This program is an interactive flow simulator determines the airflow around various basic shapes of airfoils, including a flat plate. Several lessons on basic aerodynamics are included with this simulator package. The lessons are displayed in a separate window while the program is operating.

Here's a screen shot from the program showing the controls and displays:

The program will run under Windows 3.x, 95 or Windows NT. Click here to download a copy of FoilSim {foilsim.zip} {1.09 Mb} in zip format.
To install,

1. Use PKUNZIP to expand this zip file to a temporary directory
2. Run the program "setup.exe" and follow the instructions
3. You can delete the files in the temporary directory when the installation is complete
4. Once installed, Double click on the FoilSim icon to start the program

If you don't have PKUNZIP, you can download this self-extracting file of FoilSim {foilsimzp.exe} {1.10 Mb}

1. Run "foilsimzp.exe" and put the files in a TEMPORARY directory (as prompted, e.g. C:\TEMP)
2. Change directory to this temporary directory
3. Run the program "setup.exe" and follow the instructions to install FoilSim in the final directory (e.g., C:/FOILSIM)
4. Note: You can delete the files in the temporary directory when the installation is complete
5. Once installed, Double click on the FoilSim icon or the "foilsim.exe" file to start the program

We would like to thank NASA Lewis Research Center, for providing the software.

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Updated: March 12, 2004