Abstract:

In the last few decades there has been a significant advancement in various computing languages. The result of this development is the creation of several software environments. Most of these platforms are specialized for different applications and form part of most engineering courses. Nevertheless, in some areas of engineering, for instance aerospace, the main progress was achieved during the second half of the past century. Nearly all the models developed during that period were coded in FORTRAN. These programmes are still extensively used, and it is not possible to discard their validity and usefulness. An example of this fact is Digital DATCOM which is a dedicated platform widely used in aerospace design. Regardless of new high level computing languages there is the necessity to include certain aspects of preceding programming languages in current engineering education courses. This work aims to exemplify the development of an interface between MATLAB, a new programming environment, and Digital DATCOM, a platform developed in FORTRAN.

For academic and research purposes in aerospace engineering, specifically during aircraft design tasks, it is customary the assistance of computational tools. Whether at the early stages of the project or in the absence of experimental or flight test data. These tools are fundamental as the complexity and quantity of calculations for this task are immense.

Therefore, a series of codes were developed to merge Digital DATCOM and MATLAB capabilities and generate an updated preliminary design of an aircraft with specific technical requirements. The development of an interface between these computing environments will enable students and designers to utilize well-proven models programmed in Digital DATCOM and interrelate with the high computing and graphic capabilities of a modern platform like MATLAB. Particularly, in the work here presented, it was possible to modify simultaneously two geometric parameters within a pre-determined range of values, characterize, analyse, model, and compare multiple aircraft design configurations. All of this with the objective to select an aeroplane design configuration in accordance with the design specifications.

The codes operated successfully and were able to generate an aircraft configuration, selected by engineering criteria, achieving the technical requirements established. The purpose of creating an interface between a modern and former programming environment was accomplished.

The task required the understanding of contemporary and older computing environments. This is an aspect that should be considered in the curriculum of current engineering courses for its positive impact in the training of students. This method was applied to motivate students to incorporate the combination of technologies developed in different stages of computational evolution. The integration of these software is justified due to the amount of time it would take to reconvert thousands of code lines into a new programming language. It is concluded that the development of an interface is the most feasible solution for complex engineering problems. The technical and scientific details involved in the process are presented.

Keywords:

Education practice and trends, experiments in undergraduate education, engineering education.