Online workshop on panel methods for steady and unsteady aircraft aerodynamics – September 15-19 2025
Aims and objectives:
This workshop is an in-depth discussion of panel methods for steady and unsteady aerodynamic analysis of aircraft. Starting from the basics of potential flow theory, the main objective of the workshop is to explain how panel methods work, what are their limitations and how they can be used in early stages of aircraft design and optimisation. The contents are based on the textbook Unsteady Aerodynamics: Potential and Vortex Methods, published by Wiley in 2023. The approach is hands-on, such that many of the concepts and methodologies are demonstrated by means of practical calculations. Several types of panel methods are presented, discussed and applied to sample problems. Examples include the Doublet Lattice Method (DLM) and the Source and Doublet Panel Method (SDPM). Practical applications will be carried out using open-source software such as:
The workshop is aimed at professionals, PhD/Master students and postdoctoral researchers in engineering who have a reasonable grasp of algebra, calculus and aerodynamics.
By the end of the workshop, participants will have a solid understanding of potential flow aerodynamics, both incompressible and compressible. Furthermore, they will have practiced applications of panel methods to practical steady and unsteady aerodynamic problems that are of interest to both industry and academia.
Practical information:
The workshop will be held fully online. The number of participants is limited to 12 to ensure effective communication. Participants who wish to participate actively in the practical sessions should have the following software installed on their computers:
- A Python distribution (Anaconda is recommended)
- An Integrated Development Environment for Python (Spyder is recommended)
- A C compiler (The GNU Compiler Collection is recommended)
- A Fortran compiler (GFortran is recommended)
All other necessary computer codes will either be supplied or are open-source and can be downloaded for free. Participants who would rather not participate actively should still join the practical sessions in order to experience practical applications of the theory. Buying a copy of ‘Unsteady Aerodynamics: Potential and Vortex Methods’ is recommended but not a pre-requisite.
The workshop dates are September 15-19 2025 and every day will be split into four sessions, all times are CET:
9:00-10:30: Session 1
10:30-11:00: Break
11:00-12:30: Session 2
12:30-13:30: Break
13:30-15:00: Session 3
15:00-15:30: Break
15:30-17:00: Session 4
17:00-17:30: Questions, feedback
Pricing information:
The cost of participation in the workshop is 800 EUR for PhD/Master students and 1200 EUR for professionals and postdoctoral researchers. Early bird prices, for payments made before 15/08/2025, are 600 EUR for PhD/Master students and 1000 EUR for professionals and postdoctoral researchers. Only payments by bank transfer are accepted, we will ask your organisation to issue a purchase order, on the basis of which we will create an invoice.
Participants can contact G. Dimitriadis for further information and in order to register.
Detailed programme:
Day 1
AM: Introduction to potential flow theory
– Incompressible potential flow
– Compressible potential flow
– Linearised compressible potential flow
PM: Basics of panel methods
– Green’s theorem
– Surface discretisation
– Influence coefficient matrices
Day 2
AM: Steady incompressible 3D aerodynamics
– The incompressible source and doublet panel method
– Wake modelling
– Calculating the aerodynamic loads – viscous corrections
PM: Application to a steady 3D low-speed experimental test case
Day 3
AM: Steady compressible 3D aerodynamics
– The compressible source and doublet panel method
– The Prandtl-Glauert transformation
– Compressible boundary conditions
PM: Application to a compressible steady 3D experimental test case
Day 4
AM: Unsteady compressible 3D aerodynamics
– Unsteady aerodynamics in the frequency domain
– The modelling of wings as infinitely thin surfaces
– The Doublet Lattice Method
PM: Application to a compressible unsteady 3D experimental test case
Day 5:
AM: Thickness modelling unsteady 3D methods
– The unsteady compressible source and doublet panel method
– Predicting aerodynamic stability derivatives
– Predicting flutter
PM: Application to a compressible flutter experimental test case