Laboratories

Aerospace Engineering laboratory includes a subsonic wind tunnel, educational gas-turbine micro-jet engine and 15 simulation computers with high performance & related softwares.

Educational purpose & Experimental Opportunities

Aerodynamics Laboratory

The Aerodynamics Laboratory at Izmir Economic University is equipped with a wind tunnel to enhance the theoretical learning and research pursuits of students. Significant efforts have been made to ensure that the lab's equipment is of the highest quality, facilitating cutting-edge research in aerodynamics. The lab features a low-speed wind tunnel with a 320 mm × 320 mm x 600 mm cross-section, capable of reaching velocities of 40 m/s, making it ideal for low-speed measurements specifically for experiments in low Mach number flows. It plays a vital role in teaching lab courses for undergraduate students, as well as supporting project work and research in low-speed aerodynamics. Experiments conducted in the lab include pressure and aerodynamic force measurements, flow visualization, and velocity measurements over various models in wind tunnel.

The lab is also equipped with advanced CAE software, featuring tools that combine finite element analysis with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes such as Ansys Fluent. CFD simulations allow for the estimation of forces and moments acting on a flying vehicle body, enabling the calculation of lift and drag forces. They also help determine the pressure distribution, which is crucial for stability evaluations. The Aerodynamics Laboratory at Izmir Economic University is fully prepared to engage in research collaborations with industry partners. Our facilities and experienced research team are ready to support innovative projects and provide valuable insights into aerodynamic phenomena. By partnering with us, industry collaborators can leverage our state-of-the-art equipment and expertise to advance their research and development goals. We welcome inquiries and proposals for collaborative research projects, aiming to bridge the gap between academic research and industrial application for mutual benefit and advancement in the field of aerodynamics.

Gas Turbine Micro-Jet Engine:

The micro jet engine trainer is used to demonstrate and study the function and behavior of a gas turbine in the model scale. Gas turbine plants are used to generate mechanical and electrical energy for aircraft propulsion with propeller and jet engines. Gas turbines are always used where high concentration of power, low weight and quick startup are required. Unlike piston engines, being turbomachines, they allow high material throughputs with small dimensions. Compared to steam turbines, gas turbines operate at higher temperatures but at lower pressures. The high temperatures, especially in the area of the gas turbine, require special heat-resistant materials. The gas turbine used in the trainer is a single shaft gas turbine. The model gas consists of an axial turbine with direct coupled radial compressor and an annular combustion chamber.

Learning objectives / exercises

•  Operating behavior of a jet engine including starting procedure
•  Determining the specific thrust 
• Determining the specific fuel consumption 
• Determining the fuel-air ratio

Additionally, below parameters can be measured by using this training set,

• Compressor outlet temperature,
• Combustion chamber temperature,
• Turbine outlet temperature,
• Combustion chamber pressure,
• Air volumetric flow rate,
• Fuel volumetric flow rate,
• Turbine speed and
• Thrust.

Simulation Lab:

The simulation laboratuary includes the development tool Matlab and two toolboxes for aircraft and satellite control and design purposes;

1) Princeton Aircraft Toolbox

2) Princeton Spacecraft Control sub-software.

Educational purpose: With these toolboxes, students will be able to achieve the following aims: designing and assembling aircraft from different parts, dynamic modeling and control for both subsonic and supersonic applications. The graphical tool gives chance to students to visualize the different aerodynamic coefficients for aircraft. The spacecraft tool allows students to design, analyze spacecraft missions. Students can also analyze spacecraft orbits for different types of satellites including Cube Satellites. Basic power modeling and space communications can be also simulated with the control tools.

                                                            

SmallSat Design and Simulation Laboratory

The Department has inaugurated the IEU SmallSat Design and Simulation Laboratory (Tesla Building, ML-205). This area is dedicated to research in the field of small satellites tasked with carrying out sophisticated missions in deep space, such as to the Moon and Mars. Satellites can be visualized by means of Augmented Reality (AR), and directly experienced by using virtual reality (VR) Goggles. This makes the research experience as close to reality as is technologically possible to investigate a mission before proceeding to hardware development. 

 

Students working in the SmallSat Design and Simulation Laboratory have access to advanced software tools with an emphasis on the best Free Open Source Software (FOSS) available in the world today, including the NASA General Mission Analysis Tool (NASA GMAT), Scilab/Xcos (developed by Dassault Systèmes), Blender (used for 3D rendering), and other freeware tools available on Jupyter Notebooks, such as the Free Wolfram Engine (Mathematica language). The students also learn to code in high performance Fortran (currently used by NASA in its proprietary Copernicus Trajectory Design and Optimization System), and they employ astronomical image processing tools, such as Deep Sky Stacker and ASTAP.  In some projects, optical images of orbiting  satellites, asteroids, and comets are obtained by means of wide field cameras to simulate autonomous optical navigation within the Solar System, and real time telemetry is received via a radio station located on the IEU campus. The combination of all such activities exposes the students to actual sophisticated space missions, from the drawing board to simulated execution, with the added benefit of being able to investigate the consequences of failures or any other unexpected challenges before a spacecraft is actually built.

                                                           

 

UAV and Avionics Laboratory

The unmanned aerial vehicle and avionics laboratory was established in Tesla Building ML205 for the purpose of allowing students to carry out unmanned aerial vehicle design, prototyping, control and electronic system integration studies. By using the hardware and software in this laboratory, students can realize the projects they want to do for unmanned aerial vehicles. Many equipment in the laboratory inventory, such as power supplies, flight control cards used in unmanned aerial vehicles, sensors, motors, propellers and batteries, are available to students. By using this equipment, students can turn the aircraft they design for both their course projects and national or international competitions such as Teknofest into reality.

In addition to the electronic equipment in the laboratory, there is a 3D printer for use in aircraft prototyping. In this way, students can produce the first prototypes of the unmanned aerial vehicles they design, and they can diagnose design problems that may not be visible with 3D design programs and make the necessary optimizations.