Unit name | Composite Structures: Design, Build & Test |
---|---|
Unit code | AENGM0050 |
Credit points | 10 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Dr. Benjamin King Sutton Woods |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering |
Faculty | Faculty of Engineering |
This unit allows for students to develop and implement a range of skills relevant to the design, manufacturing, and testing of composite structures. In this unit students will work in teams to design, build, and test a composite structure to a given specification. The students will need to apply the principles of composite mechanics to design a composite structure capable of meeting the specification.
Careful consideration must be given to the manufacturing methods to be employed to balance the competing requirements of low cost, short lead time and high desired part quality. The student teams will oversee all aspects of the manufacturing of these structures, including tooling, ply cutting, layup, cure, and any finishing work required. The students will then test their structures to failure under specified loading conditions, and the results will be compared to their analysis predictions.
The unit will be structured around a team-based design/build/test exercise, with the student teams working to deliver a manufactured prototype composite structure within a strict program time line.
Initial lectures will introduce the design specification, support the conceptual design phase, and provide guidance as to appropriate analysis methods and ways of working. The students will be responsible for planning their own group meetings, design development, and manufacturing. Academics with expertise in all relevant areas of the project will be available for consultation.
The aims of this unit are to:
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
The unit will comprise lectures, seminars, experimental tutorials, finite element computer labs, practical sessions and numerical simulations. These sessions are not assessed but support student development in all the aspects of the course and prepare them for completing the assignment.
The progress of the students against the stated aims will be assessed in two ways:
A peer marking scheme will be used for both assessments, to identify the individual contributions of team members. The standard peer marking scheme used in the faculty of engineering will be used to identify the individual contributions of team members.