| Unit name | Principles of Design for Manufacture of Composites |
|---|---|
| Unit code | AENGM0041 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Pickard |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering |
| Faculty | Faculty of Engineering |
The goal of design for manufacture is to produce a product which is easily and economically manufactured. This is a particular challenge for fibre-reinforced composites as the material and structure are created at the same time during manufacture. Considerations such as health and safety, practicality, knowledge management and sustainability must be borne in mind along with the features and potential issues of different manufacturing methods.
Commonly used manufacturing methods including hand layup, resin transfer moulding and automated fibre placement will be discussed in detail, including potential defects both avoidable and inherent in the manufacturing processes. Manufacturability analysis will be considered for comparison of different options. Tolerancing, variability and defects will be discussed in the context of realistic Design for Manufacture decision making.
Students will have the opportunity to try out some of these challenges hands-on in the laboratory, including a student-led session for testing ideas relevant to their summative assessments.
The course will include an overview of Design for X and how different challenges, such as cost and sustainability, can impact on Design for Manufacture.
In discussing human factors such as methods employed in hand layup and how knowledge transfer between people can affect the manufacturing process, we will consider how to ethically carry out research involving people, such as questionnaires, and how to quantify opinion and free text data which may first appear qualitative.
On successful completion of the unit students will be able to:
The unit taught content comprises 33 hours of lectures, exercises, discussion sessions and hands-on work in the laboratory, delivered over 11 x 3-hour weekly sessions. In addition, 11 hours (11 x 1 hour) weekly open office sessions are scheduled for support on the coursework assignments and general questions about the topic. The formative and summative coursework is designed to enhance your understanding of the lecture material and integrate the skills developed in the laboratory class to support the development of workable design for manufacturing solutions.
The unit is assessed using two formative assessments and one summative assessment, the latter contributing 100% of the final grade. The formative assessments support the summative assessments, with the intention to provide feedback to help you formulate a workable design for manufacturing procedure. Feedback will be given on the formative assessments. Full details on the assessments will be given in class, with time for discussion and questions.
Formative assessment 1 (F1): choose a composite part/product, perhaps related to your research project or made at your sponsoring company (please check for any confidentiality issues), and outline how the part and/or process might be modified using a DfM approach. Narrated powerpoint < 5 minutes.
Formative assessment 2 (F2): plan how you might obtain useful feedback on your changes, and who from. Written document < 2 sides of A4.
Summative assessment (S1): a written report and accompanying video discussing design for manufacture for a composite part of the student’s choice.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. AENGM0041).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
