Skip to main content

Unit information: Composites Design, Manufacture and Product Development in 2025/26

Please note: Programme and unit information may change as the relevant academic field develops. We may also make changes to the structure of programmes and assessments to improve the student experience.

Unit name Composites Design, Manufacture and Product Development
Unit code AENGM0091
Credit points 20
Level of study M/7
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director Dr. Ivanov
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

Unit Information

Why is this unit important?

This unit offers insights on the whole spectrum of composite product development from the assessment of intellectual property to detailed design-for-manufacture considerations. It introduces composite design principles, brings the awareness of wide spectrum of manufacturing methods, provides the skills for the development of composite products, and describes the underlying physical mechanisms in composites processing. This allows the students to have a baseline understanding of composite manufacturing, holistic design of products, processing analysis, defect mitigation strategies, and initial structural sizing.

The unit begins with ‘Introduction to Composites’, which is a shared taught element with the unit ‘Composite Materials for Sustainability’ to provide basic knowledge of composite materials and processing as well as composites structural analysis.

How does this unit fit into your programme of study?

The unit provides the fundamental knowledge and skills required for the efficient manufacture and design of a wide range of composite structures for applications that include the aerospace, energy, infrastructure and automotive sectors.

Your learning on this unit

Overview of content

Students are provided with a fundamental understanding of composite materials, including introduction of constituents, applications, manufacturing processes, micromechanics, and the analysis of laminates and failure theories. A detailed understanding is provided of the processability of various reinforcement types alongside applicability of state-of-the-art automated manufacturing routes. An introduction conceptual product design is included. Aspects such as joining, composites tooling, machining, and inspection are covered. Advanced computer-aided engineering tools are used to produce digital models and simulate manufacturing processes.

How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit

After completing this unit, students will have an industrially relevant specialist knowledge on advanced manufacturing process and use of design tools to create composite products.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

  1. describe composite constituents, manufacturing routes, applications, and failure theories;
  2. design a new composite product considering its functional requirements, intellectual property, appropriate material systems, suitable manufacturing methods and processes;
  3. apply the principles of conceptual design, initial sizing, and preliminary structural analysis including micromechanics, the analysis of laminates and failure theories;
  4. build a digital mock-up model using a computer-aided design tool;
  5. analyse and model the basic manufacturing processes and optimise process parameters through numerical simulations and devise defect mitigation strategy.

How you will learn

Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, which include lectures, practical activities supported by drop-in sessions and self-directed exercises.

How you will be assessed

Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):

Online test to assess understanding of the fundamentals of composites

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):

[100%] – individual report on product development case study (ILOs 1-5)

When assessment does not go to plan:

The student will be requested to revise the original report based on the feedback from the assessors or in the case of a non-submission the assessment takes the original assessment format.

Resources

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. AENGM0091).

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.

Feedback