Unit information: Composite Structures: Design, Build & Test in 2019/20

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

Description including Unit Aims

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:

1. understand and apply principles of composite mechanics
2. design composite structure for given specification
3. evaluate and select appropriate composite manufacturing methods for a given application
4. develop hands-on experience in the manufacture of composite structures
5. experimentally characterise structure stiffness and strength properties
6. work as a team to complete a complex task in a short period of time

Intended Learning Outcomes

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

1. Summarise the design process and identify key design requirements, drivers and constraints
2. Demonstrate the use of analysis methods and interpret predictions of the stiffness and strength of a composite structure
3. Compare composite manufacturing methods, and demonstrate an understanding of the competing aspects of time, cost, and resulting part quality that underpin this decision
4. Put into practise knowledge of manufacturing procedures
5. Develop experimental testing skills and demonstrate the ability to interpret results
6. Develop soft skills for multi-disciplinary team work, including work load sharing, decision making, project and time management, and risk mitigation

Teaching Information

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.

Assessment Information

The progress of the students against the stated aims will be assessed in two ways:

1. A Preliminary Design Review (PDR) presentation (25%) will be held where the students will present as a group their analysis, designs, and proposed manufacturing methods for assessment and feedback from a panel of academics. This assessment is linked to Intended Learning Outcomes 1—3.
2. A final group report (75%) will be submitted at the end of the unit which covers all stages of the project, presenting the work done and results achieved, along with discussion of the main challenges faced and lessons learned and self-assessment of the group’s ways of working. This report (max. 10,000 words - calculating to approx. 2,000 words per student) will allow for assessment of all six of the Intended Learning Outcomes.

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.

Reading and References

• Process and Mechanical Modelling of Engineering Composites, A. Pickett, 2018
• Polymer Composites in the Aerospace Industry, P.E. Irving and C. Soutis, Editors. 2015,
• Elsevier Woodhead: Cambridge. Micromechanics of Composite Materials, Aboudi J., Arnold S.M., Bednarcyk B.A., Elsevier, 2013
• Appropriate journal paper references are supplied on the lectures for each component of the course.