MAE1041 - Aerospace engineering

Leader: B Falzon and H Blackburn

Offered

Clayton Second semester 2008 (Day)

Synopsis

This unit will introduce students to the world of flight. It will give them an historical perspective on the evolution of aerospace vehicles and their design. They will learn about the basic forces in lighter than air, heavier than air and space flight vehicles. The underpinning discipline areas of aerospace engineering: aerodynamics, aircraft structures and materials, and propulsion will be presented in simplified form and then integrated through the process of design. Subsonic and supersonic aircraft and their differences will be examined. Finally, the challenge of space and its future exploration will be presented.

Objectives

To understand the evolution of aerospace vehicles and be able to articulate how this has resulted in modern air- and space-craft. To be able to differentiate between the engineering activities of design and analysis and understand their relationship in aerospace vehicle design. To be able to calculate the basic, relevant properties in different aerospace environments. To be able to differentiate between the different forces acting on aerospace vehicles, calculate their magnitude and direction and the balance between them. To be able to undertake a basic design of a lighter than air vehicle. To have the ability to identify the skeleton and other components of aircraft and nominate the appropriate materials to be candidates for their construction. To be able to perform basic calculations of the forces involved in different methods of propulsion, including propellers, jets and rockets. To be able to outline the differences between low- and high-speed flight and nominate the basis of how the forces in each are calculated. To have a perspective on the exploration of space and an appreciation of how it is likely to develop in the future.

Assessment

Test and assignments 30%, Examination (3 hours) 70%

Contact hours

3 hours lectures, 3 hours of problem solving classes/laboratory and 6 hours of private study per week

Prohibitions

MAE1415