This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2016 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

MEC4446 - Composite structures

6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL

Undergraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Faculty

Engineering

Organisational Unit

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Coordinator(s)

Dr W Yan

Offered

Clayton

First semester 2016 (Day)

Synopsis

Specific modulus and specific strength; 3D stress and 3D strain tensors; anisotropic elasticity; composite lamina and composite laminate; hygrothermal strain and hygrothermal stress analysis of composite structures; failure theories for a composite lamina; micromechanical analysis of a composite lamina; classical lamination theory for composite laminate, failure analysis of composite laminates, design of composite laminates, finite element analysis of composite materials and structures.

Outcomes

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

list the application examples of composite materials in modern industries and explain the advantages of applying composite materials in structures
recall the stress-strain relationships for anisotropic materials
analyse the strength and stiffness of composite laminate structures
design composite laminates to meet strength, stiffness and cost requirement
carry out the finite element analysis on anisotropic materials and composite laminate structure

Assessment

Continuous assessment: 40%
Examination (3 hours): 60%

Students are required to achieve at least 45% in the total continuous assessment component and at least 45% in the final examination component and an overall mark of 50% to achieve a pass grade in the unit. Students failing to achieve this requirement will be given a maximum of 45% in the unit.

Workload requirements

2 hours of lectures, 2 hours of laboratory/tutorial classes and 8 hours private study per week.

Chief examiner(s)

Professor Chris Davies

Prerequisites

120 credit points completed