2023-2024 / APRI0004-1

Aerospace design project

Duration

30h Th, 10h Labo., 260h Proj., 5d FW

Number of credits

 Master of Science (MSc) in Aerospace Engineering10 crédits 

Lecturer

Grigorios Dimitriadis, Ludovic Noels

Language(s) of instruction

English language

Organisation and examination

All year long, with partial in January

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

This course aims to introduce students to the integrated design process of civil aircraft. The subject is multi-disciplinary, each technical field being a sub-system interacting with all the others.
An introductory lecture uses a historical approach to describe the interactions between the different aspects of aircraft design, while a concluding talk introduces the design project that the students will work on.
Between these two lectures, academic and industrial partners (depending on their availabilities and sanitary conditions) will introduce various different design concepts, such as as (non exhaustive and not definitive list)

  • Aerodynamics
  • Structures
  • Propulsion (flow and mechanical design)
  • Performance
  • Stability
  • Aeroelasticity
  • Certification
  • ...
All this information will then be used by the students in order to carry out the conceptual and preliminary design of an aicraft (airplane, UAV, ...).

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

At the end of the class the student will have acquired the necessary methodological and technical tools to carry out a conceptual/preliminary design in aeronautics (airplane, UAV, ...).

This course contributes to the learning outcomes I.1, I.2, II.1, II.2, II.3, III.1, III.2, III.3, III.4, IV.1, IV.3, V.1, V.2, VI.1, VI.2, VI.3, VII.1, VII.2, VII.3, VII.4, VII.5 of the MSc in aerospace engineering.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Basic knowledge in

  • Solid mechanics
  • Fluid mechanics

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The course is divided into different types of activity:

  • Theoretical lectures by several professors (~20 h);
  • Lectures by industrial partners who will illustrate the practical application of theoretical concepts in the aeronautics industry (attendance is compulsory) (~4h, depending on their availabilities and sanitary conditions);
  • Numerical tools introduction sessions (attendance if compulsary) (~4h)
  • Supervised project sessions during which the student groups can interact with the professors and assistants to conduct their assignment (attendance is compulsory) (~60h); During the first session, the Work-packages will be assigned by the group to its members; At noon, before the beginning of each session, each group will deliver a shor report (1 page) with the details of each student weekly achievements;
  • Presentations of the projects (attendance is compulsory) (~8h).
The student who does not attend to compulsary sessions or who does not deliver the assignements on time will not receive a grade for the class.

In case of remote teaching:

1) For Friday (first term)/Monday(second term) noon, each group send us a document, with for each task (as listed in the assignment but possibly completed by what you think relevant):
1.a) The final objective of the task, including the interaction with other tasks;
1.b) Its current status, with brief results;
1.c) Its schedule for next week;
1.d) How it will interact with other tasks.
The document is rather informal and should use practical communication tools such as bullets list, figures, tables etc but should remain understandable. Its purpose is to help us following your progress.
2) Each Friday (first term)/Monday(second term) afternoon, each group interacts with the teachers and TA on eCampus (https://www.ecampus.ulg.ac.be).

 

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Face-to-face course


Additional information:

Face to face and supervised project sesions

In case of remote teaching:

1) For Friday (first term)/Monday(second term) noon, each group send us a document, with for each task (as listed in the assignment but possibly completed by what you think relevant):
1.a) The final objective of the task, including the interaction with other tasks;
1.b) Its current status, with brief results;
1.c) Its schedule for next week;
1.d) How it will interact with other tasks.
The document is rather informal and should use practical communication tools such as bullets list, figures, tables etc but should remain understandable. Its purpose is to help us following your progress.
2) Each Friday (first term)/Monday(second term) afternoon, each group interacts with the teachers and TA on eCampus (https://www.ecampus.ulg.ac.be).

 

Recommended or required readings

  • Synthesis of Subsonic Airplane Design, Egbert Torenbeek, Delft University Press, Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands, ISBN 90-246-2724-3, 1982.
  • Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach, Daniel P. Raymer, Ph.D. AIAA Education Series, Reston, VA, 2012 ISBN 978-1-60086-911-2
  • Lecture notes on http://www.ltas-cm3.ulg.ac.be/classes.htm

Written work / report

Other : Presentation of the project


Additional information:

The evaluation is based on a project fulfillment, which consists in the conceptual/preliminary design of an aircraft (airplane, UAV...).

This project will be presented in front of professors and  classmates.

The evaluation will be based on group report(s) (90%) with an the oral presentation (10%).

During the first project session, the Work-packages will be assigned by the group to its members; At noon, before the beginning of each session, each group will deliver a shor report (1 page) with the details of each student weekly achievements;

An individual report detailing the students' personal contribution to the group project can also be requested in case of problem in the group organization, in which case only the latter will be used for the grading.

Given the nature of the class content and of the requested work, both based on an extensive group project, partly conducted during supervised sessions, no resit is scheduled in case of failed mark in June. The grade obtained in June is the final grade.

If opportunities arise, the project will be part of an international/national contest, in which case it will be adapted to comply with the contest rules.

The student who does not attend to compulsary sessions or who does not deliver the assignements on time will not receive a grade for the class.

Presentation will be on-site or remote depending on the sanitary conditions

Work placement(s)

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

The design project is carried out during both terms.

Given the nature of the class content and of the requested work, both based on an extensive group project, partly conducted during supervised sessions, no resit is scheduled in case of failed mark in June. The grade obtained in June is the final grade.

Contacts

L. Noels (L.Noels@ulg.ac.be)
G. Dimitriadis (gdimitriadis@ulg.ac.be)

Association of one or more MOOCs

Items online

Lecture notes
Lecture notes