Aerospace Engineering with a Year in Industry BEng (Hons)

A short module to introduce students to the language and main concepts of the aerospace engineer to provide a solid basis for the remainder of their degree programme

This module aims to introduce students to the fundamental concepts and theory of how engineering structures work to sustain loads. It will also show how stress analysis leads to the design of safer structures. It will also provide students with the means to analyse and design basic structural elements as used in modern engineering structures.

This module aims to provide students with an early understanding of the preliminary design processes including engineering drawing/visualisation, data analysis, computer aided engineering. It includes a team project and develops report writing and oral presentation skills. It also introduces vital topics of engineering sustainability and engineering ethics. It develops student ability to reflect upon and record their learning and development.

To develop an understanding of the basic principles of fluid mechanics, the laws of thermodynamics, and an appreciation of how to solve simple engineering problems. To develop skills in performing and reporting simple experiments.

ENGG198 is a Year 1 mathematics module for students of programmes taught in the School of Engineering, e.g. Aerospace, Civil, Architectural, Mechanical, Product Design and Industrial Design Engineering. It is designed to reinforce and build upon A-level (or equivalent) mathematics, providing you with the strong background required in your engineering studies and preparing you for Year 2 mathematics modules.

Students completing the module should be able to understand simple computer programs and write their own simple MATLAB programs to solve problems and process data as required by other modules and in engineering practice.
Students completing the module will be able to understand simple electrical circuits with passive and active components, mechanical (mass-spring-damper) systems and electromechanical systems (DC machines). They will learn basic mathematical, practical and computational methods for analysing and modelling these.

To provide students with a basic introduction to various classes of engineering materials, their mechanical properties, deformation and failure and how the properties structure and processing can be controlled to design materials with desired properties for various engineering applications.

This module covers the main technical aspects of gas turbine engines used on aircraft and other mechanical applications (e.g. power generation, marine). It covers many topics from the basic principles of aeroengines (e.g. production of thrust) through to the design of axial flow turbomachinery (compressors and turbines). An understanding of the principles of compressible flow is also developed. Students do a laboratory using the Virtual Engine Test Bench to explore aeroengine components, thermodynamics and performance. In addition, they use a commercial CFD package to perform a compressible flow simulation.

Aircraft design is a complex process and requires knowledge and skills in a number of topics, e.g. aerodynamics, structures, materials, flight mechanics and control. The module will look at these topics relating to the components of full aircraft, e.g. mass distribution, aerodynamic surface sizing, fuselage, landing gear, etc. This module explains the different stages of this multi-disciplinary process: Configuration Selection; Conceptual Design; Preliminary Design. The module describes each of these processes and provides analytical engineering tools to allow the students to complete a project to the Preliminary Design.

Dynamic systems are encountered in most engineering disciplines such as mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering. These systems require specific techniques to be analysed for design or monitoring purpose.

In this module, students will learn the main methods for analysing dynamic systems in time and frequency domains. They will learn how to solve dynamical problems, how to evaluate and control the stability, the accuracy and the rapidity of a dynamical system.

This module will be mainly delivered through class lectures and assessed through a final exam. Additionally, students will be taught some experimental techniques related to second-order dynamical systems through an assessed  laboratory work.​

The module focusses on the essentials of data analysis and interpretation, engineering experimentation, measurement techniques and principles of instrumentation.

Project Management is a core skill for professional engineers of all types and a sound education in this subject area is required by the professional accrediting bodies. The knowledge and skills developed in this module will equip students for their future UG project work and for their careers ahead.
This module teaches students the theory of fundamental techniques in project management, risk management, and cost management.

In this modules student undertake a group "virtual project" in which they undertake all stages of project management involved n a major construction projects. The five virtual project tasks require students to apply their theoretical learning; and they provide an opportunity to develop key professional skills.

This module aims to introduce students to techniques for load and displacement analysis of simple structures.

Engineering Mathematics and Computing will provide a fundamental understanding of mathematical techniques used to solve Engineering problems. Successful completion of this module will provide students with basic skills and solution methodologies (mathematical, and using MATLAB) for various engineering applications. The module will expose the essentials of numerical methods to solve systems of linear, non-linear, ordinary and partial differential equations. A series of classic engineering problems, such as trusses, mass-spring dampeners, 2D trajectory calculation, and 2D heat flow will place the acquired knowledge in an engineering context.

This module acquaints students with performance analysis of fixed-wing aircraft, including analysis of aircraft range and endurance, climb performance, and take-off and landing distance. Students will also learn about methods to analyse the static stability of fixed-wing aircraft in different conditions. To complement the study of fixed-wing aircraft, students will also learn about the anatomy and fundamental physics of conventional helicopters.

This module introduces the main processing and manufacturing techniques used to make metallic, ceramic, polymer and composite materials. The students will learn and appreciate how the microstructure and properties of materials are impacted by the processing methods. The students will also learn how to derive materials performance indices and select appropriate materials for a given situation.

This module is associated with the placement year of the ‘year in industry’ programme.  On accepting an approved offer, students spend a minimum of 40 weeks employed in a company/organisation.  Placements will be approved and arranged at places accessible to the individual student.  An academic mentor will be assigned to monitor and assess the student’s progress during placement.  This will involve at least one site visit and follow-up telephone call as well as checking that the student’s placement log is being kept up to date. The placement year should be a mutually beneficial experience for both student and employer. Students will be given opportunities and gain confidence to apply theories and technical skills learned in Years 1 and 2 of their studies in a real-time work environment.  Ideally (depending on the placement), these activities will be engineering/industry relevant and project (team) based extending over several months and will therefore provide opportunities to develop the student’s transferable skills and professional competence leading to enhanced employability.

The Aims of this module are as follows:

To introduce the student to various aspects of advanced modern management.

To develop a knowledge and understanding of modern management tools.

To stimulate an appreciation of management and its importance in organisational success.

Aircraft design is a complex process and requires knowledge and skills in a number of topics, e.g. aerodynamics, structures, materials, flight mechanics and control. Starting with a pre-completed customer brief, students on this course will build upon the methods of Year 2 Design course and proceed with an advanced Conceptual Design of the vehicle. This will include the use of analysis tools and the creation of a simple simulation model of the aircraft. The module will be taught largely in lecture format but is supported by pc-based laboratory support sessions.

Aerostructures for aerospace engineering

The module introduces key techniques and concepts used in the analysis of the trim, stability, and dynamic response characteristics of conventional fixed-wing aircraft.
Also introduced are a several important feedback control design methods, useful for modifying and improving aircraft stability and control characteristics, including Root Locus, Bode and Nyquist based design methods for PID control.
As part of the module, students will undertake a flight test course in the National Flying Laboratory Centre to assess the performance and stability qualities of a real aircraft in flight.

The Year 3 individual research project; 300 hours student work over 2 semesters; 3 assessment stages (proposal 5%, interim 20%, final 75%).

To provide students with an understanding of aerodynamic theories including hierarchy of aerodynamic models, basics of boundary layer theory, shock/expansion theory, potential flow theory, thin airfoil theory and the generation of lift, and finite-wing lifting line theory.

Finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics tools have become ubiquitous in engineering practice to design trains, planes and automobiles, to analyse the structural mechanics of gears, shafts, bridges and skyscrapers and the fluid flow in power generation systems and in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and many more applications. The module will provide students with the skills to use finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics tools with confidence with an understanding of the underlying theory and technology, and limitations thereof.

The module will introduce the common types of rotorcraft configuration, and will cover the basic theory of helicopter performance and flight dynamics. It will explain how rotorcraft behave in flight, and the roles of some of the main constituent components. The lectures will explain how basic physical and mathematical principles (e.g. fluid mechanics, dynamics, differential equations) can be applied to the analysis of helicopter flight. There is also some discussion of other rotary wing types such as the tilt-rotor and the autogyro.

An introduction to the main concepts of space flight is provided, including princples of space propulsion, space launch vehicles and orbital mechanics of spacecraft.