MECH3650 Aircraft Structure
Course Code: MECH3650
Course Title: Aircraft Structure
Terms Offered (Credits): Fall (3 credits)
Pre/Co-Requisites:
Background: CIVL 2120 or MECH 2040
Course Structure: 2 lectures per week , 1 hour & 20 minutes each; 1 tutorial per week, 50 minutes
Textbook/Required Material:
1. Aircraft Structures for Engineering Students, 5th T.H.G. Megson
2. Class notes
Course Description:
1. This course covers fundamental knowledge for analysis of aircraft structural components. This
course teaches students to determine stresses/strains and deformations of aircraft structures
subjected to external loads including torsion, bending, shear, and buckling.
2. There are two main activities in this course. The first is lecture which emphasizes the fundamentals
of structural mechanics and analytical approaches for analysis of aircraft structures. The students
will learn to derive the theory of linear elasticity and apply it to analyze the components subjected
to typical aircraft loading conditions and design requirements.
3. The second is tutorial which provides a set of lessons and exercises teaching the concepts and
methodology in analysis of aircraft structures. The students will be able to learn and understand the
procedure of aircraft structural analysis from following tutorial problem solving exercises.
Course Topics:
1. Materials used in Aircraft Structures
• Introduction to materials
• Composite Materials
• Material properties
• Fatigues
2. Structure Component of Aircraft
• Loads on the structural components
• Functions of structural components
• Connections of the structural components
3. Stress, Strain, and the Theory of Elasticity
• Deformation and strain
• Energy and stress
• Equilibrium and compatibility equations
4. Mechanics of Aircraft Structural Components
• Torsion of thin-walled beams
• Combined open & closed sections
• Bending of thin-walled beams
• Shear of thin-walled beams
• Buckling of structures
5. Fuselages and Wings
• Structural idealization
• Introduction to fuselage and wing analysis
6. Energy Methods
• Principles of virtual work and minimum potential energy
• Introduction to finite element method
Course Objectives:
1. Introduce fundamental concepts of classical mechanics of aircraft
2.
3.
Course Outcomes:
A.
B.
Assessment Methods:
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structures and materials. This includes deriving, understanding, and
using relationships between applied loads and stress, strain, &
deformation.
Teach theoretical approaches & procedures to determine
stresses/strains and deformations of the aircraft components
subjected to external loads.
Design and analysis of aircraft structures based on material
capabilities and design requirements.
The outcome of the course is the knowledge of the analysis of
aircraft structures and fundamental concepts of structural
mechanics and strength of materials.
Students should have the capability to assess whether aircraft
structural components are able to withstand the applied loads and
meet specified mission and performance requirements after this
course.
Homework and quizzes - 30%
Midterm exam - 30%
Final exam - 40%