University: Cairo

Faculty: Engineering

Department: Aerospace

Course Specifications
Program: Aerospace Engineering
Major Field: Aircraft Structural Design
Department: Aerospace Engineering.
Academic Year Level: Fourth Year Undergraduate
Term: First
Year of Approval: November, 2007.
A- Basic Information
Title: Structural Design of Flight Vehicles (A)
Code: AER403A
Credit Hours: 3
Weekly Hours: Lectures 3, Tutorials 2, Total 5
Prerequisite Courses: AER203 (Structural Mechanics) ,
AER303 (Analysis of Aircraft Structures)
Prerequisite to: AER403B (Structural Design of Flight Vehicles B)
B-Professional Information
1-Overall Aims of Course
Introduce the student to perform a preliminary wing design and then improve this design
using the finite element method.
2-Intended Learning Outcomes
A-Knowledge and Understanding
Upon completion of this course the student should be able to:
Calculate the flight vehicles imposed loads.
Calculate the yield and ultimate strength in bending
Calculate the buckling stresses of flat sheets and composite shapes
Calculate the crippling stress
Analyze the diagonal semi-tension field webs (wing spar)
Perform a preliminary wing design and calculate MOS
Improve this design using the finite element method.
B-Intellectual Skills
Upon completion of this course the student should be able to:
Perform a wing structural design
Checking this design using the finite element method and perform the necessary
modifications
Study of the static and dynamic behavior of a structure using a finite element
model with application to wing design
Structure optimization

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C-Professional and Practical Skills

Upon completion of this course the student should be able to
Calculation of the imposed loads on a wing
Prepare a preliminary wing design under these loads and analyze the MOS
Use a finite element package to analyze deflections, stresses, and study the static
dynamic behavior of a structure with application to wing design
Design optimization
3-Course Contents
Topic
Chapter 1: Flight vehicles imposed loads
Load factors, Limit and design loads
Airplane categories (FAA)
Basic flight loading conditions
Aerodynamic and inertia loads
Load factors: translational acceleration and pitching rotation
Gust load factor
Maneuver and gust envelope
Dynamic effect of air forces on wing loads

Lecture Tutorial
Hour
Hour
6
4

Chapter 2: Yield and ultimate strength in bending

Bending strength of a solid round bar
The Cozzone procedure
Design curves for finding Modulus of Rupture
Strength under combined bending and flexure
Strength under combined bending, flexure and axial compression

Chapter 3: Buckling of flat sheets

Elastic and inelastic buckling strength in compression, shear and
bending
Buckling strength under combined loads

Chapter 4: Local buckling of composite shapes

Buckling stress for composite web-flange shapes
Buckling of stiffened flat sheets under longitudinal compression

Chapter 5: Crippling strength

Needham and Gerard methods
Sheet effective widths
Inter-rivet buckling, sheet wrinkling
Failure of short panels in compression
Column strength for members with unstable cross-sections

Chapter 6: Diagonal semi-tension field web

Tension-field beam action

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General Wagner equations for tension-field beams

Modified Wagner equations for tension-field beams
Beams with non-parallel flanges
Chapter 7: Loads and stresses on ribs
Types of wing rib construction
Distribution of concentrated loads to thin sheet panels
Stresses in wing ribs
Rib loads due to discontinuities in wing skin covering

Chapter 8: Wing stress analysis

Design considerations and requirements
Effective section at failing load
Bending and shear stress analysis of a tapered multi-stringer
cantilever wing
Bending and shear stress analysis of a multi-cell, tapered, multistringer cantilever wing
Bending strength of thick skins
Shear lag influences
Wings made up of composite materials

15

12

Case study:
Perform a preliminary design of an actual wing and improve its
static and dynamic behavior using the finite element method
4-Teaching and Learning Methods
Board instructions
Student discussions
Homework problems
Discussion of exercise problems
Computer laboratory
5-Student Assessment Methods
Reports of exercise problems
Nastran reports
Mid-term exam
Final exam
Assessment Schedule
Assessment 1
At the end of every chapter
Assessment 2
At the mid- term
Assessment 3
At the end of the term

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Weighting of Assessments
Reports
8%
Nastran reports
5%
Mid-Term exam
15 %
Oral and lab exam
12 %
Final exam
60 %
6- References
Bruhn, E.F., Analysis and Design of Flight Vehicle Structures, Tri-State.
Peery, David J., Azar, J.J. Aircraft Structures, McGraw-Hill Book Company.
Megson, T.H.G., Aircraft Structures for Engineering Students, Edward Arnold
Jones, R.M., Mechanics of Composite Materials, Scripta.
Ashton, J.E., J.C. Halpin and P.H. Petit, Primer on Composite Material Analysis,
Technomic.
MSC/NASTRAN reference manual

7-Facilities Required for Teaching and Learning

Board
Exercise sheets
Computer laboratory
Library
Course Coordinator:
Prof. Edward A. Sadek, Professor of Aircraft Structures
Head of Department: Prof. Atef Sherif
Date: November, 2007.

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