Course Title: Aircraft Structural Integrity

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Aircraft Structural Integrity

Credit Points: 12.00

Important Information:

Please note that this course may have compulsory in-person attendance requirements for some teaching activities.

Please check your Canvas course shell closer to when the course starts to see if this course requires mandatory in-person attendance. The delivery method of the course might have to change quickly in response to changes in the local state/national directive regarding in-person course attendance.


Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

AERO2514

City Campus

Postgraduate

115H Aerospace, Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering

Face-to-Face

Sem 2 2014,
Sem 1 2015

Flexible Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

AERO2514

City Campus

Postgraduate

172H School of Engineering

Face-to-Face

PGRDFx2020 (XXXX)

AERO2514

City Campus

Postgraduate

172H School of Engineering

Face-to-Face

PGRDFlex22 (All)

Course Coordinator: Wim Verhagen

Course Coordinator Phone: -

Course Coordinator Email: wim.verhagen@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Building 57 Level 3

Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

It is assumed students have a basic working knowledge of aircraft structures and materials, as well as an understanding of fundamental concepts of the mechanics of materials. 


Course Description

This course aims to further the skills of aerospace professional engineers in the area of aircraft structural integrity (ASI), covering material degradation causes, particularly fatigue and its associated damage growth processes and its prediction for critical aircraft structures, through an introduction to the fatigue-crack growth process and its assessment for aircraft structures. You will be presented with an introduction to the analyses methods for cracked components and crack growth assessment methods based on Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics and the assessment of coupon, component and full-scale tests and in-service cracking by other methods. You will be introduced to the principles of material selection, corrosion control and some of the non-destructive methods used to find fatigue and other damage in aircraft structure. In addition, you will be introduced to the importance of implementing a structural integrity management program for civil and military aircraft fleets.    


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs): 
 

1. Needs, Context and Systems 

  • Describe, investigate and analyse complex engineering systems and associated issues (using systems thinking and modelling techniques) 
  • Exposit legal, social, economic, ethical and environmental interests, values, requirements and expectations of key stakeholders 
  • Identify and assess risks (including OH&S) as well as the economic, social and environmental impacts of engineering activities 

2. Problem Solving and Design 

  • Anticipate the consequences of intended action or inaction and understand how the consequences are managed collectively by your organisation, project or team 
  • Develop and operate within a hazard and risk framework appropriate to engineering activities 

3. Analysis 

  • Comprehend and apply advanced theory-based understanding of engineering fundamentals and specialist bodies of knowledge in the selected discipline area to predict the effect of engineering activities 
  • Apply underpinning natural, physical and engineering sciences, mathematics, statistics, computer and information sciences. 

4. Professional Practice 

  • Initiate, plan, lead or manage engineering activities 
  • Understand the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of contemporary engineering practice in the specific discipline 
  • Apply systematic approaches to the conduct and management of engineering projects 
  • Demonstrate effective team membership and team leadership 
  • Communicate in a variety of different ways to collaborate with other people, including accurate listening, reading and comprehension, based on dialogue when appropriate, taking into account the knowledge, expectations, requirements, interests, terminology and language of the intended audience 
  • Display a personal sense of responsibility for your work 
  • Demonstrate orderly management of self, and professional conduct.  
 


Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs):

On completion of this course, you should be able to:

  1. Know where to find the relevant standards and advisories, associated with Aircraft structural integrity and understand the key points in these.
  2. Demonstrate a understanding of the history of ASI and the factors that have and can lead to the degradation of aircraft structures in service, particularly fatigue damage and how such damage may be tracked in service
  3. Demonstrate advanced technical concepts, to analyse and assess the potential for structural damage and how the damage tolerance concept can be used to help prevent and control fatigue crack growth.
  4. Use stress intensity factors for fatigue crack growth and critical crack size prediction and Understand fatigue-crack growth under aircraft spectrum loading.
  5. Demonstrate an understanding of the issues with corroded structures and how to control corrosion in aircraft.
  6. Relate key concepts and practices used in fatigue and damage tolerance management of aircraft within the regulatory environment, observing the applicable professional, legal and ethical standards that ensure the structural integrity of aircraft. 


Overview of Learning Activities

This course has been designed as an introduction to structural integrity of aircraft structures both from the design and through life maintenance perspective. Therefore, the pre-recorded lectures will be covering the key concepts and theories regarding the fundamental topics of a structural integrity course for an engineering student. An emphasis will be placed on damage tolerant design, non-destructive inspection techniques and the analysis of in-service degradation and cracking in aircraft structure. Each session has been developed to address the topics described in the Teaching Schedule, using a historical review of ASI issues, the current ASI standards and an introduction to the causes of degradation in structural materials through practical examples. The aim is to foster critical judgement when considering structural integrity in the aviation sector.  Analysis and discussion of selected case studies will be used to reinforce these learnings. Finally, students are expected to undertake autonomous and group study for the individual and group assignments. These are aimed at deepening the student’s knowledge that has been assimilated during the lectures and readings, as well as promoting research habits and independent thinking capabilities.


Overview of Learning Resources

Course-related resources will be provided online via Canvas. These may include any of the following elements: course material generated by the lecturer, reference texts, scientific and/or technical literature (e.g., journal papers, articles in specialised magazines, technical standards, enquiry reports and advisories) and recommended links to useful material available online (e.g., media resources).


Overview of Assessment

This course has no hurdle requirements.

Assessment 1:  Quiz (Online) 
Weighting of final grade: 15 % 
This task assesses the following learning outcomes: 
PLO 1 & 2; CLO 1, 2 & 3 

Assessment 2:  Individual assignment on a selected ASI topic 
Weighting of final grade: 30% 
This task assesses the following learning outcomes: 
PLO 1, 2; CLO 1-6 

Assessment 3: Quiz (Online) 
Weighting of final grade: 15 % 
This task assesses the following learning outcomes: 
PLO 1, 3; CLO 4, 5 6 and 7 

Assessment 4: Group assignment   
Weighting of final grade: 40%  
This task assesses the following learning outcomes: 
PLO 1, 2; CLO 1-7