Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering
Master of Engineering in Aeronautical Engineering
DRAFT
March 2010
Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, University of Limerick, Ireland
Tel: +353 61 202544 / 202218 Fax: +353 61 202944 www.ul.ie/mae
NOTE: The contents of this document are for information purposes only and should not be viewed as the basis of a contract between a student and the University. No guarantee is given that the programme, syllabus, fees or regulations may not be altered, cancelled or otherwise.
1.
Title of programme
Master of Engineering (MEng) in Aeronautical Engineering
Faculty name Faculty of Science and Engineering
Dean of Faculty Professor Kieran Hodnett
Department name Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering (MAE)
Head of Department Dr. John Jarvis
Course Director, MEng., Aeronautical
Engineering
Dr. Conor McCarthy
2.
Structure of the programme
2.1 Introduction
The Master (MEng) degree in Aeronautical Engineering degree is a one year programme. The course is being run for the first time in the academic year 2010-11.
The aims of the programme are:
To equip graduates with a detailed knowledge of advanced methods in aeronautical engineering, including theoretical foundations, computational and experimental methods and engineering applications.
To meet industrial need for graduates with the above qualities at a Master’s level.
To increase awareness of the opportunities offered by current research in Aeronautical Engineering and its application to current practice.
To fulfil the Engineers Ireland requirements for a Master’s degree in an engineering discipline as a minimum educational standard for Chartered Engineer status.
To enhance graduates’ existing educational base and employment prospects.
The programme thus contributes to the mission of the University of Limerick in responding to the needs of Irish students and industry.
2.2 Entry Requirements
The minimum entry requirement to the programme is a 2:2, level 8 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in Aeronautical Engineering, or closely related field. For international students, the entry equivalent to a 2:2, level 8 undergraduate degree will be accepted, as determined by the Course Director in consultation with UL Graduate School Admissions. Where applicants are non-native English language speakers, certified achievement in TOEFL or IELTS Standard English Language Competency Test will be required. An interview may be part of the admission process.
2.3 Programme Duration and Structure
The University operates a semester calendar, with each semester comprising 12 weeks of teaching time, 1 week of reading time and 2 weeks exam time. The MEng, Aeronautical Engineering degree programme is a one year programme, which includes a summer semester where the student works solely on research. All elements of the programme contribute to the class of degree awarded on completion of the programme.
Students currently take six ‘modules’ in semester 1, four modules in semester 2 and a single module (the research project) in semester 3. A module is a self-contained educational package. Certain modules are designated ‘core’ modules and must be taken by all students enrolled in the programme; other modules are ‘elective’ modules and the student has a certain amount of discretion in choosing these. A module is identified by a unique code, as explained in Figure 2.1.
Figure 2.1 Explanation of Module Codes
ME6111
In dicates Department delivering module
Indicates Programme level – ‘ 4 ’ = U ndergraduate
‘6’ = Postgraduate
Indicates Subject theme, e.g. 1 = Mechanics
Individual Module number – allows scope for adding new modules within a theme during a particular semester
2.4 Academic Programme Outline
The current programme outline is given in Table 2.1. A short syllabus description for each listed module is provided in Section 5. To graduate from the programme a student must accumulate 90 credits, comprising 45 credits of taught modules and 45 credits of research work, as outlined in Table 2.1. Credit may be given for prior learning, with the agreement of the Course Director. Modules previously taken as part of an undergraduate programme may not be re-taken in the MEng programme. If a core module has previously been taken as part of an undergraduate programme, an elective module should be taken in its place in order to accumulate 45 credits of taught modules.
Table 2.1 Programme outline for MEng in Aeronautical Engineering
Semester 1 Credits
MT4107 Composite Materials
ME6031 Advanced Stability and Control of Aircraft ME6041 Research Project 1
ME6051 Advanced Technical Communication for Engineers
Elective module Elective module 6 6 3 3 6 6 Electives:
ME6001 Fundamentals of Continuum Mechanics MT6001 Aerospace Metallic Materials (New) ME4438 Computational Fluid Dynamics ME5041 CAD-3D
ME6071 Non-linear Finite Element Analysis
All 6 credits
Semester 2 Credits
ME6032 Advanced Aircraft Structures IE4248 Project Planning and Control ME6042 Research Project 2
Elective module 6 6 12 6 Electives:
ME4417 Boundary Layer Theory IE4238 Operations Analysis AM
ME6062 Advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics ME6052 Fracture Mechanics
ME6072 Engineering Mechanics of Plastics and Composites
All 6 credits
Semester 3 Credits
2.4.1 Research Project
All students complete a research project in their final year. The research project examines an advanced topic in the field of aeronautical engineering to demonstrate the student’s ability to perform independent research and self-directed learning on an unfamiliar problem, while utilising the concepts and ideas encountered in taught modules. A major aim of the project is to provide students with experience in producing work aimed at publication in a public forum (journal, conference, academic or industrial seminar, trade show etc). The final outputs will be an extended journal/conference style paper (minimum 6,000 words) and a substantive presentation to a specially convened symposium.
Allocation of project titles and supervisors takes place during weeks 1–3 of semester 1. Most students choose from a list of projects provided by academic staff. A minority suggest their own project, subject to staff agreement. The final grade for the research project is based on:
(i) A literature review (minimum 2800 words1, maximum 3500 words, excluding references, images and tables) submitted in week 10 of semester 1.
(ii) An interim report (minimum 2800 words, maximum 3500 words, excluding references, images and tables) submitted in week 9 of semester 2.
(iii)A research presentation in the form of a 20 minute presentation (including questions) to the research project supervisor, a second reader and a group of colleagues. The presentation will be in the form of a Departmental seminar and will take place on Monday and Tuesday of week 13 in semester 2.
(iv) The final research project report (thesis) submitted on the second last Wednesday in August, (August 17 for the 2010/11 academic year). The thesis takes the form of an extended journal/conference style paper (minimum 6,000 words, maximum 8,000 words, excluding references, images and tables).
Each of items (i)–(iv) is marked by the project supervisor and a second marker.
The style of the literature review, interim report and Master’s thesis will be discussed in detail within the module ME6051, Advanced Technical Communication for Engineers, in semester 1.
1
2.5 European Credit Transfer System
In 2009 the University adopted the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) to facilitate mobility of our students within Europe. Each module is assigned either 3, 6 or 9 ECTS credits, corresponding to the student work-load involved. 1 ECTS is equivalent to 25 hours of student work (incorporating lectures, tutorials, labs, private study, preparation of coursework, exams, etc.) so a 6 ECTS module involves 150 hours of student workload. Each semester has a total of 30 ECTS corresponding to a semester workload of 750 hours. The total number of credits that count towards the MEng. Aeronautical Engineering is 90, which includes 45 credits assigned to project work.
2.6 Contact Hours
For most modules students have two hours of lectures each week and a further two hours allocated to tutorials, laboratories and computer work. As stated previously, each semester comprises 12 weeks of teaching time, 1 week of reading time and 2 weeks exam time. During the week of reading time, lectures are still given, but no new information can be taught (this week is counted in the contact hours). The research project, which is assigned 45 credits, will involve regular meetings with the project supervisor, with the student also expected to work independently to a large extent. The student will also be required to work full time on their project over the summer semester.
2.7 External Examination and Assessment
The Aeronautical Engineering Programme has external examiners to cover the various themes. The external examiners for the B.E. programme is currently (January 2010):
Prof. Chris Atkin, City University London.
The programme is assessed by Engineers Ireland as part of their accreditation process, which assures the quality of engineering and engineering technology education programmes in Ireland in line with international norms. An accreditation panel, comprising a panel chair and two assessors, visits the institution to carry out the accreditation. The accreditation for the Aeronautical Engineering MEng. degree is expected to take place in early 2012.
3.
Assessment of student performance
3.1 Module Credit System
Each module is assigned a credit (ECTS) value. When a student gains a sufficient grade in a module he/she is awarded the number of credits associated with the module.
3.2 Grading System
The quality of a student's work in a module is indicated by a letter grade (A1, A2, B1, etc.). Each letter grade is assigned a Quality Point Value (QPV), see Table 3.1. (Table 3.1 does not include all possible letter grades. See student handbook for further details). The student’s accumulated score is called the Quality Credit Average (QCA).
The QCA for the programme is calculated using the formula:
credits Total credits module QPV QCA ,
where the typical QPVs (Quality Point Values) are listed in Table 3.1. The total number of credits available is 90 (see Table 2.1). Modules which are deferred, e.g. due to an illness, are assigned an I grade (see Table 3.1) and are not included in the QCA equation. A single grade is awarded for modules ME6041, ME6042, and ME6003 (Research Project 1, 2 and 3, respectively), which is assigned to the 45 credits for the research project.
Table 3.1 List of Grades and typical transfer from percentage (x) to letter grade and QPV
Grade Meaning of Grade
x
%
Quality Point Value (QPV)A1 Excellent x 75 4.0 A2 Excellent 68 x <75 3.6 B1 Very good 61 x <68 3.2 B2 Very good 57.5 x <61 3.0 B3 Good 54 x <57.5 2.8 C1 Satisfactory Pass 50.5 x <54 2.6 C2 Satisfactory Pass 47 x <50.5 2.4 C3 Minimum Pass 40 x <47 2.0 D1 Compensating Fail 33 x <40 1.6 D2 Compensating Fail 26 x <33 1.2 F Fail x <26 0
P Pass in module taken on a pass/fail basis -
N Fail in module taken on a pass/fail basis -
I Certified Illness/immediate family bereavement -
NG No grade awarded (Student presented no work) -
3.3 Assessment
Each module is normally assessed in isolation and a student’s final success in the programme of study is determined on the basis of accumulated performance over all the modules taken. A variety of assessment techniques is employed. Normally examinations take place during weeks 14 and 15 of each semester. Use is made of coursework (laboratory reports, minor projects and other assignments) to assess students during term. The contribution of coursework to the final grade is typically between 20% and 30%. In special cases, such as ME5041 CAD-3D, the coursework may count for 50% or 100% of the final mark.
3.4 Repeat System
The University operates a repeat system that enables student to retake most examinations during Annual Repeats. A maximum of four modules may be repeated.
Students, whose deficiencies are very severe, either in terms of more than two F grades per Semester or a QCA below 2.0, are not allowed access to the repeats system as they would be unable to reach the necessary standard to progress. Such students will usually be invited to repeat the year in whole or in part.
3.5 Degree Awards
Students qualify for graduation on the basis of accumulated credits. The advice of external examiners is taken into account in making decisions regarding all degree awards. Students are awarded their degrees at the winter conferring ceremony, typically mid January (January 19 for the academic year 2010-11). Grades and QCA in taught modules will be issued in January (semester 1) and June (semester 2).
3.5.1 First and Second Class Honours Standards
A First Class Honours award requires a minimum QCA of 3.40, a Second Class Honours, Grade 1 requires a minimum QCA of 3.00 and a Second Class Honours, Grade 2, requires a minimum QCA of 2.60.
3.5.2 Third Class Honours Standard
A candidate who attains a minimum QCA of 2.00 shall be deemed eligible for consideration for a Third Class Honours award.
3.5.3 Discretion in award of Honours
The Department has a defined policy regarding the application of discretion to degree bands and these are outlined in Table 3.2.
Table 3.2 Criteria for award honours in the MAE Department
Award Discretion Rules
1st Class Award: QCA = 3.4-0.1 – 4.0 -0.1 discretion applied if QCA 3.4 Upper 2nd Class: QCA = 3.0-0.1 – 3.4 -0.1 discretion always applied. Lower 2nd Class: QCA = 2.6-0.1 – 3.0 -0.1 discretion always applied. Third Class: QCA = 2.0 ––2.6 No Discretion on 2.0
4.
Note for students who received a BE from the Department of Mechanical
and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Limerick
Students who have received their BE degree from the University of Limerick may already have taken a number of modules offered for the MEng programme as they are offered as advanced electives at the BE level. These modules are:
Aerospace Metallic Materials Computational Fluid Dynamics
CAD-3D (known as Advanced CAD on the BE programme) Boundary Layer Theory
Engineering Mechanics of Plastics and Composites (known as Mechanics of Solids 4 on the BE programme)
Project Planning and Control Operations Analysis AM
Students who have already taken these modules at BE level may not retake them on the MEng programme. Alternative modules must be taken from the electives offered in order to achieve the full 45 ECTS for taught modules for the MEng programme.
5. Module Descriptions
Short syllabi of the individual modules listed in Table 2.1 are provided here. Full module descriptors are available on-line on the UL portal (accessible through password). at:
https://ulportal.ul.campus/SiteDirectory/Programmesandmodules/Book of Modules/Forms/AllItems.aspx
ME6041 Research Project 1, ME6042 Research Project 2, ME6003 Research Project 3
The research project will demonstrate the student’s ability to perform independent research and self-directed learning on an unfamiliar, advanced problem, while utilising some of the major concepts and ideas encountered in earlier taught modules and project work. A major aim is to provide students with experience in producing work aimed at publication in a public forum (journal, conference, academic or industrial seminar, trade show etc).
ME6001 Fundamentals of Continuum Mechanics
Concept of a continuum, continuity, homogeneity and isotropy; Elements of vector and tensor algebra. Deformation and flow; Stresses; Fundamental laws of continuum mechanics; Constitutive relations: Mathematical models for linear elastic solids and Newtonian fluids; Introduction to the Finite Element method via the principle of virtual work; Finite element discretisation and solution of the finite-element equations.
ME6051 Advanced Technical Communication for Engineers
This module builds a foundation for the dissemination of research results by preparing engineering students for publishing/writing as a part of their professional careers. Students in this module examine the communicative, metacognitive, affective and social strategies that they employ as they negotiate their way through their writing, research and publishing processes. Students develop criteria for measuring the effectiveness of the strategies they employ and develop strategies for developing alternatives to ineffective strategies. Students also learn to assess the context into which they write in order to better inform their lexical, grammatical, rhetorical and ethical choices. Such choices take audience and purpose into account as well as genre: industrially focused conferences/seminars, academic conferences and academic journal articles. Students learn the transferable value of skills employed for contextual assessment to other professional writing contexts and develop a long-term writing-for-publication strategy.
ME6031Advanced Stability and Control of Aircraft
Review of fundamental concepts; influence of stability derivatives, limit cycles, roll control reversal, spiral and Dutch roll approximations, lateral flying qualities, inertial coupling; atmospheric turbulence, wind shear; frequency response methods; forward path and feedback path compensation, canonical transformation, controllability and observability, state variable
reconstruction, root contours for multi-parameter variation, robust control; roll attitude autopilots, altitude hold control systems, velocity hold control systems, instrument landing, lateral stability augmentation, optimal control with constraints on maximum roll angle or aileron deflection.
ME4438 Computational Fluid Dynamics
The philosophy of CFD; fundamentals of vector fluid dynamics; fundamentals of viscous fluid deformations; the governing equations of fluid dynamics; basic discretisation and grid generation techniques; the finite volume method; application to convection-diffusion problems; pressure-velocity coupling; implementation of boundary conditions; fundamentals of turbulence modelling.
ME5041 CAD-3D
Surface Modelling: Introduction to Surface Modelling; Understanding the Surface Modelling Workflow; Creating Design Frameworks for Surface Models; Surface Modelling using Boundary and Swept Blends; Creating surfaces using Variable Section Sweeps; Analysing Surface Models; Manipulating Surfaces; Creating solid objects from Surface Models. Mechanism Design: Introduction to Mechanism Design and Dynamics with Pro/Engineer; Creating Mechanism Connections; Modelling Dynamic Entities; Defining Mechanism Analyses and Evaluating Results. Advanced Assembly Management: Introduction to Assembly management with Pro/Engineer; Creating Design Frameworks; Communicating Design Information; Analysing and Modifying Assembly Structures; Creating Simplified Representations; Replacing and Substituting Components; Modifying Simplified Representations; Managing Complex Drawings.
ME6071 Non-linear Finite Element Analysis
Nonlinear behaviour of solids and structures; Continuum mechanics incremental equations of motion; Total and updated Lagrangian frameworks; Finite element (FE) equations in nonlinear analysis; Linearization of FE equations, Incremental-iterative methods; Implicit and explicit integration algorithms, FE solution techniques for stability, large strain and contact problems; Implementation of non-linear FE algorithms.
MT4107 Composite Materials
Fundamental concepts of composite materials, Continuous and discontinuous reinforcements. Ceramic, Metal and Polymer matrix systems, Stiffness and strength of composites, with particular reference to continuous fibre materials. Macro mechanical and micro mechanical approaches. Laminae and laminates, Geometric considerations. Fatigue behaviour and impact
toughness. Processing techniques for polymer matrix composites. Typical applications, including component and material design.
IE4248 Project Planning and Control
Project planning: Networks and work breakdown structures (WBS), job ordering procedures, multiple projects, concurrent engineering; Milestones, review points & slip charts; Project life-cycles: from concept through design-validation-production-service and support and disposal; Computer programs for Project Management Man management: Effective communications, cross-functional experience and relationships, organisational make-up, change management Cost estimation for products and projects: Estimating resource, time and cost requirements and constraints; Life-cycle costs, detailed & parametric cost estimating models, 3-estimate method; Opportunity costs of project delays; Budget determination, opening and maintaining accounts; Basic profit & loss determination. Comparing mutually-exclusive alternative projects: Project appraisal criteria: Pay-back period, time value of money and DCF, NPV, IRR. After-tax cash flows; A 10-step cycle, system boundary, incremental cost & benefit determination, Sensitivity analysis, Risk & Uncertainty, Decision Trees, Non-financial criteria.
ME4417 Boundary Layer Theory
The Derivation of the Three-Dimensional Viscous, Steady, Compressible Equations of the Conservation of Mass, Momentum and Energy. The Distinction between Differential and Integral Solutions. Differential Solutions for Simple Pipe Flow with Heat Transfer and Couette Flow. The Von-Karmen Integral Solution of Flat Plate Flow with Heat Transfer. Dimensional Analysis for Free and Forced Convection: the Non-dimensionalised Differential Equations. Shear Stress Drag and the Reynolds Colburn Analogy. Theories of Turbulence: The Prandtl - Mixing Layer Theory, the K-E Model. The Effect of Turbulence on Drag and Heat Transfer: The Elements of a Turbulent Boundary Layer.
ME6062 Advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics
The purpose of this module is to provide the student with an understanding of advanced topics in the field of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). These topics will be relevant to engineering problems (particularly in the Aerospace, Biomedical and Mechanical fields) and will be demonstrated using FLUENT, a commercial finite volume CFD code. Guidelines on mesh design and quality; Types of CFD Uncertainty; Mesh convergence; Mesh adaption; Types of boundary conditions and their numerical implementation; Segregated and coupled solution techniques; Temporal discretisation of unsteady flows; Time marching for steady-state flows; Turbulence modelling and limitations; Non-Newtonian Fluids; Multiphase flow simulation; Advanced heat transfer simulation; Predicting aerodynamic noise.
ME6052 Fracture Mechanics
Application of linear elastic fracture mechanics using the stress intensity factor, K and the energy release rate, G. Application of non-linear elastic fracture mechanics using the line-integral, J. Application of creep fracture mechanics using the line integral C*. Application of failure assessment diagrams. Mechanisms of brittle, ductile and creep fracture.
ME6072 Engineering Mechanics of Plastics and Composites
Creep, recovery and stress relaxation of viscoelastic materials, fatigue and impact behaviour of plastics, and design methods for plastics. Elastic properties of composite materials: unidirectional laminae. Advanced manufacturing techniques and the rheology/processing science/engineering required to realise an acceptable component.
ME6032 Advanced Aircraft Structures
The Advanced Aircraft Structures module covers advanced structural topics such as stress analysis of aircraft components (inc. wings and fuselages), fatigue of aircraft structures, aeroelasticity, structural and loading discontinuities, structural stability, crashworthiness, composite structures and damage evaluation techniques; module utilises a problem based learning approach in which the student has to work in a group to design, manufacture and test a bolted/riveted repair for a cracked tapered wing spar using advanced stress analysis techniques developed in the lectures.
IE4238 Operations Analysis AM
Introduction to operations management and its applications. Introduction to Linear programming, transportation, assignment model and network models. Introduction to Integer programming, problem complexity and solutions to integer programming problems. Introduction to linear programming computer software. Introduction to discrete event simulation, the simulation process ? steps involved in carrying out a simulation project. Computer simulation packages: computer implementation issues, development of simulation models using a simulation package. Statistical aspects of simulation ? input analysis, random number generation, output analysis.
Aerospace Metallic Materials
The chronological development of materials for aircraft structural applications. Materials selection for the fuselage and wing. Properties and processing of metallic monolithic and composite materials. Physical metallurgy and structure property relationships of aluminium alloys, titanium alloys magnesium alloys, alloy steels. Corrosion characteristics. Development of new advanced metallic materials and processes to counter the competition from polymer composites.
