Aeronautical Engineering MSc module details
Engineering Business Environment and Research Methods
The engineering business part of this module is to enable students to understand and reflect upon the role of business in a rapidly changing, globalised world. It identifies opportunities and threats for industry arising from environmental policy, legislation and societal change, and explores how businesses respond to future environmental challenges: for example, through supply chain management, logistics, life -cycle analysis, green accounting and carbon trading. Challenging questions are asked such as: can industry be a positive force for good? How do businesses learn and adapt to new challenges and economic models? This module benefits practitioners in industry, and future academics exploring the sustainability of engineering businesses.
The module also teaches students self-direction, and originality in problem solving. The research methods and associated study skills parts of the module provide students with the skills to successfully complete a research project.
Advanced Materials, Structures and Design
The module is designed to provide the students with the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the overall topical area of composite materials including their properties, manufacturing, analysis and design. The module focuses on manufacturing methods, structure- composition-properties relationship, micro-mechanical modelling and application of composite materials.
The module objectives are: to develop students’ in-depth understanding of the manufacturing and processing characteristics of composite materials; to develop students’ ability in analysing engineering problems involving composite materials for sustainable mechanical design; to develop students’ analytical and practical skills in micro-mechanical modelling of composite materials to predict fracture and failure; and to consolidate students’ understanding and mastering of composite materials processing and selection and their applications in engineering.
The aim of this module is giving appropriate pathways to the students about types of failures which occur in materials. The students will be able to use their previous knowledge that they have obtained from undergraduate relevant modules.
CFD and Advanced Flight Dynamics
The module will address the main concepts and methods of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Advanced Flight Dynamics in the context of part a of a project using these techniques. The chosen topic will require the student to formulate problems, conduct literature reviews, determine solutions, evaluate information, critically appraise, and present their finding.
Manned and Unmanned Aircraft Design and Maintenance
Modern aircraft and UAV design is a subject which joins together mathematics, mechanics, electronics, computing sciences and control theory to build an intellectual and efficient flying robot for various applications. The module will familiarise the students with the principles of aircraft UAV design and its subsystems: on-board electronics, communication, propulsion and power systems, principles of modelling and operations. Paired with the design for performance, the maintenance and reliability of aircraft is of increasing importance. Maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO) and support of aircraft, engines and components encompass a wide range of complex activities. Those activities play a key role for defence and civil aviation and aim at managing and ensuring aircraft continuing airworthiness and safety at acceptable costs with the best availability, while benefiting from technological innovations. The objectives of the aircraft maintenance, repair, overhaul (AMRO) part of the module is to provide students with up-to-date exposure to modern techniques and methods, innovation, regulations, and standards applied in aviation industry, putting an emphasis on life cycle cost management making services more profitable, available, and reliable. The AMRO aims at providing a wide range of knowledge from aircraft maintenance to sustainability issues in relation to aeronautical operations in compliance with international regulations.
Individual Project
This module merges two previously distinct modules, Dissertation (for non-engineering courses) and Individual Project (for engineering courses). As it will cover a great diversity of courses, it will be delivered as a team effort. The module aims to introduce the student to the discipline of independent research carried out in a restricted timeframe. It will involve self-organisation, application, analysis and presentation of work. The topic will be chosen from a list provided by staff, grouped by discipline, or chosen by the student and agreed with the dissertation supervisor. It must be relevant to the course being taken. The project may involve practical work, or be entirely desktop based. An ethics form will be required with approval but is not marked. The Report should be approximately 10,000 – 15,000 words, reflecting the amount of practical work and the nature of the topic.