2006 International Mechanical Engineering Education Conference, Beijing, China

Incorporation of Design, Analysis, Manufacture, and Testing of an All-Composite Torque Box in Aerospace Structures Course

Hongbing Lu
Associate Professor Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Oklahoma State University Stillwater, USA March 31 April 4, 2006

An overview of OSU, CEAT, MAE Aerospace Structure I Course Aerospace Capstone Project BalloonSat Project

School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE)

20 Faculty members

Offers B.S.M.E. and B.S.A.E (or Double Major in A.E./M.E.), both ABET accredited More than 130 graduate and 400 undergraduate students 100% growth in aerospace engineering enrollment compared with two years ago

Some Aerospace Engineering Highlights & Facilities

Emphasis on providing students with hands-on, and realworld experiences. Flight test experience. Aero-structures course with composites design/fabrication experience. Aerospace design. L. Andrew Maciula Aerospace Design Studios Design studios to facilitate group communication and cooperation. Aerospace Assembly Lab Large design space to facilitate hands-on projects. Composites lab Well stocked clean-room vacuum systems, and composites oven for undergraduate and graduate use.

Aerospace Structures-I course at OSU

Parallel theory class and lab for five weeks; theory class for the rest.

Theoretical materials covered:

The structural design concept (demonstrations includes videos from Boeing). Mechanics of aerospace structures Constitution of aerospace materials Theory and analysis of advanced beams. Composite theory and fabrication.

Introduction of composite concepts

By mixing Adobe clay, straw and water, ancient peoples created some of the earliest composite materials. 2 + 2 = 10 !!

BQM-74 Navy target Drone

Project Problem Description

Limit Loads: Lift: 750 kgf, Drag: 175 kgf Picthing moment: 4 kgfm 1.8 m Weight < 6 kg

NACA 0020 airfoil

Phase-I

Basic composite material concepts and fabrication

Composite industry Experienced engineer

Research

Teach and demonstrate upto-date composite material concepts and fabrication techniques

Phase-II
Division of labor and time management

Design and Analysis group

Drawing group

Report writing group

Fabrication group

Phase-II The calculations methodology is taught in class and covered in homework thoroughly. Use of computer aided tools to develop programs for design Design and Analysis group and analysis Keeping in mind the fabrications requirements. Design lay-ups and tooling such as molds and jogs for assembly. Analysis is conducted for each structural element and the assembly under all loads experienced by the structural member.

Phase-II Gives students hands-on experience with fabrication techniques, tricks and tips, not detailed in textbooks. For example, material selection, ply layups, curing cycle, use of different structures like honeycomb, operations such as sanding, dusting, etc.

Fabrication group

Phase-III Testing
Testing rig helps load the wing under loads equivalent to actual conditions
Use strain gages and image analysis to determine deformations, compare measurement data with analytical results.

Pitching Moment Drag

Engine Load Holder

Torque Box Clamp

Phase-III Testing

Aerospace Engineering Design Successes

Instructor: Dr. Andrew S. Arena

OSU, 1st place in 01, 03, 04, and 05

Orange-2004

Orange-2003

Black-2004

Black-2003

A BalloonSat
Instructor: Dr. Andrew S. Arena

Filling the Balloon

100000 90000 80000 70000 Alt (Ft) 60000 50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 0 -80 -60 -40 -20 Temp (F) 0 20 40 60

Stratosphere Tropopause Troposphere

Skies Over Oklahoma at ~36 km

Some Elements of Aerospace Program

Quality Students
Competing with the best (eg. MIT, USC, UCLA, U of I, WVU, USMA, Ga Tech, SDSU, UTA, TAMU, VPI, USNA, Cal Poly, etc., etc.)

Strong Programs
Accredited programs with added emphasis on design and hands-on problem solving and teaming. Flight Test experience. Aero-structures course with composites design/fabrication experience. Aerospace Design.

Infrastructure
Computational tools, space to facilitate teams interactions fabrication, and testing.

Initiative
Students, Faculty, Administrators

Contact Information:
Hongbing Lu Email: hongbin@okstate.edu Website: www.mae.okstate.edu