Course description
This course presents the fundamentals of stress analysis, as well as detail stressing methods to meet the needs of aircraft stress analysis. It is designed to introduce delegates to practical stress analysis, using real structural problems to illustrate the fundamental principles and practical techniques.
The course will be delivered via a mixture of lectures, tutorials, and hands-on sessions in the computer lab for finite element methods. A stressing exercise of a representative aircraft structure will be introduced as a case study in the second week of the course to apply and test the knowledge learnt.
Delegates will receive a Certificate of Attendance upon completion of this course.
Upcoming start dates
Suitability - Who should attend?
The course is intended for new members of aircraft stress offices who may have been recruited from other departments, or from other branches of engineering. Previous delegates have come from various roles including:
- Stress engineers
- Aerospace designers
- Accident investigation staff
- Structural engineers
- Aircraft / aerospace maintenance engineers
- Automotive / motorsport engineers
- Aerospace test engineers
- Airforce, military and naval engineering staff
- Airworthiness engineers
- Certification engineers
- Composite materials engineers.
Whilst there are no precise academic requirements, delegates are likely to hold a minimum qualification of HND or Degree in mechanical or aeronautical engineering or related subject.
Outcome / Qualification etc.
What you will learn
- Understand the principles and techniques in stress analysis.
- Have a hands-on experience of solution methods and procedures in real structural design problems.
- Be aware of problem areas and appreciate good design practice in aircraft stress analysis.
Training Course Content
Core content
Loading
- Aircraft design load and safety factors.
- Loads due to manoeuvre and gusts.
- Airworthiness requirements.
Basics of stress analysis
- The place of stress calculations in aircraft design and production.
- Strength and stiffness requirements.
- Material properties.
- Stressing data sheets and generalised stress-strain curves.
- In-plane and bending stresses.
- Section properties.
- Complex stress and design criteria.
- Structural principles and structural analysis.
- Micro-mechanics and macro-mechanics of composites.
- Failure analysis of composite structures.
- Finite element method theory.
Buckling
- Formulae for struts, effects of yielding.
- Torsional and local instability.
- Buckling of stiffened panels in compression and shear, post buckling behaviour.
- Imperfection sensitivity.
Aircraft Structures
- Thin-walled aircraft structures under torsion, bending and shear.
- Fatigue and damage tolerance design of metallic structures.
- Fatigue and damage tolerance design of composite structures.
Detail Stressing Methods
- Yielding and form factors.
- Analysis of lug strength.
- Analysis of rivet/bolt groups.
- Analysis of cut-out in stiffened panels.
- Stressing exercise of a representative aircraft structure.
Others
- Tutorial sessions for major topics.
- Hands-on session at the computer lab for finite element method.
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