Component One, Task One

Prepare a 200- to 300 word history about the National Critical Technology (NCT) technical application your team has selected to solve a local or national problem.

AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES

The Idea of man being able to fly has intrigued almost all people, it started with the Wright brother flying machines to the mega jets we see today flying great distance to far away places. All this is thanks to the innovations and developments that occurred in the 19th century.

Sir George Cayley established the scientific principles for heavier-than-air flight and used glider models for his research. John Stringfellow (with the help of William Hansen), designed a steam-engine powered aircraft with a wing span of 10 foot (3m). Lawrence Hargrave, a British-born Australian inventor, invented many devices but never patented his inventions One of his creation was the Rotary engine, which powered many early aircraft up until about 1920.British Francis Herbert Wenham introduced the idea of superposed wings in a flying machine, he tested out this method but the machines did not fly.

All of these incredible inventions, ideas and innovations are the reasons why we have planes today. Although the new plane have a different look the apply to the same rules that were established more 200 years ago.

Component 1, Task 2

Cite three detailed examples of research done in the past 3 to 5 years which focused
on the topic your team has selected.
Include:

• The funding agency
• The principal investigator’s name
• Institution where the research is or was being conducted

Parametric-associative CAE methods in aircraft pre-design

The aim of the project was to improve accuracy, efficiency and the flexibility of current pre-design methods in the aircraft construction with help of modern Computer Aided Design and Engineering (CAD/CAE) systems and methodologies. “Aircraft manufacturers are facing several challenges in the pre-design of complex and innovative aircrafts” (Parametric-Associative CAE Methods in Aircraft Pre-Design). The project was led by Paolo Ermanni, at the institution of ETH: Centre of Structure Technologies. “Fully parametric-associative models will allow modifying structures in a very flexible and efficient way” (Parametric-Associative CAE Methods in Aircraft Pre-Design).The number one of the funding sources/agencies of this project is Industry.

Cost Efficient Advanced Leading Edge Structure 2 (COALESE2)

The project’s leader is Gerald Kress, and the project, beginning in 2009, has been ongoing at the institution of ETH: Centre of Structure Technologies. “The quest for lower manufacturing costs of airplane wing leading edges requires new design principles and materials” (Cost Efficient Advanced Leading Edge Structure 2 (COALESCE2)). The project is an industrial collaboration study of new technology and design integration useful to fixed leading edge structure of aircraft mechanism. The project’s top one funding source/agency is EU. One of its prime aims is to “determine ways of achieving structural design concepts that are 30% more cost efficient than highly fabricated leading edge structure that have been standard on aircraft for 30yrs+” (Cost Efficient Advanced Leading Edge Structure 2 (COALESCE2)).

Design-Entity Based Structural Optimization with Evolutionary Algorithms

This project was investigating novel encoding schemes in conjunction with evolutionary design optimization of structural parts. The project leader was also Paolo Ermanni, at the institution of ETH: Centre of Structure Technologies and SNF is one of the funding sources/agencies of this project. According to the research, “there is worldwide an increasing need for improving design solutions at lower development costs and time” (Design-Entity based Structural Optimization with Evolutionary Algorithms) . Structural Optimization is a great useful interest to the part of the engineering world. It also provides a research field where high levels of mathematical skill and creative fantasy can grow.

Component 1, Task 3

Based the research your team has done, explain how the NCT application chosen has advanced scientific knowledge.

Computational structural mechanics has advanced scientific knowledge because the research conducted seeks methods for finding solutions beyond human perception to complex design problems in the field of composite structures. Computational structural mechanics can also be defined as design and analysis of important components—for example aircraft structures. Models used in computational structural mechanics, for instance ‘in crashworthiness assessments of vehicles, such as autos, buses, trucks, trains, and aircraft, under accident conditions’ (Computational Structural Mechanics).

Computational structural mechanics is a well-established methodology for the design and analysis of many components and structures found in the transportation.

“Structures are everywhere. They play a central role in realization of innovence technical products and systems with ever-increasing demands” (Computational Structural Mechanics).