Instructed by Michael Mohaghegh, Boeing Technical Fellow: Advanced Structures and Materials
- This applied introductory course covers the most important fundamental and practical concepts of modern aircraft structures.
- The on-demand course replay includes 30 hours of video lectures and slides.
- It also includes illustrative application examples, practice exercise problems, and supplemental material to enhance the learning experience
- All students will receive an AIAA Certificate of Completion at the end of the course
Overview
The course starts with a proposed set of desired competencies for both design and analysis. The course then covers evolution of design philosophy; airframe configurations and load paths; trade studies; margin of safety concept; material selection, design values; failure theories; idealization, using structural elements; selection of classical, empirical, and finite element analysis methods. This course also includes selected topics in design of structures under tensile, compressive, shear, and combined loads, and design of joints, fittings, and lugs. An introduction to design for fail-safety, durability, and damage tolerance is also presented. The course includes practice problems and an optional design project.
The AIAA Structures Technical Committee is thanked for their contributions to this course.
Course originally took place in Spring 2020.

Learning Objectives
- Explain the design and analysis competencies of aircraft structures
- Describe examples of airplane component configurations and load paths
- Describe design criteria and its evolution
- Explain the importance of trade studies for optimization
- Explain the verification, validation and certification process
- Identify design drivers for various components
- Describe how to develop or select material for an airplane part or component
- Be able to explain the simplification of the three-dimensional stresses and strains for structural elements including rods, beams, plates, and shells.
- Describe selection of analytical, empirical or finite element methods
- Recognize metals and composites strength and weaknesses for various applications
- Explain failure theories under combined stresses
- Describe the margin of safety concept
- Describe design for durability, fail safety and damage tolerance
Key Course Topics
- Structures Competencies
- Configurations
- Freebody Diagrams and Load Paths
- Design Philosophy and Criteria
- Verification and Validation
- Materials
- Design Allowables and Values
- Material Selection
- Idealization and Analysis Methods
- Tension Structures
- Joints, Lugs and Fittings
- Compression Structures
- Shear Structures
- Fatigue and Fracture
- Floor Structure Design Project
- See detailed outline below
Supplemental Exercise Problems
- Margin of Safety
- Combined Stresses
- Airframe Configuration
- Design Criteria, Validation and Testing
- Analysis Methods
- Material Selection
- Free Body Diagrams
- Structural Elements
- Joints, Lugs and Fittings
- Tension, Compression and Shear Panels
- Fail safety, Fatigue and Fracture
- Floor Structure Design Project
Audience: This course is for those industry and government engineers in airplane design, analysis, support, certification, as well as manufacturing or fleet support engineers. Aerospace, mechanical, civil and materials engineers would most benefit from this course.
It would also be of interest to students, practicing engineers working in the design, analysis or support functions, professors and those who wish to receive an exposure or deepen their understanding of aircraft structures engineering tools, processes, and methods.
Classroom hours / CEUs:30 classroom hours / 3.0 CEUs
Certificate of Completion
Receive an AIAA Course Completion Certificate upon viewing all course recordings. Please contact Lisa Le for a certificate.
Course Registration Fees (Sign In to Register)
Member Price: $1,195 USD
Non-Member Price: $1,495 USD
Student Member Price: $745 USD
Detailed Outline:
Introduction, Structures Competencies
· Introduction and background
· Course schedule
· Structures Engineer’s Competencies
o Design competencies
o Analysis competencies
Airframe Configurations
· Wing
· Fuselage
· Empennage
· Landing Gear
· Nacelle and Strut
· Control Surfaces
Free Body Diagrams (FBDs) and Load Paths
· FBDs for airplane, components and elements
· Method of sections for internal loads
· Idealization and boundary conditions
· Efficient load paths for airplane components
Design Philosophy and Criteria; Verification and Validation
· How the requirements affect design
· Various agencies and regulations
· The evolution of design requirements
· The 10 major design requirements
· Design drivers
· Building Block Approach
· Structural Testing
Materials
· Metals
· Composites
· Design allowables and values
· Material Selection
Idealization and Analysis Methods
· 3-D stresses and strains
· Structural elements
· Classical empirical and FEA methods
· Advantages and limitations of the methods
· Examples of airplane structural analyses
Margin of Safety Concept
· Factor of safety (FOS) and margin of safety (MOS)
· process for finding the MOS
· relationship between FOS and MOS
· margin of safety concept
· examples of an inappropriate MOS
Failure Theories
· Failure Criteria for metals
· Combined loading
· Failure Criteria for composites
Tension Structures
· Classical analysis method
· Improved analysis methods
· Elements and panels
Compression Structures
· Buckling and crippling
· Elements and panels
· Combined loading
Shear Structures
· Shear resistant panels
· Pure diagonal tension panels
· Intermediate diagonal tension panels
Fasteners, Joints, Lugs and Fittings
· Types of fasteners
· Types of joints
· Analysis of joints
· Analysis of lugs
· Analysis of fittings
Durability, Fail Safety and Damage Tolerance
· Design for durability
· Design for fail-safety
· Design for damage tolerance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Instructor
Michael Mohaghegh has worked for The Boeing Company
for 50 years on programs, core groups, product development, and airplane
support groups. He is a Boeing Technical Fellow in aircraft structures and
materials and presently the Chief Editor of The Boeing Company Design Principles
Manuals. Mike is an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Aeronautics
and Astronautics and is the Director of Modern Aircraft Structures Certificate
Program at the University of Washington. He graduated from the University of
California (Berkeley) with a BS and MS and from University of Washington with a
PhD in Civil Engineering with focus in Structures Engineering. He was also a
post doc for 2 years doing research in Failure Analysis at the University
of Washington. He has published numerous papers and developed and taught many
courses in aircraft structures at Boeing, airlines, suppliers, and MROs.
He was the lead author for the chapter on Subsonic Aircraft Materials in AIAA’s
book on Aerospace Materials.
Contact: Please contact Lisa Le or Customer Service if you have questions about the course or group discounts (for 5+ participants).
Title | Credit(s) | |
---|---|---|
1 | ||
2 | ||
3 | ||
4 | ||
5 | ||
6 | ||
7 | ||
8 | ||
9 | ||
10 |