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.

Course materials:
Over 800 pages of course slides will be available for immediate download. Stream the 30-hours of video recordings anytime, 24/7. No part of these materials may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted, unless for course participants. All rights reserved.

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

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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).