Aeronautical Engineering

The engineering business part of this module is to enable students to understand and reflect upon the role of business in a rapidly changing, globalised world. It identifies opportunities and threats for industry arising from environmental policy, legislation and societal change, and explores how businesses respond to future environmental challenges, for example through supply chain management, logistics, life-cycle analysis, green accounting and carbon trading.

Challenging questions are asked such as: can industry be a positive force for good? How do businesses learn and adapt to new challenges and economic models? This module benefits practitioners in industry and future academics exploring the sustainability of engineering businesses.

The module also teaches students self-direction and originality in problem solving. The research methods and associated study skills parts of the module provide students with the skills to successfully complete a research project.

The module is designed to provide students with the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the overall topical area of composite materials, including their properties, manufacturing, analysis and design. The module focuses on manufacturing methods, structure–composition–properties relationships, micro-mechanical modelling and the application of composite materials.

The module objectives are to:

• develop students’ in-depth understanding of the manufacturing and processing characteristics of composite materials
• develop students’ ability to analyse engineering problems involving composite materials for sustainable mechanical design
• develop students’ analytical and practical skills in micro-mechanical modelling of composite materials to predict fracture and failure
• consolidate students’ understanding and mastery of composite materials processing and selection, and their applications in engineering

The aim of this module is to provide appropriate pathways for students to understand types of failures that occur in materials. Students will be able to use their previous knowledge obtained from relevant undergraduate modules.

The module will address the main concepts and methods of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Advanced Flight Dynamics in the context of part of a project using these techniques. The chosen topic will require the student to formulate problems, conduct literature reviews, determine solutions, evaluate information, critically appraise, and present their findings.

Modern aircraft and UAV design is a subject that brings together mathematics, mechanics, electronics, computing sciences and control theory to build an intelligent and efficient flying system for various applications.

The module will familiarise students with the principles of aircraft and UAV design and their subsystems, including on-board electronics, communication, propulsion and power systems, as well as principles of modelling and operations.

Paired with design for performance, the maintenance and reliability of aircraft are of increasing importance. Maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO), and support of aircraft, engines and components encompass a wide range of complex activities. These activities play a key role in defence and civil aviation and aim to manage and ensure aircraft continuing airworthiness and safety at acceptable costs with optimal availability, while benefiting from technological innovations.

The objectives of the aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (AMRO) part of the module are to provide students with up-to-date exposure to modern techniques, methods, innovation, regulations and standards applied in the aviation industry. There is an emphasis on life-cycle cost management, making services more profitable, available and reliable. The AMRO component also provides a broad understanding from aircraft maintenance to sustainability issues in aeronautical operations, in compliance with international regulations.

This module merges two previously distinct modules: Dissertation (for non-engineering courses) and Individual Project (for engineering courses). As it covers a wide range of courses, it is delivered as a team effort.

The module aims to introduce students to the discipline of independent research carried out within a restricted timeframe. It involves self-organisation, application, analysis and presentation of work.

The topic will be chosen from a list provided by staff and grouped by discipline, or proposed by the student and agreed with the dissertation supervisor. It must be relevant to the course being taken. The project may involve practical work or be entirely desktop-based.

An ethics form is required and must be approved, although it is not graded. The report should be approximately 10,000–15,000 words, reflecting the amount of practical work and the nature of the topic.