Defence Engineering College
Department of Aeronautical Engineering
Course Syllabus
1. Instructor Information
Name
Office Location
Phone Number
E-mail
Office Hours 9 Mid Examination period
2. Course Information
Course Name Aircraft Structures - I
Course Code AE - 4411
Credit hours 4-3-3
Prerequisite PE - 2042
3. Course Description
Aim: To enable the students determine the loads acting on aircraft structural components under various flight
conditions and to carry out their strength and stability analysis under various modes of loading.
Description:
Introduction, Nature and composition of modern a/c structures, Idealization of a/c structures for preliminary
analysis, load transfer in stiffened panel structures. Loads on structural components, functions of structural
components, forces and load factors under various flight conditions, flight envelop, Normal accelerations
associated with symmetric monaural loads; Gust loads joints and fittings, eccentrically loaded connections
welded joi9nts, design of members in tension, bending and torsion. Structural stability, Euler bucking of
column inelastic bucking effects of initial imperfections, stability of beam columns, bucking of thin plates
inelastic buckling of flat and curved plates; local instability, instability of stiffened panels; Tension field
beams; Torsion of closed section beams; Bredt-Batho shear flow: Torsion of open section beams.
4. Learning Outcomes
After the completion of the course the student will have the following attributes:
4.1 Knowledge
4.1.1 Know the nature and composition of modern aircraft structures.
4.1.2 Understand the need and principle of idealizations of A/C structures.
4.1.3 Knowledge of the functions of various aircraft structural components.
4.1.4 Ability to compute the A/C loads under various flight conditions.
4.1.5 Carry out stress analysis of A/C joints and fittings and investigate the various
types of joint failures.
4.1.6 Basic knowledge of the design of aircraft structural components under various
loading modes.
4.1.7 Compute the loads causing the structural instability of aircraft structural
components
4.1.8 Carry out Torsional stress analysis of open & closed section beams of A/C
structures.
4.1.9 Knowledge of the load transfer in stiffened panel structures.
4.2 Intellectual and Practical skills
4.2.1 Develop their ability to carry out preliminary stress analysis of aircraft structural
components
4.2.2 Enable them to analyze the stability of aircraft structural components
4.2.3 Devise methods to determine the critical stability loads for aircraft columns,
plates and shells.
4.3 Attitude and behavior
4.3.1. Develop team spirit.
4.3.2. Economical and efficient use of materials by designing weight sensitive structures
5. Method of Instruction
Class lectures 3 fifty minutes lecture hours every week & 3 fifty minutes
tutorial (Lab)
Study of lecture notes This is fully the responsibility of the learner
Demonstrations Will be given by the Technical assistant/Instructor
Lab assignments 2 fifty minutes lab every alternate week.
Group Assignment Work in groups of not more than 4 members.
Recognize individual contribution.
Eccentrically loaded
connections Tutorial
10 Welded joints problems/lab
Numerical problems work
Chapter: 8 Tension members
Plastic Bending
Design of members in 11 Constant bending stress Tutorial
various loading modes Trapezoidal distribution of problems/lab
bending stress work
12 Curved Beams
Torsion of circular shafts
Torsional stresses above the
elastic limit.
Chapter: 9 Euler buckling of columns Illustrative
Inelastic buckling problems
Structural Stability 13 Effect of initial
imperfections
Stability of beams under
transverse and axial loads.
14 Buckling of Flat plates in
Compression
Concept of Effective width
Ultimate Compressive
strength of flat sheets.
15 Curved plates in
compression
Local Instability
Instability of stiffened
panels
Tension field and semi-
tension field beams
Chapter: 10 16 Bredt – Batho shear flow
Torsion of open section
Torsion of closed and open beams
section beams Torsion of closed section
beams.
Chapter: 11 17 Introduction
Rib and bulk head shear
Load Transfer in stiffened flow
panel structures Numerical problems
7. Laboratory activities: None
8. Required Text and Reference
Text Book Peery, Aircraft Structures”, Longman, 1982
T.H.G. Megson, “aircraft structures for Engineering Students”, 4 th edition,
Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007
Reference Books C.T.Sun. ‘Mechanics of Aircraft Structures”, 2 nd ed, Wiley, 2006
Bruce K.Donaldson, “Analysis of Aircraft Structures”, 2 nd ed, Cambridge
University press, 2008
Software Required No required software
9. Assessment
Type Weight Due date Behavior and Criteria
Mid semester 30% 9th week of the semester Examination will be set to address learning
Exam outcomes 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.2.1, 4.2.2 and the
criteria is to get all questions answered
correctly
Final semester 50% 18th week of the semester Examination will be set to address learning
Exam outcomes 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.2.1, 4.2.2 and the
criteria is to get all questions answered
correctly
Group 10% 14th week Questions will be given on the 7 th week in
Assignment such way that to the following outcomes 4.1.1,
4.1.2, 4.2.1 and 4.2.2.
Individual 10% TBD Analysis of a structure
assignment
10. Academic Honesty
Copying from any outside sources (e.g. Fellow students, and Internet, etc.) on any material to be graded is
not permitted, and will be considered cheating. Cheating will result in failure of the assignment, failure of
the class and/or face possible disciplinary action. Each student is responsible for securing his or her work
from copying. Each student is expected to abide by college policies on academic conduct.
11. Due Date
All assignments must be turned in the class on the due date for full credit. No assignment will be accepted
after class on the due date. Since the group assignment is due in week 15, papers for this presentation should
be submitted before one week of the 15th week. Failure of submission and presentation of the group
assignment in week 14 will be awarded as zero out of 10 points.
12. Classroom Behavior
Anything that disturbs your instructor or your colleagues during the class period is considered a troublesome
behavior. Examples include: Using mobiles, PDA, making offensive remarks, sleeping, working on
assignments related to other courses, etc. troublesome behaviors are completely prohibited.
13. Approval (Affidavit)
Name Signature Date
Instructor:
Section Head:
Department Head:
