Abstract
A time and cost effective laboratory exercise has been developed to provide large numbers of students with practical hands-on experience of a complete structural development cycle in the first year of their M.Eng. Aeronautical Engineering course. Teams of students are given a set of requirements to design, build and test a small-scale semi-monocoque wing box and centre section structure within a strict schedule. The exercise is assessed by a competitive team component based on structural performance and individual component based on a certification report. The exercise is well received by the students and provides a useful practical experience to relate to other more academic parts of the materials, structures and design courses. The prescribed form, although not covering the conceptual stage of design, provides an instructive layout for students to visualize a complete structural development process clearly despite the inherently large number of problems to be considered and solved.