Teaching, Learning and Pedagogy Division

Reg. No. 200604393R

COURSE OUTLINE FOR STUDENTS AT NTU

Academic Year Semester

Course Profs Chai Gin Boay and Lin Rongming
Coordinator
Course Code MA3700
Course Title Aircraft Structures I
Pre-requisites MA2001 Mechanics of Materials
No of AUs 3
Contact Hours Lecture (39 hrs)
Proposal Date 14 Dec 2017

Course Aims
This course is offered to Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4 students. The course introduces the various
structural components of the aircraft and the loads that they will experience during the various
stages of flight. The aim of the course is to extend and enhance the fundamental solid mechanics
concepts as applied to solving aircraft structural problems.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

By the end of this course, you (as a student) would be able to:

1. Explain the structural components of an aircraft and their functions.

2. Apply the basic concepts to solve aircraft structural problems.
3. Use alternative methods to solve practical aircraft structural problems.
4. Demonstrate how external aerodynamic loads give rise to stresses and deformations.
Course Content

1. Structural Components Of An Aircraft 3 hrs

Wire braced structures, semi-monocoque structures, sandwich
structures. Terms associated with shape and dimensions of aircraft.

2. Loads On Aircraft 8 hrs

General flight forces. Acceleration loads. Further aerodynamic and
other loads. Velocity-load diagram. Gust load factors.

3. Aircraft Structural Components And Structural Idealization 4 hrs

Loads on the structural components. Function of the structural
components. Fabrication of the structural components. Structural
idealization.

Teaching, Learning and Pedagogy Division

LT19A-B4-01, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798
65923739
[email protected] http://www.ntu.edu.sg/tlpd
 4. Open And Closed Thin-Walled Tubes 5 hrs
In-plane and out-of-plane deflections and stresses of open and closed
tubes due to bending, torsion and shear. Effect of Axial constraints.

5. Multicell Structures 6 hrs

Deflection, bending, torsion and shear of multicell structures. Shear
centre and flexural axis. Variation of shear modulus. Effect of taper.
Effect of booms.
6. Practical Aircraft Structural Analysis 8 hrs
The analysis of wing and fuselage. Cutouts in semi-monocoque
structures.

7. Buckling Phenomenon 5 hrs

Buckling phenomenon in columns and plates. Exact and energy
approach to solving buckling of columns and beam-columns.

Assessment (includes both continuous and summative assessment)

Component Course Related Weighting Team/Individual Assessment

LO Programme LO rubrics
Tested or Graduate
Attributes
1. Final 1-4 2017 SLO 60 Individual
Examination
(Closed Book;
a, b, c, j
2.5hrs)
2. Continuous 1-3 2017 SLO 20 Individual
Assessment 1
(CA1):
a, b, c, d, e, f,
Assignment i, j, l

3. Continuous 2-4 2017 SLO 20 Individual

Assessment 2
(CA2):
a, b, c, d, e, f,
Assignment j, l

Total 100%

Formative feedback

(1) The outcome of the CA will be discussed before the end of the course to provide feedback and
identifying the common mistakes/misapplication of concepts made by students.

(2) You are encouraged to ask questions in class and are encouraged to seek consultation after class.

(3) Open ended assignments are used as a yard stick to measure your progress and simulate the
learning process.

(4) Feedback will be welcome through the course, where you could write in to the lecturers for
constructive suggestions.
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Learning and Teaching approach

Approach How does this approach support students in achieving the

learning outcomes?

Online lectures This will ensure that the students know the essential points for a
via LAMS. particular lecture before moving to the next part of the lecture.
Quiz at various
check points.

Tutorials Once a week session for discussion and tutorial session.

CA1 Take home assignment for students to apply and learn ILO 1 to 3.

CA2 Take home assignment for students to apply and learn ILO 2 to 4.

Reading and References

Recommended Textbook:
Megson T.H.G., Aircraft Structures for Engineering Students, Elsevier Butterworth-Heineman, 5th
edition, 2012.

Reading Lists:
Cutler J. and Liber J., Understanding Aircraft Structures, Blackwell, 4th edition, 2006.
Peery J.D., Aircraft Structures, Dover Publications, 2011.
Beer, Johnston, DeWolf and Mazurek, Mechanics of Materials, McGraw-Hill, 7th edition, 2015

Course Policies and Student Responsibilities

As a student of the course, you are required to abide by both the University Code of Conduct and the
Student Code of Conduct. The Codes provide information on the responsibilities of all NTU students,
as well as examples of misconduct and details about how students can report suspected
misconduct. The university also has the Student Mental Health Policy. The Policy states the
University’s commitment to providing a supportive environment for the holistic development of
students, including the improvement of your mental health and wellbeing. These policies and codes
concerning students can be found in the following link.
http://www.ntu.edu.sg/SAO/Pages/Policies-concerning-students.aspx

Academic Integrity

Good academic work depends on honesty and ethical behaviour. The quality of your work as
a student relies on adhering to the principles of academic integrity and to the NTU Honour
Code, a set of values shared by the whole university community. Truth, Trust and Justice are
at the core of NTU’s shared values.

As a student, it is important that you recognize your responsibilities in understanding and

applying the principles of academic integrity in all the work you do at NTU. Not knowing what
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is involved in maintaining academic integrity does not excuse academic dishonesty. You need
to actively equip yourself with strategies to avoid all forms of academic dishonesty, including
plagiarism, academic fraud, collusion and cheating. If you are uncertain of the definitions of
any of these terms, you should go to the academic integrity website for more information.
Consult your instructor(s) if you need any clarification about the requirements of academic
integrity in the course.

Course Instructors

Instructor Office Location Phone Email

Chai Gin Boay N3-02c-88 67905756 [email protected]
Lin Rongming N3.2-02-80 67904728 [email protected]

Planned Weekly Schedule

Topic Readings/
Week Course LO
Activities
1 Fundamentals of Aircraft Understand the details of Chapter 11 and 12
Structures and aircraft structural components of Recommended
Components SLO (1) textbook.
2 Fundamentals of Flight Analyze the effect of aircraft Chapter 14 of
control surfaces Recommended
SLO (1, 2) textbook.
3 Airworthiness, Load Describe aerodynamic and Chapter 13 of
factors and Flight inertial forces acting on an Recommended
Envelope airframe during steady and textbook.
accelerated flight manoeuvres.
SLO (2, 4)
4 Gust Loading and Gust V- Describe the effect of gust on Chapter 14 of
n Diagram the computation of Recommended
aerodynamic forces. textbook.
SLO(3, 4)
5 Wing and Fuselage – Understand the details of the Chapter 12 of
Shape and Structural structural shape and fabrication Recommended
Make-up of the main aircraft textbook.
components.
SLO (1, 2, 3, 4)
6 Reviews of the Apply the Year 1 and Year 2 1) Beer, Johnston,
Fundamental mechanics to aircraft structural DeWolf and
Engineering Mechanics analysis. Mazurek,
SLO(2, 3, 4) Mechanics of
Materials,
McGraw-Hill, 7th
edition, 2015.
2) Chapters 1 and
2 of
Recommended
textbook.

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7 Torsion of Thin-Walled Analyze shear stress and Chapter 18 of
Structures. deformation in thin-walled Recommended
structures under torsion. textbook.
SLO(2, 3, 4)
8 Bending and Shearing Analyze bending stress in thin- Chapter 16 of
Stresses in Thin-Walled walled structures under Recommended
Structures Part I. bending. textbook.
SLO(2, 3, 4)
9 Bending and Shearing Analyze shearing stress in thin- Chapter 17 of
Stresses in Thin-Walled walled structures under Recommended
Structures Part II. bending. textbook.
SLO(2, 3, 4)
10 Thin-walled Fuselage Apply the thin-walled pressure Chapter 7 of Beer,
Structures. vessel theory to fuselage Johnston, DeWolf
structure. and Mazurek,
SLO(2, 3, 4) Mechanics of
Materials,
McGraw-Hill, 7th
edition, 2015.
11 Practical Aircraft Stress Understand structural Chapter 20 of
Analysis Part I. idealization and analyse Recommended
idealized aircraft structures. textbook.
SLO(2, 3, 4)
12 Practical Aircraft Stress Analyse the effect of taper and Chapter 21 of
Analysis Part II. multi-cell idealized aircraft Recommended
structures. textbook.
SLO(2, 3, 4)
13 Deflection and Buckling Analyse bending and shear Chapters 5, 8 and
of Aircraft Structures deflection and the buckling of 16 of
stuctures. Recommended
SLO(2, 3, 4) textbook.

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