MAE4410 Flight vehicle design
Faculty of Engineering
MAE4410 Flight vehicle design is a level 4, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Engineering, offered in 2024 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It needs MAE3404 and MAE3405.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2024
- Semester 2
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 6 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2024 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before MAE4410
Prerequisites
Pass these before you enrol.
Prohibitions
You can't enrol if you have passed any of these.
After MAE4410
No unit lists MAE4410 as a prerequisite in the 2024 handbook.
Overview
On completion of this unit, you will have an understanding of the key elements of aircraft performance analysis as used in aerospace vehicle design. A student project, involving the initial design stages of a flight vehicle, will integrate these studies. Various characteristics of aircraft performance and their design implications will be examined including whole-aircraft drag polar, power plant characterisation, thrust required in level flight, maximum speed estimation, minimum speed and high-lift devices, rate of climb, gliding, range, endurance, accelerated flight, structural limitations on performance, and design for longitudinal and lateral stability. Mission analysis and preliminary weight estimation based on a design concept will be examined together with the aerodynamic synthesis to satisfy performance requirements, power plant selection, overall vehicle layout and balance. Trade-offs as a necessary part of the design will be apparent to you on completion of this unit.
Offerings in 2024
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Problem worksheets15%
- Computer worksheets15%
- Team meeting minutes5%
- Preliminary design report15%
- Final design report40%
- Final design review10%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Justify preliminary aircraft sizing based on mission requirements and weight correlations.
- 2
Draw upon constraint analysis to size aircraft propulsion and lifting surfaces to meet specified performance requirements.
- 3
Generate aircraft layouts to appropriate Joint Aviation Requirements (JARs).
- 4
Predict aircraft drag polars by a variety of methods.
- 5
Construct an appropriately dimensioned and labelled 3-view drawing of final aircraft design.
- 6
Manage the distribution of aircraft components to appropriately locate the aircraft centre of gravity.
Workload and teaching
- Studio activities48 hours
- Workshops24 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of 3-6 hours of scheduled learning activities and 6-9 hours of independent study per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher-directed learning, peer-directed learning and online engagement. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities.
The primary teaching and learning methodology is based around conventional lectures (3 hours
per week), Computer lab/design sessions (2 hours per week) and problem-solving sessions (2
hours per week). The lectures are a mixture of applied aerodynamics, propulsion system
characterisation, aircraft performance analysis and aircraft design methods. Students are provided
with PDF copies of the overhead slides/lecture notes prior to each lecture.
The unit consists of lectures, practice classes and computer laboratory sessions. As explained
above, we use the lectures to deliver a summary of the theory and illustrate how it relates to practice.
In the practice classes, we focus on helping you to use the material from the texts and
lectures to solve problems. The problems vary from ones that illustrate straightforward calculations
to ones that require deeper insight, requiring that you determine the form of the problem and which
equations are needed to solve it. This will be illustrated by demonstrations at the problem-solving
classes and by providing individual or group guidance with the set problems.
Learning resources
Recommended resources
Recommended textbooks:
● Nicolai and Carichner (2010) Fundamentals of Aircraft and Airship Design, Volume 1. AIAA
● Schaufele (2000) The Elements of Aircraft Preliminary Design, Aries
● Raymer (2006) Aircraft Design, A Conceptual Approach, AIAA
● Torenbeek (1982) Synthesis of Subsonic Aircraft Design, Springer
● Torenbeek and Wittenberg (2009) Flight Physics, Springer
Where it fits
MAE4410 is part of 1 area of study in the 2024 handbook.
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Aditya Paranjape
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Aditya Paranjape
Common questions
When is MAE4410 offered?
In 2024, MAE4410 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.
How much work is MAE4410?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does MAE4410 have an exam?
No. MAE4410 has 6 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include MAE4410?
MAE4410 is part of Aerospace engineering.