Course Description
This course is offered once per year on-campus. The course is designed to provide an extensive review of vehicle structures, loads and flutter/vibration testing takes the student from basic properties of materials through advanced instrumentation methods for determining vibrations/flutter regions and divergence. Industry standards for determining loads limits and vibrations/freedom from flutter are addressed as well as possible ways for obtaining required data in a limited amount of flight time. A study of the instrumentation installation on an NTPS aircraft enhances the students’ knowledge of the correct test methods for in-flight loads determination. Stores clearance may be considered an extension of aircraft loads and flutter/vibrations testing. Unique stores load and flutter/vibrations issues are examined as well as theory and methods for clearing stores for external carriage and separation/launch
Anticipated Course Learning Outcomes
Be familiar with
1. Â The aeroelastic effects of an aircraft.
Understand
2. Â The properties of different materials used in aircraft.
3. Â Performing basic loads testing of aircraft.
4. Â Loads and flutter ground test methods.
Know
5. Â The flight test techniques employed to determine aircraft in flight loads.
6. Â The flight test techniques employed to demonstrate an aircraft is free from adverse aero-elastic/vibrations effects.
7. Â The theory & test methods to clear stores for carriage.
8. Â The theory & test methods to clear stores for separation.