EAS 4200C - Aircraft Structures I - Fall 2007.

12/12: Solution to third in term exam.

12/6: Deadline for reporting participations is Monday 12/10 at 9AM.

11/30: Exam material and sample problems posted.

10/8: Grade predictor is now activated (click grade information on the side frame). Feedback and planned changes.

Before sending participation email check rules on web page!

This home page (www.mae.ufl.edu/haftka/structures/) serves as a communication vehicle between the students and the instructor of the Aircraft Structures I course.

Instructor: Raphael T. Haftka, Office hours: MWF 9th period, 220 MAE-A building

Graduate Teaching assistants: Ben Smarslok, , 333 MAE-A, Mulu Haile, , 125 NEB.

Undergraduate teaching assistants: Jessica Sockwell , Tomas Houba, Brad LaCroix , 126 MAE-C.

Combined Office hour (each at location specified above) schedule (  ( 

Textbook: C.T. Sun, Mechanics of Aircraft  Structures, 2nd edition, John Wiley, 2006.

Primary References:

  • Beer, F.P. and Johnson, E.R., Mechanics of Materials, McGraw-Hill.
  • Niu, C.Y., Airframe Structural Design, JConmilit Press, Hong Kong.

Course objectives: Teach modern techniques of structural analysis and design with emphasis on aerospace applications. Develop communication skills and teamwork skills.

Topics:

  • Introduction – aircraft structures and materials
  • Introduction to elasticity
  • Torsion and bending of beams
  • Analysis and design of thin-walled beams
  • Failure criteria for isotropic materials
  • Elastic buckling

Homework: Homework assignments help students absorb methodology and concepts taught in the course and prepare them for the exams. Credit for homework problems will come from a quiz held on the day a homework assignment is due. The 15 minute quiz will include a fragment of one of the homework problems, possibly with modified numbers. The two worst quizzes will be tossed out in calculating the homework grade, but no make-up quizzes will be given. Homework assignments are also intended to develop written communication skills. Students can submit for extra credit (15% of a quiz) a solution to a homework assignment set (just before the quiz) that will be judged on clarity. The criterion you should apply to judge clarity is the following: Five years from now, you should be able to pick up the homework, understand exactly what was done, and be able to verify its correctness with a minimum investment of time without having access to the textbook.

In-Term Exams: The three  in-class exam are closed book, except for one 8.5"x11" page, written in any density (you may bring a magnifier if you wish to write very small). There will be a make-up exam on the day of the third exam (last class day) for the first two in-term exams. Note however, that make-up exams are harder than the original exams they substitute for.

Project: Stress analysis of the root station on the wing of a Boeing 767. Will have four parts spaced during the semester. Each part worth up to 2% extra credit. See details.

Participation and attendance: Participation in class is important to provide feedback to the instructor and makes the lecture livelier. You are expected to participate five times during the semester by asking a question or answering one. To get credit, you will need to email the instructor, within a week of the participation, detailing the question you asked or the answer you gave. You can earn up to 30% extra participation credit for participating 10 times or more (see detailed rules) but not more than once a week. Class attendance is not required beyond the participation requirement.

Extra credit and student TAs: Students learn from one another, and if you normally help your classmates in their studies, you can earn extra credit (20% on homework) and some pay for being available to your classmates during scheduled office hours three hours a week. This will require you to complete the homework and discuss your solution with the TAs two days after it is assigned. Up to three positions will be filled during the first week of the semester. In case of more applicants than positions, preference will be given based on overall GPA and the grade in Mechanics of Materials.

Grading Policy: 30% homework quizzes, 60% three in-semester exams, 10% class participation. Grades are on an absolute scale (A=91+, B+=86+, B=81+,C+=76+, C=71+, D+=66+, D=61+). See grade calculator.

Course web site: www.mae.ufl.edu/haftka/structures  students are expected to check it on a regular basis for up-to-date course information. This may include changes to the syllabus, homework assignment due dates, and exam schedules.

Class E-mail Alias: To facilitate communication with the class, an e-mail alias will be created by the University. In order to be included in the distribution list, you will need to have a xxx@ufl.edu e-mail address. You can check this by going to the University of Florida home page, clicking on Phonebook at the top of the page, and then searching for your name.  If your e-mail address is not listed as xxx@ufl.edu, then you will need to contact the UF Computing Help Desk (helpdesk.circa.ufl.edu) to have this corrected during the first week of classes. If you do not have your e-mail address corrected, then you will not receive potentially important e-mail distributions from the instructor to the class. Note that you can always forward your xxx@ufl.edu e-mail to some other e-mail address if desired.

Personal responsibility. You are personally responsible for all information disseminated during the lectures. This means knowing all homework due dates, knowing when exams will be given, where they will be given, what material they will cover, and knowing all material, handouts, and announcements made in the lectures, whether or not you were present. Thus, if you miss a lecture, it is your responsibility to obtain all information presented during that lecture. "I missed that information" or "I was unaware of that information" will not be accepted as valid excuses.

Academic Honesty. All students admitted to the University of Florida have signed a statement of academic honesty committing themselves to be honest in all academic work and understanding that failure to comply with this commitment will result in disciplinary action. This statement is a reminder to uphold your obligation as a student at the University of Florida and to be honest in all work submitted and exams taken in this class and all others.

Accommodations for Disabilities. Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. That office will provide the student with documentation that he/she must then provide to the course instructor when requesting accommodations.

Software Use – All faculty, staff and student of the University are required and expected to obey the laws and legal agreements governing software use.  Failure to do so can lead to monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator.  Because such violations are also against University policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate.  We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to uphold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. 

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Enjoy. All feedback is welcome. Do not hesitate to contact me with any problems.

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