The module descriptors for our undergraduate courses can be found below:

  • Four year Aeronautical Engineering degree (H401)
  • Four year Aeronautical Engineering with a Year Abroad stream (H410)

Students on our H420 programme follow the same programme as the H401 spending fourth year in industry.

The descriptors for all programmes are the same (including H411).

H401

Structural Integrity and Health Monitoring S8

Module aims

The course provides the students with in-depth knowledge of fundamentals safe design and assessment of components and structures under load, and advanced form of non-destructive evaluation methods to interrogate the structures.   The course will initially introduce the underlying fundamentals for damage tolerance design and assessment of aeronautical structures (Metallic and composite). Next, Damage detection techniques such as wave, impedance, and vibration-based damage detection techniques will be discussed and applied to different types of structures. Advanced signal processing techniques analysis will be used to make the damage more quantifiable. 

Learning outcomes

On successfully completing this module, you should be able to:
1. Explain modern structural integrity principles and techniques for health monitoring assessment of critical structures; 
2. Employ the fundamentals of damage tolerance design to actual engineering situations;
3. Explain the basic principles of fracture and damage mechanics, as well as distinguish between the stress approach and the energy approach in linear elastic fracture mechanics and fatigue analysis; 
4. Apply the principles of nonlinear fracture mechanics; 
5. Apply the principles of structural health monitoring and identify their advantages/disadvantages and challenges; 
6. Employ different damage detection methodologies to composite structures and apply advance signal processing techniques to guided waves and develop damage detection algorithms for composite plates.
AHEP Learning Outcomes: SM7M, SM9M, EA6M, EA7M, P12M, P10m 

Module syllabus

 Structural Integrity Lectures:

 
• Lecture topic 1: Residual strength (concepts of safe life, fail-safe and damage tolerance design) (1h)
• Lecture topic 2: Principles of fracture mechanics (2h)
• Lecture topic 3: Principals of Damage Mechanics (1h)
• Lecture topic 4: Fatigue life-cycle analysis (1h)
• Lecture topic 5: Principals of Nonlinear Fracture Mechanics (1h)
 
Structural health monitoring lectures: 
 
• Lecture topic 6:  Introduction to Structural health monitoring in aerospace structures  (2h).
• Lecture topic 7: Electroactive and magnetoactive materials (2h)
• Lecture topic 7: Fundamentals concept in ultrasonic guided wave (2h)
• Lecture topic 8: Damage Diagnostic methods based on wave propagation methods (2h)
• Lecture topic 9: Advanced signal processing methods (2h)
• Lecture topic 10: Data acquisition technology (1h)
• Lecture topic 11: Damage Diagnostic methods based on wave propagation methods (2h)
• Lecture topic 12: Impact Detection methods based on wave propagation methods (1h) 

Teaching methods

 The structural integrity part will be class room based mainly and examinable. It will be combination of powerpoint slides and annotations during the lecture. Tutorial will follow by solving some specific examples to demonstrate the principles of fracture mechanics . 

The structural health monitoring part will be combination of lectures and laboratory assignments to enhance their understanding of the theory and also learn practical skills. 

Assessments

 This module presents opportunities both for formative and summative assessment.  

You will be formatively assessed through a number of progress tests and tutorial sessions. 
Additional opportunities are provided for you to self-assess your learning via tutorial problem sheets. 
Summative Assessment takes the form of a written closed-book exam at the end of the module and a piece of coursework.The first part of the course will be examinable (structural integirty) whereas the second part (structural health monitoring) will be course work based on the laboratory session where the data gathered by the students will be used to write a piece of code including advanced data processing and analysis. 
 
Assessment type Assessment description Weighting Pass mark
Examination 2-hour closed-book written examination in the Summer term 60% 50%
Coursework Laboratory session to gather data and write a code for data analysis 40% 50%
 
You will receive feedback on examinations in the form of an examination feedback report on the performance of the entire cohort. You will receive feedback on your performance whilst undertaking tutorial exercises, during which you will also receive instruction on the correct solution to tutorial problems. Further individual feedback will be available to you on request via this module’s online feedback forum

Reading list

Structural Integrity

Structural Health Monitoring

MEng Student Handbook 2024-25 for Post 2019-20 Entry Students
H41E Exchange-Erasmus Student Handbook 2024-25
MEng Degree Programme Specification