Unit 5 Quiz Coming Soon!While one group of engineers needs to understand the properties and processes involved in building with metals, another group of engineers needs to know about various composite materials. Composites are used in many applications from insulation to fuselage construction, and other internal components. Over the course of the unit, you’re expected to learn the following
- What are composite materials, how they are made, and where they are used
- How to create various composite test samples
- How to test composites for temperature durability
- How to use the SSA1000 stress analyzer to test your samples for strength
- What the implications of different composite material properties are for aerospace engineers
Aerospace vessels need to be made out of materials that are properly durable. In this unit, you’ll create a variety of composites, and will test their resistance to heat and their overall strength. As you investigate composite materials, you’ll go through three major steps:
- STEP 1: Learn about composites and do some strength testing on different composites to learn about structural properties
- STEP 2: Do some heat tests on different composites to learn about thermal properties of composites
- STEP 3: Complete the Re-Entry Design Challenge combining your knowledge of composite properties
When you’re all done, you will have investigated a wide range of composites and their various properties. You also will have seen how engineers use composite materials in aerospace applications.
To begin, our job starts with an investigation of composite materials and their properties. You’ll first take some notes on the development and application of different composite materials. Then, you and your team will build a range of composite test samples that will be used in strength testing with the SSA1000.
GRADING & PROCESS
Take careful notes on the manufacture and types of composite materials
Build your composite testing samples & let them cure overnight
Break your test samples in the SSA1000, record your data
Add Data to the Class Spreadsheet!
Have Mr. Benshoof confirm your data collection
Introduction to Composites
Building Composites
Breaking Composites
Of course the design of planes and other flying vessels needs to be built strong and sturdy. In addition, when aerospace engineers start designing things that can go to space or go at very high speeds in the atmosphere, they also need to consider the thermal properties of a material. In the case of spaceship re-entry, engineers need to create materials that can withstand very high temperatures.
Our next job in this unit is to look at how composite materials can withstand intense heat. Just like with the strength testing, we’ll develop a wide range of sample composites, and then we’ll test them to see how long they can withstand intense heat. Just like with all research, we’ll collect careful data so we can use the results in our future planning.
GRADING & PROCESS
Take careful notes on thermal properties
Plan and Build your composite samples as a team
Test the thermal resistance of each of your composite samples and collect your data
Add Data to the Class Spreadsheet!
Have Mr. Benshoof confirm your test data
More About Composites
Thermal Properties
More About Thermal Properties
Your team is being asked to develop a new heat shield tile for the new space shuttle design. Because the space shuttle goes up to space and back to Earth repeatedly, it needs to be very durable. Because take-off and re-entry often sees tiles breaking off the surface of the shuttle and hitting other tiles in the shuttle, you need to design tiles that can withstand a certain about of force. Also, since the re-entry process generates so much heat, the tiles need to withstand intense heat for a certain amount of time. Finally, the shuttle will need more than 100,000 tiles to cover its surface completely, so we need to consider the weight and cost of the tiles as well.
For this design challenge, you and your team need to work together to develop 5” x 5” tiles that can be both as strong as possible and as heat resistant as possible. As you design your tiles, you’ll need to consider both strength and thermal criteria as well as cost and weight constraints. You’ll need to fully document your process with your team, and do some serious trial and error to complete this challenge successfully!
GRADING & PROCESS
Start your engineering process with your team’s design brief, brainstorming, and planning
Build and test your tiles to narrow down your ideas to a final solution
Decide what your final solution will be and make sure you have 2 identical tiles that meet the required parameters
Do your final testing of your best solution
Complete the Re-Entry Design Challenge report
Have Mr. Benshoof confirm your final heat shield design
Part 1 Resources
Part 2 Resources
Part 3 Resources