Engineering Reports and Case Studies – Aeronautical

Engineering Studies – H3 Aeronautical Engineering – The Engineering Profession

This topic outlines the purpose and contents of an engineering report. Case studies of Australian innovation and achievement in the aeronautical industry are key concepts for this topic.

Key Concepts

Reports

• The key components and the purposes of a transport engineering report
• Why a report is relevant
• Data collection and representation methods
• The importance of test data and the methods of testing

Case Studies

• The process of developing a product considering:
  • Material selection based on material properties
  • Manufacturing selection based on material properties
  • Structural design based on mechanical analysis
  • Testing and evaluation processes
• Australian achievement and innovation

Rosie Barnes (Engineer)

Discussion Questions

Reports

1. What are the purposes of engineering reports?
2. Discuss possible sections in an aeronautical report.
3. Who would write an engineering report?
4. Who might be the audience for an engineering report?
5. What might be typical types of data collected for an engineering report?
6. In what ways might the data be collected and displayed?
7. Why is the test data and the method of testing important?

Case Studies

1. When investigating an aeronautical product:

• • What technologies might be identified?
  • What materials might be identified?
  • Could design development be identified?

3. Discuss what skills a design team might need when developing an aeronautical product.
4. In a design process there are choices to be decided. Explain how, the ‘best’ choice is affected by the ‘criteria’ used to make the choice.
5. In an example of an engineering product you have investigated, describe what might have been the biggest engineering challenge in developing the product?
6. What role do Australian Standards have in the design and in the communication of the design?
7. Sample case study:
8. 1. Discuss the development of an aeronautical device in terms of:
      • Engineering design process
      • Safety guidelines and Australian Standards
      • Materials selected
      • Environmental considerations
      • Manufacturing techniques
      • Technical communication
      • Engineering reports
   2. Discuss the process for design development (teamwork, project management). What role do engineers take at this stage?
   3. Describe examples of material choice and manufacturing options. Explain specific detail about polymer/metal/composite choices. What criteria are used to make engineering decisions with materials and processes? What are the technical specifications?
   4. What mechanical analysis was conducted? Was this done using particular testing equipment or modelling? How are the specifications for the product determined regarding strength and other properties?
   5. What role did engineers take in developing manufacturing specification and the technical drawings/graphics?
   6. What modelling was done? Was a prototype constructed and how was that made? How was the prototype tested?
   7. When was the engineer report written?
   8. What are the future plans?