Gliders

[Scott Duch]

I'm in my first of uni studying aeronautical engingeering. One of our modules, engineering skills consists of2 comppnents, Matlab and design and build. The post concerns the latter. In design and build we have groups of 5 people. We have to build and design a glider which will be compared to all the other teams. We have built and tested 2 gilders. One of which achieves failr straight/level flight and descends smoothly to the ground. The distance of the corridor in whic we test is about 25m and our best glider gets just under that. Any boffins/engingeers out there have tips to make our glider better?

We have an elipptical wing/horizontal stablizer, the fuselage is thin balsa wood with gaps for the wing and HS to slot into....main wing i lower down so little less stable due to C of G being above the wing but the HS is higher up. The main wing has a slight di-hedral shape.

:)

[tarnish26]

Any boffins/engingeers out there have tips to make our glider better?


I think you may find that is cheating...:=its YOU that has to design and build that glider, not some super boffin who frequents these forums....now go on get on with it, sounds like you are doing a good job already.. :) And Oh good luck with your course the long hard slog will be worth it in the end! :D

[BoeingMEL]

... I'd also congratulate Scott Duch..... getting into uni at age 12.....

(Well, what other explanation could there be for such juvenile spelling and grammar?) Jeez. :ugh:

[Nearly There]

Spelling police out early!

What material are the wings made of? could the balsa wood do with some light sanding to smooth it out, minimise parasite drag as much as possible.

Are these hand thrown/launched gliders...if so maybe someone with a better throw:p

[mad_jock]

And the point of the exercise?

It might not be an all singing and dancing glider. More of how you interact as a team to produce a design.


Engineering isn't all about number crunching and design. Which is why its so sort after by a whole raft of company's that have never produced anything you can hit with a hammer from the day they opened.

[Scott Duch]

Are the grades AAAAB not enough justification for you to enroll on this course BoeingMEL? I am sorry, at least i'm out there doing a degree which is worth while compared to other people in this world, yet people are still out there to give people a hard time. If you haven't got anything constructive to say just don't reply and you ranting on about my spelling is just useless spam...I was merely looking for tips as we have the basics covered pretty well as demonstrated by our performance in the tests. It's thrown by someone in the group and we gave everyone 5 throws each and the most consistant got the job of launching the glider which happened to be me. We have sanded down the balsa wood at both the leading and trailing edges on the wing, the horizontal stabaliser and the vertical tail fin too.

We aren't graded on the team work during the dsign and build phase however we are graded on attendance, individual logbooks and the team logbook. We have been working well as a team resulting in a well performing glider, we have tried ideas suggested by everyone and we have helped eachother out with the individual logbooks. We have also organised to meet up next week to begin on the team logbook. The teamwork side of things is good but was just seeking any general tips on improving our gliders performance.

[fisbangwollop]

Bet you wished you never asked? :oh: as for spelling I am crap to but it doesnt stop me doing my job!!....good luck with your degree... you never know you may one day end up building warships like another fourumite here....:cool::cool::cool:

[BoeingMEL]

Not sure what AAAAAAB stands for. However, I DO know that we have a guy here, a university student no less, doing an engineering-related course and who can't spell the words "engineer" or "engineering"! I always make my points to be constructive rather than critical or sarcastic. (And without being pompous or arrogant I think he could benefit more from my reply than from the others!) Woohoo... I wanna be a engingeer innit? Happy weekend all. bm

[colette]

Hiya Scott, hope you're enjoying the course.

Its been a good 5 years now but I also did the good old design and build with the balsa wood and our group didnt actually do too badly in it. The best advice I can offer you for it is to try and not 'over engineer' it and just concentrate on making it sturdy enough but not too heavy at the same time, and dont take it too seriously! If I remember correctly you're given 3 times to launch it down the lecture hall, well the case in 90% of the groups in my year is that they throw it the first time and it crashes into a wall or row of snoozing students and breaks up and they therefore dont even get to throw it a second or third time. It wont actually matter what your design is at the end of the day, or whether your groups glider flies the farthest or a couple of metres - as long as in your individual logbooks and reports you outline the reasons why you choose that particular design, other designs that you had perhaps considered and reasons why they were rejected in favour for yours. Also a good lessons learned section and any changes you would make to it, if you had more time etc. This approach will prepare you well for later years when the design projects are much more involved and technical.

Have fun :ok:

['India-Mike]

And why do you think that your glider should perform better? Perhaps you've got the best performance. Do you know what is the best? Do you know how to classify the performance you've got? Once you've answered those questions you'll be able to determine what if anything you can make better.

For example, from the information you've supplied you should be able to estimate lift/drag ratio. And if you compare that with anything from Space Shuttle to 747 to high performance sailplane you'll get some idea of how indifferent your design is. Of course with such low Reynolds number flows you won't necessarily be able to compare like with like, but it's a start.

Engineers communicate using the written word, supported by mathematics. That's why punctuation, spelling and grammar are all important. That's why your course looks for an English qualification alongside the Maths and Physics. And that's why in your forthcoming degree examinations the script books have instructions to candidates which, inter alia, state that 'Marks may be deducted for.....' I guess pprune's as good a place as any to practise getting it right.

Good luck:ok:

[fisbangwollop]

MEL...I always make my points to be constructive rather than critical or sarcastic.

Well this time I think maybe you failed! :cool::cool:

[Scott Duch]

Look, i'm not going to argue with you. The AAAAB is the grades i achieved, one of which was english so back off with the 'i can't spell' rubbish, english exam markers obviously think i can spell and write well in essays or they wouldn't have given me an A would they? So i do have the knowledge of writting in proper english but when i typed it, it was quick (check the time, late at night. You're an ex-pilot so you know the effect on the human body with respect to time don't you?) and it wasn't proof read therefore i admit to errors throughout the post. If i got the entry requirement for the masters degree course i have the grades to progress and achieve a masters, providing alot of hard-work. Im not going argue with you anymore, your posts are a waste of space and not helping anyone and are making you like someone always trying to find mistakes in people. The bottom line is that i have an A in english, therefore for my standards of writing is up to scratch and yes, this once i do admit to not checking my spelling and proofreading. There, i say it, im not perfect but who is? Your not but you don't see people going on at you. Back off.

Colette, thanks. We had a few trial runs down the lecture theatre yesterday and the flight went well, rolled to the left a little but didn't have time to correct it so it'll have to be next week. We have noted all the problems we have had and will be explaning how we overcame them in the logbook/report.

India Mike, it doesnt need to be english. It prefers english however i know someone who did it at standard grade/GCSE level and no further, he did Geography instead which requires alot of writing and marks get deducted for poor spelling and punctuation but i got an A for that before BoeingMEL comes back. :)

[BoeingMEL]

..you perfectly summarise the expectations of those who will ultimately judge students' efforts..and later on..those who will consider them for employment.

The respective worlds of education and employment have become fiercely competitive. You may not like it and you may not approve... but that's how it is.

In a consultive capacity this ol' stager still works for a long-established UK airline in a selection and recruitment capacity.

Under what circumstances would I commend the appointment who shows signs of being careless and almost illiterate?

Bit of a no-brainer really. But good luck to you SD anyway. bm

[fisbangwollop]

Scott....try hard not to let folk on this forum wind you up......:ugh: there will always be the odd numpty that thinks their advice is the best, its up to you to listen to all views and make your own mind up,:rolleyes: I guesss most of the time I talk p!ss my self but on the odd occasion I hope people may pick something up of use. One thing for sure there is a lot of good advice to be gleaned here...Colette is a prime example of that...listen to those that have been there and done it and then I guess you will not go too far wrong..........we all make mistakes in life but if poor spelling is the only one you make well I guess things will not be too bad.

Once again, good luck and enjoy. :cool::cool:

[mad_jock]

As we are talking about gliders and you being an engineering student.

Amnesias FlightSimX Paperplane Game (http://flightsimx.cyclops.amnesia.com.au/index.html)

This should stop you downloading porn for at least 30mins.

[fisbangwollop]

Mad Jock......u get that bottle of Irn Bru I sent yet?? :cool:

[boguing]

SD. I'm sure you know this, but you can steam balsa easily. Get it hot and twist the wing to correct the roll. Clamp it until dry.

[mad_jock]

And remember to reference this thread in your report.

One of your Professors is a regular contributor in the Instructor and examiners forum.

['India-Mike]

http://www.physics.ubc.ca/~waltham/pubs/balsa_glider_35.pdf