Wing Design as a Symphony of Geographically Dispersed, Multi-disciplinary Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Globalization, technology, and risk sharing business partnerships have changed the landscape of large scale systems integration. In today's business environment, the traditional style of knowledge transfer presuppositions and foundations are inadequate for dissemination of process knowledge in a global multi-cultural environment. The following paper describes a research university -industry approach as well as knowledge transfer strategies for successfully implementing a "Multi-site, cloud based capstone design project" within a cross cultural peer-to-peer design-build-test environment. Within this environment students were exposed to the industry principles of collaborative digital design and manufacturing targeting complex cyber-mechanical systems. Proper software selection, especially to facilitate instantaneous file sharing, collaborative analysis, and face-to-face meetings proved critical to the students' success. Given ever increasing computing power and proliferation and familiarity of the current generation with social networking applications and virtual design-build-test methodologies for design verification and quality assurance demonstrate a major advancement and departure from traditional aircraft design and manufacturing approaches.

Looking back: A Student Review and History of AerosPACE – a Multi-University, Multi-Disciplinary, Distributed, Industry-University Capstone Project

“…Test articles included a scaled fuselage, two newly-designed wings, and interchangeable wing tips (raked tip and a winglet tip). The scaled aircraft was fully 3D printed and is still used for aerodynamics experiments to this day 22 .…”

Aerospace Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering

“…The project demonstrated that students from three institutions in three time zones could effectively collaborate on the design of an aircraft wing assembly. The 2012 -2013 project successfully implemented a "multi-site, cloud-based capstone design project" within a cross-cultural, peer-topeer design-build-test environment [11]. Within this environment students were exposed to the industrial principles of collaborative digital design and manufacturing, targeting complex cybermechanical systems.…”

Engineering the Future Workforce Required by a Global Engineering Industry

“…The structure for such a collaboration relies on mutual agreement and understanding of purposes and objectives. 24 Student outcomes have been documented and proven to be successful 19,25,23, but must now be linked back to the realities of academic degrees, mainly the accreditation process.…”