Design synthesis exercise 2012

The design synthesis exercise forms the closing piece of the third year of the Bachelor degree curriculum of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft. In this exercise the students learn to apply their acquired knowledge from all aerospace disciplines in one complete design. The object of this exercise is to improve the students’ design skills while working in teams with their fellow students. In the exercise Systems Engineering plays an important role. In the design/synthesis exercise, students work in groups of ten, for a period of approximately ten weeks full time on the design of a (part of an) aircraft or spacecraft. Despite the fact that the final designs result from a design process executed by small groups of students with limited experience, it may be concluded that the designs are of good quality. Not only the scientific staff of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, but also the external experts and industry which have supported the design projects, have expressed their appreciation of the results. In the fall exercise of this year eleven groups worked on a range of topics. They ranged from designs in the field of aeronautics and space to earth observation and wind energy. The students presented their results in the design symposium held on January 31. During the symposium their presentations were judged by a jury consisting out of eight experts from academia and industry. At the end of the symposium the jury awarded the “Fedde Holwerda Design Challenge Trophy” to the team that worked on the design called “Design of a Jumbo City Flyer”. In addition to the trophy, all team members received a cercertificate proving this, eternal fame and a group dinner sponsored by the company ADSE. This design focused on the development of a large short range aircraft primarily aimed at the Asian market. The teams of experienced staff members. Each team has one principal tutor and two additional coaches. These guide the student through the exercise and grade them at the end. Next to that, a team of six staff members coordinates the whole of the exercise. This in all makes it the largest educational activity of the faculty.