Department ofMechanical & Aeronautical

Engineering

Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in

AeronauticalEngineering

LMO77

IntroductionThe aerospace industry in Ireland comprises three main sectors: maintenance,repair and overhaul; component manufacturing; and international aviation services.Employing approximately 5,500 people in over 160 companies, the aerospaceindustry is mainly concentrated around two hubs: Dublin and Shannon. TheDepartment of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at the University ofLimerick serves as a key infrastructural element in Ireland's Mid-West region,supporting existing industries and assisting the national and regional agencies inattracting new investment in aerospace manufacturing and research. The Universityof Limerick is the only University within the Irish Republic to offer a B.E. inAeronautical Engineering, providing graduates and performing research for theIrish and European aerospace industries since 1992.

Entrance Requirements

Applicants are required to hold at the time of enrolment the Established LeavingCertificate (or an approved equivalent) with at least grade C3 in two Higher levelsubjects and grade D3 in four Ordinary or Higher level subjects (includingMathematics, Irish or another language, and English).

In addition, applicants are required to hold at least the following in the LeavingCertificate (or an approved equivalent): grade C3 in Higher level Mathematics anda grade D3 in a Higher, Common or Ordinary Level paper in any of the following:Physics, Chemistry, Physics with Chemistry, Engineering, Technical Drawing,Biology, Agricultural Science.

Career OpportunitiesB.E. Aeronautical Engineering graduates are currently pursuing careerswithin the following areas:

• Aircraft aerodynamic design and analysis

• Aircraft structural design and analysis

• Flight test instrumentation

• Airframe maintenance

• Design of airframe structural repair procedures

• Engine maintenance and repair

• Aircraft systems engineering

• Aircraft composite structures design and research

• Computer Aided Engineering software development

• Aircraft electrical systems installation

• Pneumatics and cabin systems

• Flight physics

• Aircraft financial services and operations management

• Industrial fluid flow simulation using computational fluid dynamics

• Gas turbine engine design and manufacture

• Automobile aerodynamic and structural design and analysis

Employers of our graduates to date include:

Within Ireland: Lufthansa Technik Turbine Shannon, SR Technics, ShannonAerospace, Aer Lingus, Irish Air Corps, Aer Arann, Aerotech Aviation Services,Engine Lease Finance Corporation, GECAS, Ryanair

Outside Ireland: Airbus (more than 30 graduates to date), Boeing, BAE Systems,Rolls Royce, General Electric Aircraft Engines, Westland Helicopters, British AirwaysEngineering, Qatar Airways, ASCO industries, European Patent Office, AltairEngineering.

Programme of StudyThe programme is four years duration consisting of eight semesters and is divided into two parts. Part I, which comprises the first year of study, provides the student with a foundation in thefundamental engineering subjects:

The Year 1 programme is common for Mechanical, Aeronautical, Biomedical and ComputerAided Engineering and Design. Students are free to migrate between courses at the end offirst year.

Part II comprises years 2, 3 and 4 and the degree award is based on the student performanceaggregated during these three years. The student will focus on the fundamental subjects ofAeronautical Engineering as well as the business aspects of the profession:

The laboratory element of the Flight Mechanics module is conducted in-flight. A series of flightexperiments are conducted in the BAe Jetstream 100 aircraft during which students monitorthe aircraft’s performance.

Cooperative Education

At the end of the second year, the student spends eight months in industry under theframework of the cooperative education programme. Students with an appropriate level oflanguage competence may be placed in either Germany or France. The University hasestablished significant national and international links throughout the aerospace industry. Thishas enabled students to be placed in prestigious companies such as Boeing and Airbus.

The industrial experience gained by the student during the cooperative educationperiod can be advantageous when seeking employment at the end of the degreeprogramme.

ResearchIn addition to the B.E. course, the department offers M.Eng. and Ph.D. awards by research inAeronautical disciplines. As indicated by the many illustrations within this brochure, aerospaceresearch within the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering is, at present,being undertaken in the following areas:

For further information: www.ul.ie/~engineer MAE Department Tel: (061) 202 544

All enquiries in relation to admissions should be addressed to:

Admissions Office, University of Limerick, Limerick, IrelandTel: +353-61-202015 Fax: +353-61-334859Email: admissions@ul.ie Web: www.ul.ie/admissions

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TURBINEAERODYNAMICS

• Mathematics and Computing• Electrical Science and Electronics• Engineering Mechanics• Fluid Mechanics

• Chemistry and Materials Science• Production Technology• Introduction to the Engineering Profession

• Aerodynamics• Aircraft Design• Aircraft Maintenance• Aircraft Structures• Astrodynamics• Avionics• Computational Fluid Dynamics• Flight Mechanics

• Aircraft Propulsion Systems• Stability and Control of Aircraft• The Air Transportation Industry• Finite Element Analysis• Aircraft Vibrations• Aircraft Materials• Boundary Layer Theory• Industrial Organisation

• Composite materials for aircraft structures• Carbon nanotubes and nanocomposites• Crashworthiness of aircraft and automobiles• Thermal optimisation in wing structures and

fuel tank systems• Non-destructive testing of aircraft structures• Computational fluid dynamics and finite

element analysis

• Aircraft structural joints• Heat transfer in electronic equipment• Solid particle erosion in pipe fittings• Aircraft engine design and development• Unsteady aerodynamics