Aerospace System Design Laboratory

The Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory in Hessert Center is a facility used by faculty and students to conduct preliminary design studies for a variety of complex systems including flight vehicles. Current applications have been directed toward the design of low-cost, light-weight, remotely or autonomously piloted vehicles with particular emphasis on flight in the low Reynolds number regime. The software tools which have been developed or acquired include propeller performance analysis and design, flight vehicle performance, aerodynamic modeling and finite element based structural analysis and design. All of these analysis and design capabilities are provided on a campus-wide, workstation-based computer network. Equipment is available for the fabrication of small scale RPV's and includes remote flight control systems and both electric and conventional propulsion systems. Recent additions to the facility include a CAD/CAM workcell for automated part fabrication, and manual assembly fixtures. Design for Manufacturing issues have been the focus of many of the recent design studies conducted in this facility. The integration of recently developed computer-based tools for multidisciplinary design methodology is currently underway.

Direct comments, questions, and corrections to amedept@nd.edu