Facilitating aerospace engineering senior design: Integrating lab curriculum redesign with student project and new technologies

Abstract

Abstract This study addresses a gap in existing literature by exploring the impact of an aerodynamics laboratory course on students' readiness for senior design projects in Aerospace Engineering at North Carolina State University. The redesigned curriculum focuses on propellers, aligning with the increasing popularity of senior design projects involving fixed‐wing aircraft and multi‐rotor systems in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department. The updated course incorporates Additive Manufacturing (AM) and an anechoic chamber for the first time, outlining its structure, objectives, and pivotal concepts. The use of data acquisition codes streamlines experimentation while integrating AM accelerates practical applications of blade element theory (BET). Through an assessment of lab report grades, this initiative significantly enhances students' grasp of propeller concepts, marking a pivotal step in their preparation for senior design projects.

Keywords

• curriculum redesign
• laboratory course
• project‐based learning
• senior design
• technology integration