Composite Materials and Aircraft Structures
Certificate Programs
Sponsored by the University of Washington's College of Engineering and The Boeing Company's Learning, Training and Development (LTD) organization.
Composite materials offer tremendous advantages to aircraft designers. Compared to aluminum, these lighter-weight materials use less fuel, resist fatigue and prevent corrosion. Over the past 20 years, military aircraft have driven the development of advanced materials, but today an increasing share of new commercial airplane development is devoted to composites. For example, composites will make up approximately 50% of the weight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a sharp increase from the 12% figure for the Boeing 777. However, in addition to the benefits associated with the materials, composites also pose challenges for the vast majority of engineers whose education and work experience have focused on metals.
Beyond the challenges posed by the development and application of advanced materials, continual advances in structural analysis and design, computational methods, and fatigue and fracture analysis require that engineers refresh their knowledge of the fundamentals and keep up with new developments.
To address this growing need for advanced education, the University of Washington's College of Engineering and The Boeing Company Learning Training and Development, Engineering & Operations group, are collaborating to develop a variety of tailored courses and certificate programs that blend the academic rigor of UW programs with the practical information engineers need to be successful today.
Certificate Program in Aircraft Composite Structural Analysis and Design
Developed cooperatively by the University of Washington Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Boeing Learning, Training and Development (LTD), this program is designed for engineers with some working knowledge of composite materials but require an in-depth understanding of analysis tools and design methodology necessary to design and develop aircraft composite structural hardware. Consisting of three tailored courses in mechanics, analysis methods and design case studies, this program covers a wide spectrum of theoretical and practical developments in the field. Courses are taught by University of Washington faculty and experts from FAA and the aerospace industry and are limited to employees of the Boeing Company.
Certificate Program in Aircraft Composite Materials and Manufacturing
Advanced composite materials such as carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) are being applied to many aircraft structures including Boeing 787 to improve performance and save weight. To best prepare engineers with a broad knowledge of constituent materials used in polymer matrix composites (PMC), manufacturing and quality control techniques, and tooling and repair technology, the Boeing Learning, Training, and Development (LTD) group and the University of Washington have developed a certificate program in Aircraft Composite Materials and Manufacturing.
The certificate program consists of a series of tailored courses in materials, manufacturing and quality, tooling and repair, covering a wide spectrum of theoretical and practical developments in the field. To earn the certificate, participants must complete two required courses and choose one additional elective course. These certificate courses are taught by UW faculty and subject matter experts from the aerospace industry and are limited to employees of the Boeing Company.
Certificate Program in Modern Aircraft Structures
Continual advances in structural analysis and design, computational methods, and fatigue and fracture analysis require that engineers refresh their knowledge of the fundamentals and keep up with new developments. To assist with this effort, the Boeing Learning, Training, and Development (LTD) group and the University of Washington have developed a Certificate Program in Aircraft Structures.
The certificate program includes an in-depth study of critical design and analysis topics. There are three tailored aircraft structures courses in design and analysis, finite element methods, fatigue & fracture covering theoretical and practical developments. Design and analysis projects are used extensively to enhance the learning process. Instructors are University of Washington faculty and leading professionals from industry and government. These courses are limited to employees of the Boeing Company.
Questions
If you have questions about this program, please call UW Educational Outreach Advising at 206-685-8936 in the greater Seattle area or 1-800-543-2320. If you have questions about registration for this program, please call the UW Educational Outreach Registration Department at 206-543-2310 or 1-800-543-2320.
For more information about Boeing initiatives in composites education, email Michael Richey, Boeing Learning Training and Development, Engineering & Operations Group.