Course Descriptions

  1. Aircraft Flight Systems, Flight Dynamics, and Flight Simulation
  2. Aerodynamics, Fluid Dynamics, and Propulsion
  3. Structures, Optimization and Numerical Methods
  4. Robotics and Space Systems Engineering
  5. Management and Policy
  6. Engineering Physics
  7. Research Seminars and Professional Courses

 

Aircraft Flight Systems, Flight Dynamics, and Flight Simulation

AER 503H Aeroelasticity

P R Grant

Lecture Course

Static aeroelastic phenomena are studied, including divergence of slender wings and control reversal. Various methods of solution are considered such as closed form, matrix format iteration and the Rayleigh-Ritz approach. A Study of vibration and flutter of wings and control surfaces is presented with particular emphasis on those parameters which affect flutter speed.

AER 1202H Advanced Flight Dynamics

H H T Liu

Lecture Course

This is a graduate-level course to cover the advanced topic of flight dynamics: its modelling, control and simulation. The purpose is to develop a comprehensive understanding and systematic development of (fixed-wing) aircraft dynamics (vs fundamental understanding and specific treatment at the undergraduate level), through mathematical modelling, control systems design and analysis, as well as dynamic behaviour visualization through computational simulations. Advanced topics of current leading-edge research progress in flight dynamics and control are also introduced.

AER 1211H Human Control Of Flight Systems

P R Grant

Lecture Course

Introductory course. Topics include: mathematical models of man/machine systems, experimental results, examples, linear modelling, stability, nonlinear modelling, optimal control model, control tasks and applications, flight simulation techniques.

AER 1216H Fundamentals of UAVs

H H T Liu

Lecture course

Unpiloted aircraft, known as UAVs, drones or aerial robots, are very quickly becoming a major sector of the aerospace industry. They are increasingly used in aerial photography, inspection of infrastructure, delivery of small packages and other applications requiring inexpensive and flexible flight. The basic physical, scientific and engineering principles necessary to design a remote-controlled fixed-wing or quad-rotor UAV are explained in this course. These include aerodynamics, propulsion, structures and control. A key part of this course will be a group project to create a detailed design of a UAV that is capable of performing a specific function.

AER 1217H Development of Autonomous UAS

H H T Liu

Lecture course

This course is the second part of the CARRE core courses, following AER1216: Fundamentals of UAVs, which covers the fundamental principles related to UAV design: structures, aerodynamics and control. AER1216 is the prerequisite of this course, unless approved by the instructor. In AER 1217, the focus is placed on the development of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), with the theme of autonomy in navigation and control, as well as flight performance analysis and evaluation.

The course curriculum will be delivered in both lectures and development projects, including flight tests. The contents include: quadrotor or fixed-wing UAV dynamics and control; sensing and estimation for UAVs; navigation and path planning; instrumentation and sensor payloads; computer vision. A development project will be given to students who will use the UAV platform to design an autonomous system to accomplish a specific flying mission, to be demonstrated by flight experiments.

Prerequisite:

AER 1216H “Fundamentals of UAVs” or equivalent with permission of the instructor

Aerodynamics, Fluid Dynamics, and Propulsion Courses

AER 510H Aerospace Propulsion

S Chaudhuri

Lecture Course

Scope and history of jet and rocket propulsion; fundamentals of air-breathing and rocket propulsion; fluid mechanics and thermodynamics of propulsion including boundary layer mechanics and combustion; principles of aircraft jet engines, engine components and performance; principles of rocket propulsion, rocket performance, and chemical rockets; environmental impact of aircraft jet engines.

Prerequisite:

AER 310H “Gasdynamics” or equivalent

AER 515H Combustion Process

O Gülder

Lecture Course

Scope and history of combustion, and fossil fuels; thermodynamics and kinetics of combustion including heats of formation and reaction, adiabatic flame temperature, elementary and global reactions, equilibrium calculations of combustion products, and kinetics of pollutant formation mechanisms; propagation of laminar premixed flames and detonations, flammability limits, ignition and quenching; gaseous diffusion flames and droplet burning; introduction to combustion in practical devices such as rockets, gas turbines, reciprocating engines, and furnaces; environmental aspects of combustion.

Pre-requisites:
CHE260H1

AER 1301H Kinetic Theory of Gases

C P T Groth

Lecture Course

Introductory discussion of significant length dimensions; different flow regimes, continuum, transition, collision-free; and a brief history of gas kinetic theory. Equilibrium kinetic theory; the article distribution function; Maxell-Boltzmann distribution. Collision dynamics; collision frequency and mean free path. Elementary transport theory, transport coefficients, mean free path method. Boltzmann equation; derivation, Boltzmann H-theorem, collision operators. Generalized transport theory; Maxwell’s equations of change; approximate solution techniques, Chapman -Ensog perturbative and Grad series expansion methods, moment closures; derivation of the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations, higher-order closures. Free molecular aerodynamics. Shock waves.

AER 1303H Advanced Fluid Mechanics

A Ekmekci

Lecture Course

This course is intended to be a first graduate-level course in fluid mechanics, and assumes that students have had at least one introductory fluid mechanics course at the undergraduate level. The course starts with a review of vectors, tensors and related theorems; flow kinematics; derivations of the differential forms of the governing equations of fluid motion. Then the following subjects are covered: exact solutions (solutions with parallel boundaries, solutions with circular symmetry, pulsating flows, stagnation-point flows, etc); special forms of governing equations (Kelvin’s theorem, vorticity transport theorem, equations for inviscid flow (Euler); and boundary layer theory (boundary layer equations, boundary layer on a flat plate: Blasius solution, approximate solutions, effect of pressure gradient, separation, perturbation techniques, stability of boundary layers, etc.

AER 1304H Fundamentals of Combustion

Ö L Gülder

Lecture Course

This course starts with a review of chemical thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, equilibrium chemistry, chemical kinetics, and conservation equations. Then, the following subjects are covered: chemical and dynamic structure of laminar premixed, diffusion, and partially premixed flames; turbulent premixed combustion; turbulent diffusive combustion in one and two-phase flows; aerodynamics and stabilization of flames; ignition, extinction and combustion instabilities; non-intrusive combustion diagnostics and flame spectroscopy.

AER 1306H Special Topics in Reacting Flows

Ö L Gülder

Reading Course

This course provides the students who are intending a career in combustion/reacting flows, fluid mechanics or propulsion an opportunity to do an in-depth study of some of the current academic research areas with implications of practical importance.

It will also be suitable for graduate students who have a good background in essentials of their research area, but need a specialized course to cover material not available in other graduate courses. The intention is not to replace or to overlap with the literature review of the students theses work.

The course will cover 3 to 4 topics from the following:

  • non-intrusive experimental techniques in isothermal and reacting flows
  • activation energy asymptotics; high-speed combustion
  • metal combustion in propulsion
  • thermo-acoustics in propulsion systems
  • soot formation and oxidation kinetics
  • theory of partially-premixed turbulent combustion
  • synthesis of nano-materials by combustion
  • high-pressure combustion

Topic selection will depend on the interests of the students taking the course. Similar topics will be added as needed.

Prerequisite: 
AER 1304H “Fundamentals of Combustion” or equivalent

AER 1307H Fundamentals of Aeroacoustics

P Lavoie

Lecture Course

This course covers the fundamentals of aeracoustics as it applies to general and commercial aviation. The essentials of linear acoustics are presented and related to fluid motion to arrive at fundational theories of aeroacoustics, including Lighthill’s acoustics analogy, the Ffowcs-Williams-Hawkings equation and Goldstein’s equation. The concepts are applied to flows at low Mach numbers, with specific applications sound generation by turbulent flows as well as leading and trailing edge noise. The course will also cover a number of topics related to experimental methods relevant to aeroacoustics. This will include the basics of aeroacoustic test facilities, instrumentation and signal processing. The course is meant for graduate students with strong backgrounds in fluid dynamics but that may lack knowledge of acoustics.

AER 1308H Introduction to Modern Flow Control

P Lavoie

Lecture Course

This course presents the fundamental aspects of modern flow control. The framework of the course will be cast starting with a brief review of the development of flow control from its birth at the turn of the 20th century to current state of the art techniques and methodologies. The key concepts, fundamental to modern flow control, will thus be extracted and categorized throughout the course; including topics such as flow instabilities; dynamic and closed-loop control; actuators and sensors; modeling and simulations.

AER 1310H Turbulence Modelling

C P T Groth

Lecture Course

This course presents an overview of numerical modelling techniques for the prediction of turbulent flows. The emphasis is on the capabilities and limitations of engineering approaches commonly used in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for the simulation of turbulence. Topics include: Introduction to turbulent flows; definition of turbulence; features of turbulent flows; requirements for and history of turbulence modelling. Conservation equations for turbulent flows; Reynolds and Favre averaging; velocity correlations, Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS) ; Reynolds stress equations; effects of compressibility. Algebraic models; eddy viscosity and mixing length hypothesis; Cebeci-Smith and Baldwin-Lomax models. Scalar field evolution models; turbulence energy equation; one- and two-equation models; wall functions; low-Reynolds-number effects. Second-order closure models; full Reynolds-stress and algebraic Reynolds stress models. Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) techniques. Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) Methods.

AER 1311H Unsteady Gasdynamics

J J Gottlieb

Lecture Course

The following topics are covered: method of characteristics for solving hyperbolic conversation laws; characteristics of rarefaction, compression and shock waves; reflection, collision, refraction and overtaking of shock waves, expansion waves and contact surfaces; Riemann problem and solution; shock waves interacting with an area enlargement and reduction; shock-tube problem.

AER 1312H High-Temperature Compressible Flows

J J Gottlieb

Lecture Course

Introduction to real-gas effects for unsteady compressible gas flows, including the following topics: concept of real gases (real atoms and molecules); partition functions for translation, rotation, vibration (dissociation), and electrical excitation (ionization); thermal and caloric equations of state; thermodynamic equilibrium; Saha equations for dissociation and ionization; specific heats and sound speeds for dissociating and ionizing gases; normal shock structure in real gases; real-gas flows in unsteady one-dimensional rarefaction waves and steady two-dimensional expansion waves.

AER 1315H Sustainable Aviation

D W Zingg

Lecture Course

This course will cover topics relating to the impact of aircraft on the environment, including noise, local and global emissions, and lifecycle analysis. Students will be exposed to means of quantitative assessment of the impact of aviation noise and emissions as well as metrics for assessing global climate effects. Current and future technologies for mitigating environmental problems will be covered.

AER 1316H Fundamentals of Computational Fluid Dynamics

D W Zingg

Lecture Course

This course presents the fundamentals of numerical methods for inviscid and viscous flows. The following topics are covered: finite-difference and finite-volume approximations, structured and unstructured grids, the semidiscrete approach to the solution of partial differential equations, time-marching methods for ordinary differential equations, stability of linear systems, approximate factorization, flux-vector splitting, boundary conditions, relaxation methods, and multigrid.

AER 1318H Topics in Computational Fluid Dynamics

D W Zingg

Lecture Course

The course first concentrates on the algorithmic details of two specific codes for solving the compressible Navier-Stokes equations, ARC2D and FLOMG . Topics include generalized curvilinear coordinates, approximate factorization, artificial dissipation, boundary conditions, and various convergence acceleration techniques, including multigrid. This is followed by the following topics: flux-difference splitting and high-resolution upwind schemes, including total variation diminishing schemes.

Prerequisite:

AER 1316H “Fundamentals of Computational Fluid Dynamics”

AER 1319H : Finite Volume Methods for CFD

C P T Groth

Lecture Course

Introduction to upwind finite-volume methods widely used in computational fluids dynamics (CFD) for thehe solution of high-speed inviscid and viscous compressible flows. Topics include: Brief review of conservation equations for compressible flows; Euler equations; Navier-Stokes equations; one- and two-dimensional forms; model equations. Mathematical properties of the Euler equations; primitive and conserved solution variables; eigensystem analysis; compatibility conditions; characteristic variables, Rankine-Hugoniot conditions and Riemann invariants; Riemann problem and exact solution. Godunov’s method; hyperbolic flux evaluation and numerical flux functions; solution monotonicity; Godunov’s theorem. Approximate Riemann solvers; Roe’s method. Higher-order Godunov-type schemes; semi-discrete form; solution reconstruction including least-squares and Green-Gauss methods; slope limiting. Extension to multi-dimensional flows. Elliptic flux evaluation for viscous flows; diamond-path and average-gradient stencils; discrete-maximum principle. High-order methods; essentially non-oscillatory (ENO) schemes.

AER 1324H Introduction to Turbulence

S Chaudhuri

Lecture Course

This course is aimed to provide an overview of the fundamental physical processes in large Reynolds number turbulent flows.

Topics include review of tensors, probabilistic tools, and conservation laws.

Free shear flows: turbulent kinetic energy transport and dissipation.

Scales of turbulent motion: Kolmogorov hypothesis, structure functions, Kármán-Howarth equation, 4/5th law, Fourier modes, Kolmogorov-Obukhov spectrum, intermittency, and refined similarity hypothesis.

Turbulent mixing: scalar transport and dissipation. Alignments of vorticity, scalar gradient, and strain rates. Diagnostics in turbulent flows.

Structures, Optimization and Numerical Methods

AER 501H Computational Structural Mechanics and Design Optimization

P B Nair

Lecture course

Introduction to the theory of linear elasticity: stress, strain and material constitutive laws. Variational principles and their application: stationary potential energy, stationary complementary potential energy, Reissner’s Principles. The finite element technique: problem formulation; element properties; applications to displacement, vibrations and buckling problems. Introduction to structural optimal design.

AER 1403H Advanced Aerospace Structures

C A Steeves

Lecture course

This course will provide instruction in three areas crucial to aerospace structural design: fiber composite materials, thin walled structures, and finite element methods. All three will be taught in a manner such that their interrelation is made clear. The course will begin with a composite materials, their mechanics and application. General theories of shells and thin walled structures, which are essential to aircraft design, will next be discussed. Finally, finite element methods of use in modelling aircraft structures and composites will be described. No specific background in any of these three topics is required, but a good knowledge of solid and structural mechanics will be assumed.

AER 1410H Topology Optimization

C A Steeves
Lecture course

Topology optimization is a relatively new method for the computational design of structures that enables optimal structural design beyond traditional size and shape optimization. Specifically, topology optimization identifies where to put material and where to put holes within the design domain. This course will examine the background to topology optimization, the theory and algorithms necessary to build a topology optimization code, and the two main approaches to topology optimization. At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to program a basic topology optimization code and use a common commercial software package.

AER 1415H Computational Optimization

P B Nair
Lecture course

This is an introductory graduate-level course on computational optimization and it is assumed that students have had undergraduate level training in multivariable calculus, linear algebra and MATLAB programming. The topics to be covered in this course include: formulation of optimization problems, non-gradient and stochastic search techniques, gradient-based optimization algorithms for unconstrained and constrained problems, numerical methods for sensitivity analysis, surrogate modeling, surrogate-assisted optimization frameworks, applications of optimization algorithms to design, parameter estimation and control.

AER 1416H Numerical Methods for Uncertainty Quantification

P B Nair

Lecture course

This is an introductory graduate-level course on uncertainty quantification and it is assumed that students have had undergraduate level training in statistics, linear algebra and numerical methods for partial differential equations. The topics to be covered include: verification and validation of computational models, construction of probabilistic uncertainty models, Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo simulation methods, importance sampling and variance reduction techniques, sparse quadrature schemes, perturbation methods, polynomial chaos expansions, stochastic Galerkin projection schemes, and an introduction to robust design optimization.

AER 1418H Variational Methods for Partial Differential Equations

M Yano

Lecture Course

This course introduces variational formulations and associated finite element methods for partial differential equations in continuum mechanics, including both elliptic and hyperbolic equations. An equal emphasis is placed on mathematical theory and practical implementation. Theoretical topics include discussions of well-posedness, optimality, and a priori and a posteriori error estimates. Practical topics include implementation of finite elements, matrix and vector assembly, adaptive mesh refinement, and Krylov-subspace linear solvers.

Robotics and Space Systems Engineering

ROB 501H Computer Vision for Robotics

J S Kelly

Lecture course

An introduction to aspects of computer vision specifically relevant to robotics applications. Topics include the geometry of image formation, basic image processing operations, camera models and calibration methods, image feature detection and matching, stereo vision, structure from motion and 3D reconstruction. Discussion of moving object identification and tracking as time permits.

AER 506H Spacecraft Dynamics And Control I

M R Emami

Lecture course

Rigid body kinematics and dynamics. Orbital dynamics and control: the two-body problem, orbital perturbations, orbital maneuvers, interplanetary trajectories, the restricted three-body problem. Attitude dynamics and control: torque-free motion, spin stabilization, dual-spin stabilization, disturbance torques, gravity-gradient stabilization, active spacecraft attitude control, bias-momentum stabilization.

ROB 521H Mobile Robotics and Perception

T D Barfoot

Lecture course

The course addresses fundamentals of mobile robotics and sensor-based perception for applications such as space exploration, search and rescue, mining, self-driving cars, unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous underwater vehicles, etc. Topics include sensors and their principles, state estimation, computer vision, control architectures, localization, mapping, planning, path tracking, and software frameworks. Laboratories will be conducted using both simulations and hardware kits. It is not recommended to take both AER 521 and AER 1514.

Recommended Preparation:

AER 372H “Control Systems”

AER 525H Robotics

M R Emami

Lecture course

This course extends the fundamentals of analytical robotics to design and control of industrial and aerospace robots and their instrumentation. Topics include forward, inverse, and differential kinematics, screw representation, statics, inverse and forward dynamics, motion and force control of robot manipulators, actuation schemes, task-based and workspace design, position and force sensors, tactile sensing, and vision and image processing in robotic systems. Course instruction benefits from the courseware technology that involves a Java-based on-line simulation and other multimedia means for presenting realistic demonstrations and case studies in the context of teaching advanced notions. A series of experiments in the Robotics Laboratory will also enhance the practical notions of the course content.

AER 1503H Spacecraft Dynamics And Control II

M R Emami

Lecture course

Advanced topics in spacecraft dynamics and control. Course includes a project. Topics include input-output stability analysis and Lyapunov stability analysis with applications to spacecraft attitude control; feedforward, feedback, and adaptive controller design. Quaternion feedback. Linear state-space analysis and observer-based compensator design. Flexible spacecraft dynamics: equations of motion, spatial discretization, modal equations, constrained and unconstrained modes. Flexible spacecraft control: spillover, controller discretization, LQG, H-infinity, and positive real design.

Prerequisite:

AER 0506H “Spacecraft Dynamics and Control I”

AER 1512H Multibody Dynamics

G M T D’Eleuterio

Lecture course

This is a seminar course designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of multibody dynamics with particular emphasis on the dynamics of robotic systems. Each student, in consultation with the course coordinator, will be required to select two topics in the area, investigate them thoroughly and present a seminar on each to the other members of the class. Students may choose topics well-treated in the mechanical literature or ones which are more research-oriented, perhaps requiring some original input on the part of the student.

AER 1513H State Estimation for Aerospace Vehicles

T D Barfoot

Lecture course

This course introduces the fundamentals of state estimation for aerospace vehicles. Knowing the state (e.g., position, orientation, velocity) of a vehicle is a basic problem faced by both manned and autonomous systems. State estimation is relevant to aircraft, satellites, rockets, landers, and rovers. This course teaches some of the classic techniques used in estimation including least squares and Kalman filtering. It also examines some cutting edge techniques for nonlinear systems including unscented Kalman filtering and particle filtering. Emphasis is placed on the ability to carry out state estimation for vehicles in three- dimensional space, which is complicated by vehicle attitude and often handled incorrectly. Students will have a chance to work with datasets from real sensors in assignments and will apply the principles of the course to a project of their choosing.

AER 1514H Mobile Robotics

T D Barfoot

Lecture course

This course introduces the basic of controlling mobile robots, with emphasis on techniques for use outdoors. Mobile robots have found application in space exploration (e.g., Mars Exploration Rovers), mining, bomb disposal, search and rescue, and vacuuming our homes. The future will see mobile robotics technology paving the way to such things as home assistants and automated roadways. This course will present the current state of the art in mobile robotics in terms of sensing and algorithms. Concepts will be learned through experimentation with a mobile robotics kit.

Topics include: introduction to mobile robotics, review of probability theory, sensors, computer vision, simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), place recognition, terrain assessment, path planning, path tracking, experimental testing. It is not recommended to take both AER 521 and AER 1514.

AER 1515H Perception for Robotics

S L Waslander

Lecture Course

This course presents the fundamentals of robotic perception based on a foundation of probability, statistics and information theory. Common sensor types and their probabilistic modeling are surveyed, including computer vision, Lidar, radar, GNSS/INS and odometry. Methods for feature extraction, description & matching, direct photometric and point cloud registration, outlier rejection are presented in the context of a robotic localization and mapping front end. Object detection and tracking, semantic segmentation and prior maps are fused to form a complete perceptual view of dynamic environments for a wide range of robotic applications.

Exclusion: ROB 1514

AER 1516H Motion Planning

J S Kelly

Lecture Course

A rigorous mathematical study of the motion planning problem for aerial, ground, and mobile manipulator robot platforms and for multi-robot systems. Geometric representations and the robot configuration space. Sampling-based motion planning. Feedback motion planning in continuous spaces. Planning under sensor uncertainty and with differential constraints.Course project involving the implementation of modern planning algorithms in simulation and (potentially) on a real mobile manipulator.

AER 1517H Control for Robotics

A P Schoellig

Lecture Course

This course presents optimal, adaptive and learning control principles from the perspective of robotics applications. Working from the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman formulation, optimal control methods for aerial and ground robots are developed. Real world challenges such as disturbances, state estimation errors and model errors are addressed and adaptive and reinforcement learning approaches are derived to address these challenges. Course project involves simulated control of an aerial vehicle, with aerodynamic models and wind disturbances.

AER 1520H Microsatellite Design I

R E Zee

Design course

This is the first of a series of two courses, which are intended to provide graduate students with practical space systems engineering experience. Through two consecutive courses, students can participate in a real Canadian Space Agency ‘MicroSat’ mission, gaining a year’s worth of training under some of the leading spacecraft designers in North America.

This two-term apprenticeship allows students to learn and play an active role in spacecraft design, prototyping, assembly, integration, and test. Depending on the stage of the project when students join, they will be exposed to anything from preliminary subsystem design to actual on-orbit operations of a real satellite.

Depending on when the student takes the course, he or she will join a coordinated team involved in spacecraft design, prototyping, assembly, integration or test. Students will be exposed to one or more of the following areas: Systems Engineering; Mission Analysis; Power; Communications; Telemetry/Telecommand; Thermal Control; Structure; Attitude Control; On-Board Computers.

This course is open only to students enrolled in the research program at the Space Flight Laboratory.

Prerequisite:

AER 407 “Space Systems Design” or a suitable equivalent

AER 1521H Microsatellite Design II

R E Zee

Design course

The second course permits the student to obtain new and in-depth experience in a particular spacecraft area. In addition, the student is exposed to more elements of the project, considerably increasing the value of the student’s training with time.

This course builds on experience gained in AER 1520, and broadens the student’s understanding of practical spacecraft development. Depending on what the student contributed in AER 1520, the student will take his or her work to the next level of maturity.

Course assignments may include the following tasks: Building of Prototypes; Prototype Testing and/or Test Planning; Detailed Design; Assembly, Integration and Test; Launch preparations; On-orbit commissioning of satellites; Satellite operations.

This course is open only to students enrolled in the research program at the Space Flight Laboratory.

Prerequisite:

AER 1520H “Microsatellite Design I

Management and Policy

AER 1601H Aerospace Engineering and Operations Management

Instructor: S Armstrong

Lecture course

Aerospace is a broad field of technological activity. The course will focus on managing an aerospace enterprise with a specialization in aircraft engineering and production operations. Students in this course will work with industrial partners (examples: DeHavilland Aircraft Canada – Q400 Operations – Downsview, Safran Lading Gear Systems – Ajax, and Bombardier Aerospace – Toronto) on live projects applying the theory learned in the course. Upon course completion, the participants will be able to apply the tools and methods of Aerospace Enterprise Management Sciences and will:

  • gain an understanding and appreciation of the principles and applications relevant to management of the Aerospace Business Enterprise;
  • develop skills necessary to effectively analyze and synthesize the issues aerospace companies must address to scale and advance their capabilities in the marketplace;
  • acquire the analytical skills, tools and methods to scale the enterprise including lean design, lean engineering and manufacturing, voice of customer, process management, integrated product development, group technology, concurrent engineering, programme management, phase/milestone, agility, knowledge based engineering, expert systems, and ERP for aerospace environments;
  • learn how to design and build a Lean Aerospace Enterprise Management System from order receipt to shipping, commissioning and ongoing customer support;
  • understand how to apply Lean Engineering and Manufacturing systems that are used in aerospace operations;
  • increase their knowledge and broaden their perspective of the aerospace world to which they will contribute their talents as leaders in aerospace business operations; and
  • understand the various engineering career path options available in the aerospace environment.

This course can be counted toward the requirements of the ELITE program. AER 1601H is considered non-technical for the purposes of MEng degree requirements.

AER 1604H Air Accident Investigation

E. Tasker

Lecture course

This course will provide students with an introduction to the methods, processes and technologies of air accident investigation: what happens after there is an incident or accident involving airplanes in Canada. The course will begin by explaining what happens at the site of an air accident, and will then provide a concrete demonstration by creating a mock air accident using real aircraft wreckage. Students will use their observations of the accident site and other information that they acquire or derive to understand and report on what has occurred. The course will take students through the full investigative process and culminate in the production of an accident report using the techniques and information they have been given during the course.

Engineering Physics

AER 507H Introduction to Fusion Energy

J W Davis

Lecture course

Nuclear reactions between light elements provide the energy source for the sun and stars. On earth, such reactions could form the basis of an essentially inexhaustible energy resource. In order for the fusion reactions to proceed at a rate suitable for the generation of electricity, the fuels (usually hydrogen) must be heated to temperatures near 100 million Kelvin. At these temperatures, the fuel will exist in the plasma state.

This course will cover:

(i) the basic physics of fusion, including reaction cross-sections, particle energy distribution, Lawson criterion and radiation balance,

(ii) plasma properties including plasma waves, plasma transport, heating and stability, and

(iii) magnetic confinement methods.

Topics will be related to current experimental research in the field.

AER 1717Y & 1720Y Applied Plasma Physics I & II

P C Stangeby

Reading course

A second and third course in plasma physics and fusion energy for the student intending a career in these fields. Numerous problems are assigned from the text “Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion “, Vol. 1 by F. F. Chen, Plenum Press, 1984 (AER 1717H ) and “The Plasma Boundry of Magnetic Fusion Devices ” , by P.C. Stangeby, Institute of Physics Publishing, Bristol,U.K., 2000. (AER 1720H)

Research Seminars and Professional Courses

AER 1800H Research Seminar In Aerospace Science And Engineering

This is a required course for all new MASc students. The course material is based on the student’s thesis, and therefore it will vary from student to student. The objective of the course is to ensure that students devote a significant level of effort to their theses during their first year of graduate studies. Students will present a series of seminars based on their research progress and accomplishments.

AER 1810H M.Eng. Project

This course is offered to MEng students only. The projects associated with this course generally involve a professionally oriented design activity. Project topics, related to the aerospace field, are selected in consultation with staff. Work includes project identification and definition, literature survey, assessment of available information, and the design phase. Course mark is based on progress during the term, a final project report and a seminar presentation.

AER 1820H Directed Reading in Aerospace Studies

This course involves reading assigned by a professor to a graduate student on a mutually agreed topic. The student's knowledge is subsequently assessed for course credit. The total work load is consistent with a standard 0.5 FCE lecture course. Students are limited to counting a maximum of one reading course toward their degree requirements.

RST 9999Y Thesis/Research

Students registering in the MASc and PhD programs are required to include this along with their enrollment forms.

JDE 1000H Ethics in Research

Students registered in the MASc and PhD programs are required to participate in this non-credit seminar course during their first or second term of registration.