Structural Mechanics Laboratory

Structural Mechanics laboratory covers a range of highly precise and reliable techniques that measure and determine material characteristics and mechanical properties. Department of Aerospace engineering provides a dedicated, state-of-the-art materials testing laboratory at the Structural Mechanics lab. Destructive testing methods are used in this lab to determine the characteristics and properties of materials. This material testing lab is fully equipped to test and analyze Metals, Alloys and composites for a wide-range of applications. Material testing or destructive testing is often required to ensure that products and their component parts can perform for their intended use and endure for their expected life.

Mechanical testing measures the strength and ductility of materials under various conditions, such as tension, compression and load. At the structural Mechanics lab all types of mechanical testing including proof load, stress rupture, Charpy impact, yield, bend, hardness, and much more are done. At this lab, student is encouraged and also helped with the interpretation of results, recommending corrective measures and quality assurance. All test performed are in accordance with the ASTM standards.

Fluid Mechanics is one of the fundamental courses of Aerospace Engineering, which dedicatedly deals with the understanding of fluid behavior under real flow conditions. Besides, Fluid Mechanics also forms the basic pre-requisite for Aerodynamics, Gas Dynamics, Aerospace Propulsion etc. which forms the core part of Aerospace Engineering Program. This lab provides a platform for obtaining measurements of various flow properties such as density, specific gravity, pressure, velocity etc. Also, the basic governing laws of Fluid Mechanics are verified with suitable experimental set-ups like the orifice meters, Venturimeter, flow through pipes and Buoyancy measurements. Finally, students get an exposure to assess the performance of air blowers, compressors and hydraulic turbines.

Thermodynamics is one of the fundamental courses in Aerospace Engineering, which deals with understanding the energy conversion and also covers the basic principles which are required for Gas Dynamics and Aerospace Propulsion. This lab provides a platform for measuring various parameters of heat and energy. To present a wealth of real-world engineering examples to give students a feel for how thermodynamics is applied in engineering practice. To develop an intuitive understanding of thermodynamics by emphasizing the physics and physical arguments. Finally, students get an expose to measure the calorific value of the propellant, heat flow in various component, determining the efficiency of the engine.

Aerodynamics is a direct off-shoot of Fluid Dynamics, which deals with the effect of fluids under motion and their aerodynamic effect on the bodies in the path of its motion. Primary agenda of studying Aerodynamics involves the investigation and evaluation of the effect of aerodynamics forces due to the relative motion between the air and the body under consideration. Wind Tunnels being an integral and inseparable entity of Aerodynamics is one of the common facility used to visualize and evaluate the Aerodynamics forces acting on a body of interest. Here, at RVCE, the Aerodynamics laboratory is equipped with a Low Speed Subsonic Wind Tunnel, exhibiting a maximum free stream velocity of 30m/s. The tunnel is used to determine the Aerodynamics forces on models viz. Airfoils, Cylinder, Sphere, Aircraft models etc. Besides, the tunnel is also equipped with a Smoke Wire Technique for aiding flow visualization studies on various models of interest. Further, the availability of six component force balance enables the three dimensional forces on an aerodynamic body at different flow conditions. Lift measurement, Drag measurement, Boundary Layer measurements, Wake measurements are some of the measurement studies presently performed in the wind tunnel. Finally, the Department of Aerospace Engineering is currently in the process of establishing the state-of-the-art Subsonic Wind Tunnel with a maximum wind velocity of 80m/s and will be made available by July 2018.

This laboratory deals with simulation and Estimation of the aircraft performance for various flight maneuvering conditions and atmospheric condition. The aircraft performance analysis is carried out with the MATLAB code, developed based on flight mechanics analytical expressions and also MATLAB-Simulink based simulation. The characteristic graphs are plotted and interpretation are carried out such that the airplane would meet out suitable mission requirements. This lab will provide a hands on experience for the students to work on various design features of aircraft for achieving and enhancing specific flight mission requirements.

The Aerospace structures laboratory is home to some of the finest material testing and applied mechanics equipment. At the Aerospace structures lab, the learning experience of undergraduate students is enhanced by encouraging them to undertake projects and research activity. In addition, the Aerospace structures lab has facility to conduct fatigue tests using the state-of -the-art fatigue testing machine.

The median testing machine practically meets all the requirements of metals and composites testing for strength, durability and toughness. It is backed up with a wide choice of appropriate application software, transducers and accessories that satisfy the requirements of most standard test practices applicable to such tests. These accessories include testing of metals for tension and compression properties, low and high-cycle fatigue, fracture and fatigue crack growth, testing of composites under ambient and controlled environment for shear, tension/compression and fatigue and testing of joints and fasteners for strength and durability under a wide range of loading conditions, including constant amplitude, programmed block loading and simulated service loading.