engineering – Leonardo Times

Drone Collisions More Damaging Than Birdstrikes

12Dec

By LeonardoTimesNo Comments

Aviation

Drone Collisions More Damaging Than Birdstrikes

Author: Maurits Rietveld, Editor Leonardo Times Birdstrikes have already been an important topic in aviation's safety for a long time. Considering the global rise of drones, collisions between drones and aircraft are starting to play a role in aviation safety as well. New studies have shed light on this issue. A study carried out by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showed that small drones are more damaging to planes than birds. Simulations reinforced by physical material tests were done on aircrafts colliding with drones, varying in weight from 1.2 to 3.6 kilograms. The wing's leading edge, windshield and horizontal and vertical stabilizers were investigated as critical locations. Results showed that the horizontal stabilizer suffered most of the damage and the cockpit’s winds...

Flying Through the Glass Ceiling

There continues to be a considerable gender gap across engineering fields. Discriminatory workplace dynamics persist in discouraging women from pursuing an engineering-related degree and career. Can women overcome these obstacles or will the engineering world continue to dissuade them? Whenever you find yourself around other engineering students or working in a project group, I urge you to take a step back and observe the gender diversity. It’s quite fair to say that there are, in general, more men than women. Now have a thought as to why that is. Are women simply ill-suited for engineering? If your immediate answer isn’t “NO”, then I highly suggest you re-evaluate your internal moral compass. Nevertheless, to what do we owe this gender imbalance? The lack of a Y chromosome seems to have...

Internship: Discovering and Improving The BAC Mono

In October 2015 I started my six month internship at Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) in Liverpool. BAC was founded in 2009 by the brothers Neil and Ian Briggs and is the manufacturer of the BAC Mono, a single seater road legal sports car, inspired to bring the Formula 1 experience to the road. The Mono is lightweight, under 600kg, due to the tubular space frame chassis and carbon composite body panels. The sequential Hewland gearbox, directly derived from Formula 3, is a structural component, bearing all rear suspension loads. The 2,5L four cylinder Mountune engine delivers over 300bhp, making the Mono both quick (0-60mph in 2,8s) and fast (top speed of 170mph). This all combined with the central seating location and low center of gravity makes for a unique experie...