Conceptual Design of Jain University Sailplane Based on Concurrent Engineering Within Aerospace Engineering Curriculum

Abstract

There is ever growing interest in the design of high-performance sailplanes since the start of the last century. Sailplanes or gliders form an example of sustainable engineering in aeronautics as there is practically little to no carbon footprint. Concurrent Engineering (CE) as a design methodology is adopted and implemented for the conceptual design phase of this project. Concurrent Engineering involves simultaneous sharing of data within various teams, thereby increasing productivity and reducing time for product design. As the project involves extensive data sharing and periodic design iterations, it was imperative that interrelationships between the different groups are handled properly through the implementation of flowcharts even before the start of the project. Efficient methods of sailplane design based on Concurrent Engineering methodology within an education curriculum have been applied. This paper reports ongoing progress made within the sailplane project management.