R&D Brief Vol 5. Num. 8    April 15, 2008 WSU College of Engineering/ NIAR host composite workshop   Wichita State University's College of Engineering and National Institute for Aviation Research are partnering to offer a five-week course on composite materials for local aviation industry professionals.   The course, which began March 24 and will conclude April 28 serves as an introduction to composites for the 22 students who are attending from Airbus North America, Air Plains Services Inc, Benecor, Bombardier Learjet, Buffco Engineering, Cessna, Convergys Manufacturing, Excel, North American Aviation, Spirit AeroSystems and Techmer PM. NIAR Research engineer Allison Crockett demonstrates lay-up techniques in NIAR's Composites and Advanced Materials Lab lay-up room. The engineers will spend a total of 40 hours over five Mondays learning from NIAR researchers and WSU professors through a combination of lecture and hands-on laboratory sessions.Topics covered in the course include: Conventional fiber/polymeric materials Manufacturing methods including hand lay-up and bag molding Process modeling Mechanics of laminates Ply failure theories Laminate strain allowables Testing for material properties Statistical analysis Ultrasonic NDI Full field strain measurement techniques Software for laminate analysis Guidelines for designing bolted and bonded joints Structural analysis of stringers and symmetric beams Damage resistance and tolerance Repair Wichita State engineering professors Suresh K. Raju, Charles Yang, Bob Minaie along with NIAR researchers Allison Crockett and Lamia Salah are teaching sessions in the course. “The faculty of the College of Engineering and the researchers at NIAR have considerable experience in the area of composites research and education,” said Raju, assistant professor of aerospace engineering. “Most of our composites-related work is with the industry and the federal government, and as such we have a good understanding of their needs in education and research." “It is imperative that we offer composites education to the local industry as it will not only add to the pool of engineers and technicians with composites background, but also provide a platform for us to demonstrate and share our expertise and experiences," he said. The workshop is underwritten by the Kansas Department of Commerce in partnership with the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED), the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas and the Area 1 Workforce Investment Board. This is the third composites introduction course provided to industry professionals by WSU's College of Engineering and NIAR. Similar training courses are offered occasionally throughout the year based on industry demand. NIAR’s Composites and Advanced Materials Laboratory is NIAR’s largest lab in terms of personnel and business. The lab provides research and certification services for composites manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers and government agencies. For more information, visit the website at www.niar.wichita.edu/composites. NIAR's ASTEC facility receives KWEA Gold Award The Aircraft Structural Testing and Evaluation Center (ASTEC) of Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research recently received a Gold Pretreatment Compliance Award from the Kansas Water Environment Association (KWEA). NIAR senior research engineer Anthony Alford inspects an aging F-16 for cracks.   Each year the KWEA, a nonprofit technical and educational organization committed to preserving and enhancing water in the state of Kansas, distributes Gold and Silver Awards to companies that exceed the federal and local publicly owned treatment works pretreatment compliance requirements.   ASTEC’s Gold Award signifies that the facility achieved 100 percent compliance with all discharge and reporting requirements in 2007, maintained a good record of cooperation with the pretreatment coordinator, and possessed a wastewater treatment system or made significant efforts to minimize pollutant concentrations in their wastewater discharge so as to reduce the need to incorporate pretreatment systems.   “It is an honor to receive this award. When the ASTEC facility began the wastewater discharge over three years ago, we were committed to minimizing any pollutant concentrations in the local wastewater system. Receiving this award helps us realize we are doing our best and emphasizes the importance of WSU\NIAR leading the community in protecting our environment,” said Anthony Alford, NIAR senior research engineer.   NIAR’s ASTEC facility is located on the campus of Hawker Beechcraft Corporation. The facility is home to NIAR’s Aging Aircraft and Full-Scale Structural Testing Laboratories.  For more information about the capabilities of these laboratories, contact Tim Hickey, ASTEC Director at (316) 978-8204 or thickey@niar.wichita.edu. The National Institute for Aviation Research is a prestigious state-of-the-art aerospace research and development laboratory with global reach and expertise in research, design, testing, and certification. The Institute’s clientele includes many of the world’s aerospace manufacturers, NASA and the FAA. It is the largest aviation R&D academic institution in America.  The National Institute for Aviation Research is an unincorporated division of Wichita State University.