This module can be taken as a Short Course for Credit or Standalone Short Course.

This course provides an understanding of the principles, concepts and techniques of various facets of GW design, especially involving the key disciplines of structures, vibrations & aeroelasticity and materials

At a glance

  • Dates
    • Please enquire for course dates
  • Duration5 days
  • LocationCranfield University at Shrivenham
  • Cost£2,350 - Short Course for Credit fee 

    £1,925 - Standalone Short Course fee Concessions available

Course structure

Classroom lectures and tutorials. Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)-directed study.

What you will learn

On successful completion of this module a student should be able to:

  • Using the principles of stress and structural analysis, analyse loading mechanisms acting on GW structures and execute structural analyses of their airframes.
  • Classify the various sources of vibrations on a guided weapon (GW) and evaluate the various aeroelastic effects acting on the guided weapon airframe.
  • Identify the requirements for and factors that affect the performance of GWs in terms of materials.
  • Critically evaluate the key GW design trade-offs which relate to structures, vibrations, aeroelasticity and materials to justify design decisions.

Core content

  • Structures: the structural design of guided weapons; the behaviour of loaded materials; cylinders and spheres; stresses in beams; bending stresses in beams; second moments of area; beam slope and deflection; beams subjected to accelerations; shear stresses on open-section beams; torsion.
  • Vibrations & Aeroelasticity: Sources of vibrations on a GW, aeroelastic effects acting on the guided weapon airframe.
  • Materials: Description of the main failure modes in materials in the guided weapon context; review on composite materials, steels, aluminium alloys and materials for radomes, airframes, nozzles and rocket motor insulation; exploration on the use of radar absorbing materials.

Upgrade to a professional qualification

When taken as a Short Course for Credit, 10 credit points can be put towards the Guided Weapon Systems MSc.

Find out more about short course credit points.



Concessions

A limited number of MOD sponsored places are available

Location and travel

Cranfield Defence and Security (CDS) is a Cranfield School based at the Ministry of Defence establishment on the Oxfordshire/Wiltshire borders.

Shrivenham itself lies in the picturesque Vale of the White Horse, close to the M4 motorway which links London and South Wales. It is 7 miles from Swindon, the nearest town, which lies off the M4 at the hub of Britain’s motorway network.

Bath, Cheltenham, Bristol and Oxford are all within an hour’s drive and London less than two hours away by car.

All visitors must be pre-booked in at reception by the person they are visiting on the campus.


How to apply

To apply for this course please use the online application form.

Read our Professional development (CPD) booking conditions.