Baran Sahan

• The major individual research project which I undertook as part of my MSc course at Imperial College London was to study in detail the slot cut-out geometry of thin-wall composite tube structures called ‘composite tube flexures’ and construct a software framework to optimise this geometry to achieve a given performance while avoiding failure.
• I wrote Python and MATLAB scripts as part of the software framework to construct FEA models on Abaqus, run FEA simulations, extract results… Show more

• The major individual research project which I undertook as part of my MSc course at Imperial College London was to study in detail the slot cut-out geometry of thin-wall composite tube structures called ‘composite tube flexures’ and construct a software framework to optimise this geometry to achieve a given performance while avoiding failure.
• I wrote Python and MATLAB scripts as part of the software framework to construct FEA models on Abaqus, run FEA simulations, extract results, post-process results and adjust geometry parameters to optimise the results achieved.
• Throughout the project I had to liaise with world leading experts in composite sciences, research fellows, project supervisors as well as technical support staff to carry out the research project at the highest level of quality as possible and gaining further knowledge into the field while solving the numerous problems encountered.
• The project achieved its objective of optimising the geometry of the slot cut-out to drive the performance towards desired values. There was also promising development made by the project to achieve a damage free structure, with further studies into the layup and orientation of the composite material needed.
• Overall, the project was a success and is being out forward for publication by the project supervisor. Show less

• Final year project for my degree at Brunel University was to develop an UAV with the capability of performing vertical/short take-off and landing (V/STOL) and has features that enhanced its stability, endurance, agility and manoeuvrability.
• By combining the design and performance strengths of fixed wing aircraft in horizontal flight and quadcopter aircraft in vertical/hovering flight, I designed a tiltrotor V/STOL UAV system that has the capability of folding away its wings in vertical… Show more

• Final year project for my degree at Brunel University was to develop an UAV with the capability of performing vertical/short take-off and landing (V/STOL) and has features that enhanced its stability, endurance, agility and manoeuvrability.
• By combining the design and performance strengths of fixed wing aircraft in horizontal flight and quadcopter aircraft in vertical/hovering flight, I designed a tiltrotor V/STOL UAV system that has the capability of folding away its wings in vertical flight and hover mode, enhancing its stability, agility and manoeuvrability.
• By putting the theoretical knowledge gained in my degree about aircraft design to practical use, I designed the entire aircraft, including the airframe, the mechanical systems and incorporation of the avionic and propulsion systems.
• Before designing the aircraft, I carried out calculations for aircraft stability and performance parameters and configuration layout.
• Using the design experience from my placement and previous years in my degree, I designed the whole aircraft on Solidworks CAD software. The technical drawings produced in Solidworks were used to manufacture the components of the aircraft.
• To optimise the design in terms of strength and mass, I carried out finite element analysis (FEA) on loaded components using ANSYS Workbench software.
• Once I had manufactured and assembled the aircraft, I put the whole system through a series of planned procedural tests. During these tests, the system was able to perform the V/STOL and wing folding as designed. Due to the promising results of the tests and performance of the aircraft, further testing of the system was proposed as a final year project for the next academic year.
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• The aim of the project was to design and develop a device to overcome the coupling problem faced in non-destructive testing (NDT) when performing ultrasonic inspections on complex geometries such as large pipe nozzle joints, typically used in the nuclear, oil and gas industries.
• I had sole responsibility of this project from start to end including research, design, manufacture and testing phases.
• By investigating current solutions, previous solution attempts and acoustic… Show more

• The aim of the project was to design and develop a device to overcome the coupling problem faced in non-destructive testing (NDT) when performing ultrasonic inspections on complex geometries such as large pipe nozzle joints, typically used in the nuclear, oil and gas industries.
• I had sole responsibility of this project from start to end including research, design, manufacture and testing phases.
• By investigating current solutions, previous solution attempts and acoustic performances of different materials, I designed a membrane wedge mechanism that used water as a coupling medium and conformed to the surface of the specimen. The mechanism was designed around a watertight aluminium casing with a latch system for ease of use.
• The wedge was tested in the lab and it successfully achieved the expected inspection results on a range of specimens.
• Project members from within TWI and other partnering companies deemed the mechanism a success, with the possibility of further development. The documentation and designs of the mechanism were forwarded to engineers working on similar systems within TWI for further development. Show less