Blog 24 – Last Presentation Reflection

~I think this is the only picture that doesn't need a caption.

1. Positive Statement
1. What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
1. In my final presentation, I was most proud of how I did during my lecture. I’m not exactly sure how the audience felt, but I really liked how it went. To me, it seemed like the audience, as well as Ms. Edwards, was engaged. Overall, I would say I am most proud of all of the research I have done throughout the year. I really liked and enjoyed learning about something I am really passionate about.
2. Questions to Consider
1. What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation?  Use the component contract to defend that assessment.
1. I would give my presentation an assessment of an AE. I believe that I met all of the requirements for P consideration, and was able to do my presentation that was above and beyond. I believe that my presentation was very engaging and clear.
2. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.
1. Overall, I would give myself an assessment of an AE for the senior project. I believe this to be true because I was able to do everything I needed to in a timely and proficient manner, and I was able to go above and beyond in other aspects. For projects such as the I-Search paper, 2nd Presentation, and the Final Presentation, I believe I deserve an AE (in fact, I did get an AE for the 2nd presentation). All-in-all,I believe that I at least deserve a P, but was able to go above and beyond for some of the major components.
3. What worked for you in your senior project?
1. For my senior project, research and mentorship really worked well. In the beginning of the year, I did not have a mentor for a while, but when I did get one, everything really worked well.
4. (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?
1. I would probably be more organized and do my projects a little earlier to avoid stress. I didn’t really procrastinate but for some things such as lesson preparations, I waited more than I should have.
5. Finding Value
1. How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.
1. The senior project really helped me develop as a person. For example, I learned how to talk to other experts and professionals that I probably wouldn’t have talked to unless senior project needed me to.

Blog 23 – Exit Interview

~Composites were probably the most important part of my research throughout the year; I have learned how different materials are used and why.

1. What is your essential question, and what are your answers?  What is your best answer and why?
1. Essential Question: How can aircraft manufacturers utilize today’s technology in order to be cost efficient?
2. Best Answer: Additive Manufacturing(AM)
1. I found additive manufacturing to be my best answer because additive manufacturing increases opportunity to develop advanced designs previously unattainable. For example, the integration of lattice structures that AM technologies make possible provides potential to increase strength and stiffness per given weight or mass (S&TR, Materials by Design). Moreover, Additive manufacturing techniques are also constantly being improved in time. With each year, more and more aircraft manufacturers are using additive manufacturing techniques to create complex aircraft components.A common problem with new technologies in the manufacturing industry is the lack of its use within the field. This hinders the developments that may improve the technology; however, with the amount of AM users consistently growing, improvements on additive manufacturing will continue to occur (Eric Fodran, Personal Interview).Moreover, I believe that additive manufacturing carry a significantly greater advantage over traditional manufacturing as it can fabricate the same structural designs as subtractive and formative shaping, and can also implement more sophisticated geometrical designs in its end product––designs that carry great potential in aircraft and spacecraft weight reduction and strength/stiffness enhancement.
2. In comparison to my other two answers–use of efficient designs through complex geometric structures and implementation of advanced aircraft engine designs–additive manufacturing holds a much better chance of being technologically and economically significant to the aerospace industry.
2. What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
1. Arriving at this answer was actually pretty easy for me. At the beginning of the year, most of my research was on the aerospace industry as a whole; looking at the different branches of aeronautics, I started to look into how aircraft engines can reduce fuel consumption through the use of an efficient propulsion system(aircraft engines). It wasn’t until my first interview with my mentor, Eric Fodran, when I was introduced to the idea of additive manufacturing; however, after that, most of my research was focused on aircraft materials and weight reduction. Eventually, I started to look into additive manufacturing when I felt that I had enough background information knowledge. My 1st and 2nd Independent Component also helped strengthen my best answer(as well as my 2nd best answer).
3. What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?
1. The biggest problem I faced was probably the length of the sources I had; most of them were just too long (50-600+ pages) that I was not able to read through/take thorough notes. There were times when I had difficulty looking for the “significant” sections to take notes on; however, my mentor was always there to help me with finding sections and even sources to use for research. Aside from my mentor, time was really the biggest help; by the time I finished IC#1, I was already used to the terminology used in the my sources. I also knew what I needed to look for.
4. What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
1. The two most significant sources I used to answer my essential question would probably be the “Aviation Technician Handbook” by the Federal Aviation Administration, and the “Composite Materials Handbook” by the United States Department of Defense. The FAA handbook was a source that I had been using even before meeting my mentor; it was very easy to understand and usually had whatever I needed. The DoD handbook was also very useful as it gave detailed explanations on composite materials and processes. Most of the research I have conducted throughout the year has been on factors that utilize composite materials and manufacturing processes; the composites handbook was extremely helpful in finding explanations on specific materials and AM processes.
1. Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. "Aviation Technician Handbook - Airframe Volume 2 Chapter 7: Advanced Composite Materials." DOT, FAA, 2012. PDF File. <http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aircraft/amt_airframe_handbook/media/amt_airframe_vol2.pdf>.
2. “Composite Materials Handbook Volume 3. Polymer Matrix Composites Materials Usage, Design, and Analysis 2.4.1.1 Carbon and Graphite Fibers.” United States Department of Defense, 17 June 2002. PDF File.

Blog 22 – Independent Component 2

~Lattice structures were probably the most interesting designs I came across during my research for IC 2. These structures can significantly increase the weight to strength ratio of any given material due to its complex geometric design.

1. Include this statement: “I, Justin Ilagan, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 47 hours of work.”
2. Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component.
1. “Anderton, James. "VIDEO: Additive Manufacturing to Revolutionize Satellite & Aerospace Design." Enigneering, 24 Nov 2015. Web. 24 March 2016. <http://www.engineering.com/AdvancedManufacturing/ArticleID/11039/VIDEO-Additive-Manufacturing-to-Revolutionize-Satellite-Aerospace-Design.aspx>.
2. Cotteleer, Mark and Jim Joyce. "3D opportunity: Additive manufacturing paths to performance, innovation, and growth Deloitte Review issue 14." Dupress. Deloitte University Press, 17 January 2014. Web. 21 February 2016. <http://dupress.com/articles/dr14-3d-opportunity/>.
3. D’Aveni, Richard. "The 3-D Printing Revolution." HBR. Harvard Business Review, May 2015. Web. 21 April 2016. <https://hbr.org/2015/05/the-3-d-printing-revolution#>.
4. Douglas S. Thomas and Stanley W. Gilbert. "NIST Special Publication 1176: Costs and Cost Effectiveness of Additive Manufacturing." National Institute of Standards and Technology, Dec. 2014. Web. 30 March 2016. <http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.1176.pdf>.
5. Franco Cevolini, Walter Holemans, Adam Huang, Stewart Davis, and Gilbert Moore. "Construction of a CUBESAT using Additive Manufacturing." CRP-Group. CRP-Group, n.d. Web. 06 Feb 2016. <http://www.crp-group.com/PDF/cs-construction-cubesat-additive-manufacturing.pdf>.
6. Lyons, Brett. "Additive Manufacturing in Aerospace: Examples and Research Outlook." Frontiers of Engineering: Reports on Leading-edge Engineering from the 2011 Symposium. Washington, D.C.: National Academies, 2012. 15-24. Web. 25 Feb. 2016. <http://www.naefrontiers.org/File.aspx?id=31590>.
7. Mark Cotteleer, Mark Neier and Jeff Crane. "3D opportunity in tooling Additive manufacturing shapes the future." Dupress. Deloitte University Press, 07 April 2014. Web. 21 February 2016. <http://dupress.com/articles/additive-manufacturing-3d-opportunity-in-tooling/>.
8. Sheng Yang, Yunlong Tang, and Yaoyao Fiona Zhao. "A New Part Consolidation Method to Embrace the Design Freedom of Additive Manufacturing." 43rd Proceedings of the North American Manufacturing Research Institution of SME and McGill University. Elsevier B.V, 2015. Web. 02 March 2016. <http://namrc-msec-2015.uncc.edu/sites/namrc-msec-2015.uncc.edu/files/media/NAMRC-Papers/paper_51_framed.pdf>.
9. Spadaccini, Chris. "Materials by Design." S&TR. Science and Technology Review, March 2012. Web. 30 March 2016. <https://str.llnl.gov/Mar12/pdfs/3.12.3.pdf>.
10. Svitak, Amy. "Lockheed Martin Testing 3-D-Printed Subsystems On A2100 Space Bus." AviationWeek. Aviation Week Network, 24 July 2014. Web. 24 March 2016. <http://aviationweek.com/awin-only/lockheed-martin-testing-3-d-printed-subsystems-a2100-space-bus>.
11. Y. Tang, Y. F. Zhao. "Lattice-skin Structures Design with Orientation Optimization." Sffsymposium. Department of Mechanical Engineering, McGill University, n.d. Web. 06 Feb 2016. <http://sffsymposium.engr.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/2015/2015-111-Tang.pdf>.
12. Zjenja Doubrovski, Jouke Casper Verlinden, and Jo Geraedts. "Optimal Design for Additive Manufacturing: Opportunities and Challenges." ResearchGate. Delft University of Technology
13. Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Dec 2011. Web. 06 Feb 2016. <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235725719_Optimal_Design_for_Additive_Manufacturing_Opportunities_and_Challenges>.
3. Update your Independent Component 2 Log (which should be under your Senior Project Hours link)
1. Done - Independent Component 2 Log Link
4. Explain what you completed.
1. My independent component 2 was very similar to my first independent, but mostly focused on additive manufacturing designs that are possible. I looked into the actual cost benefit analysis of Additive Manufacturing processes and how certain designs prove beneficial in decreasing the overall weight of an aircraft. More specifically, I looked into the possible lattice structures that can be effective through Additive Manufacturing. I researched
5. Defend your work and explain the component's significance and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work. Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.
1. Although the evidence listed on this blog may not seem like much, the amount of time I have spent on this project has been huge and the progress I have made towards the research on cost efficiency has increased significantly because of my IC 2. Majority of the 47 hours listed on my IC 2 hours log went towards reading the sources listed. The list below is not a complete record of all of the notes I took during the duration of this project. It is important to know that there are countless numbers of additive manufacturing processes, materials and technology, and if I had chosen to skip sections on the articles used, I would not have been able to take sufficient notes as the background information on AM is vital in understanding how AM can increase cost efficiency.
2. Notes:






3. Source Previews
1. Most of my sources are over a hundred pages long. Clearly, I did not take notes on every single page; however, I went through almost all of these sources as they actually had beneficial information. Most of the hours listed on my mentorship log(IC 2) were on the research and note taking done for this project. These sources were not just taken from my working bibliography, however, I did use some of for my research check as it was very helpful for my senior project as a whole. These sources were found by either me, or my mentor, Dr. Eric Fodran; a listed view of these sources can also be found on the "Essential Questions Answer" document. Moreover, this is not the complete list of all of the sources I used for my independent component. All of the sources I listed on question 2 were used for my research on my IC 2.

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   ~Franco Cevolini, Walter Holemans, Adam Huang, Stewart Davis, and Gilbert Moore. "Construction of a CUBESAT using Additive Manufacturing."

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6. How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped.
1. The second independent component basically served as a way to support my second answer to the essential question--Additive Manufacturing(AM). More specifically, I was able to further my knowledge on AM processes through the literary research conducted throughout the project.
1. For example, the literary review “Lattice-skin Structures Design with Orientation Optimization” by Y. Tang and Y. F. Zhao showed me how lattice structures can be implemented in aircraft and spacecraft while still being able to somewhat retain the manufacturing cost and time. It explored the different effective material model for lattice structures and how feasible they are in current designs.
2. Another example is “Materials by Design,” by the Science and Technology Review. It is an article from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and discusses some AM processes and how they can be combined to fabricate usable lattice structures. This source helped me understand my answer to the EQ as it shows how flexible AM processes are and how different processes can be combined and utilized to create a more desirable product.
3. “Construction of a CUBESAT using Additive Manufacturing” by Franco Cevolini, Walter Holemans, Adam Huang, Stewart Davis, and Gilbert Moore was also helpful as it gave a real life example of how additively manufactured products perform as effectively as those traditionally manufactured.  CubeSat is an additively manufactured miniaturized satellite that was initially created to test performance of smaller satellites in low Earth orbit.

Blog 21 – Fourth Interview Reflection

~Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense and advanced technologies company. My fourth interviewee, Dean Simkins, is a conceptual design engineer for Lockheed Martin Skunkworks.

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?
1. The most important thing I learned from the interview is how important biofuels can be in the aerospace industry. At this point in the year, a lot of the information I get from my research and interviews start becoming repetitive. There is only so much that experts in the aerospace field can actually give to me. Throughout the year, I’ve found that it is actually difficult find the right questions to ask since there are many things that these experts can’t just release to the public.
2. How will what I learned affect my final lesson?
1. I think that it will affect my final lesson by forcing me to be more prepared. Moreover, I think that the information I got from the interviews will further strengthen my knowledge on my answers to the essential question.

Interview 4 Audio

Interview 4 Text

Blog 20 – Fourth Interview Questions

~The B-21 is a long range strategic bomber under development by Northrop Grumman.

As with each blog, you should choose an interesting visual to entice people to read what you have written.

1. Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?
1. I am unsure about who I will be interviewing next; however, it will most likely be one of my mentor’s coworkers. Since I’m not sure about who I am going to interview yet, I cannot really tell what my interviewee’s exact expertise is, but I know that he/she will be working with the aerospace industry(most likely manufacturing or design/research).
2. Post 20 open-ended questions you want to ask an expert in the field concerning your senior project. Your focus should be finding answers to your EQ.
1. How will biofuels change commercial and military aviation?
2. How long do you think will it take for biofuels to before the primary source of fuels?
3. Are there any other alternative energy sources that may be used in future aircraft?
4. What is the biggest factor to consider when increasing aircraft fuel efficiency?
5. How else can fuel efficiency be increased in aircraft?
6. How can aircraft be more cost efficient?
7. How has the aerospace industry evolve in order to meet stringent regulations?
8. In what ways has the aircraft industry worsened?
9. How can the aircraft industry further improve?
10. What is the biggest problem that the aircraft industry has today?
11. How can additive manufacturing improve the aerospace industry?
12. Would the changes in technology be too costly?
13. How do the commercial and military aircraft industry differ in terms of efficiency?
14. Should the aerospace industry focus more on increasing strength/stiffness performance or increasing fuel efficiency through more aerodynamic designs and/or efficient engines?
15. What are geared turbofan engines?
16. Why are turbofans used more?
17. Are there other types of engines that may be more efficient?
18. How can the increase in biofuel use affect the designs of aircraft engines?
19. What other fuel sources are there for the aircraft industry?
20. What other thoughts/comments do you have about aircraft efficiency/cost efficiency?

If you have already interviewed someone two times, you aren't allowed to interview that same person without House teacher approval.

The interview itself is not due until Friday, April 15th to turnitin.com. However, we want to give you as much time as possible, so we are asking you to complete the blog now. Remember that in addition to turning in the interview to turnitin.com, you also need to turn in the verification sheet to your House teacher and post an audio excerpt of no less than 5 minutes on your senior project blog.

Blog 19 – Third Answer

~The Pratt & Whitney PW1000G is a high-bypass geared turbofan engine family. Unlike older turbofan engines, geared turbofan engines are more fuel efficient and deliver reduced ground noise. 

1. EQ
1. How can aircraft manufacturers utilize today’s technology in order to be cost efficient?
2. Answer #3 (Write in a complete sentence like a thesis statement)*\
1. Aircraft manufacturers can achieve cost efficiency with today’s technology through the use of more advanced aircraft engines, such as geared turbofan engines. Advanced aircraft engined designs like geared turbofan engines significantly increase the fuel efficiency and power output(thrust generated) of aircraft.
3. 3 details to support the answer
1. Low fuel consumption
1. Low greenhouse gas emissions
2. Compact and lightweight designs
1. Thinner/lighter nacelles as engine bypass ratio and fan diameter grow.
2. Decreases drag generated by awkward/ineffective engine designs.
3. Can be easily implemented to current aircraft systems, as engine replacements are much more simpler than entire system changes.
1. i.e. Current commercial aircraft cross section structures cannot be changed/altered because they serve as the skeleton/supporting structure.
4. The research source(s) to support your details and answer
1. Hughes, Chris. "Geared Turbofan Technology." NASA Ames Research Center, 8 Sept. 2010. Web. 02 March 2016. <http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/pdf/hughes_green_aviation_summit.pdf>.
5. Concluding Sentence
1. Although my third answer to the essential question points to an entirely new direction, I thought that it was still important because unlike my other two answers(efficient design through complex geometrical shapes and additive manufacturing), my last answer(advanced aircraft engines) is probably the most applicable/suitable option for the aerospace industry today. To explain, my third answer to the essential question is different from the first two in a sense that the first two answers can’t really address the issues that aircraft today have. It’s easy to design and create an efficient design through the use of additive manufacturing processes and complex geometrical shapes; however, it’s impossible to modify the inner structures of already existing aircraft. In other words, my first and second answer can only be used for aircraft that are yet to be manufactured. On the other hand, since my third answer deals with a more accessible part of aircraft. In most cases, it is cheaper to change an aircraft engine than to change an entire aircraft.