School Project

Tail Structural Design

CAD • Structural design • Manufacturing planning • 2023

At a glance

Team: 3-member international team
My role: Concept development, CAD and manufacturing
Focus: Weight, stiffness, manufacturability and load transfer

Design Intent

The tail structure was developed around a set of design requirements where stiffness, load path clarity and manufacturability had to be balanced within a compact assembly.

The useful part of the project was not only reaching a final geometry, but also justifying why the chosen concept made sense under the given constraints.

Engineering Tradeoffs

We looked at how the structure would transfer loads, where material was actually needed, and which details would create unnecessary manufacturing difficulty.

That made the project a good exercise in defending design decisions rather than simply making the model look finished.

To Actual Flight

Close collaboration with the team was key to making the project come together.

Our tail section was the lightest design in the class and completed many successful flights, including being selected for the aircraft’s maiden flight.

Project media