EMAQ/201

THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF KENYA

DEPARTMENT OF AEROSPACE & AVIATION ENGINEERING

EMAQ/2017

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING (AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING).

THIRD YEAR

FIELD TRIP REPORT

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REPORT ON FIELD TRIP TO DEFENCE FORCES TECHNICAL COLLEGE.

INTODUCTION

Defence Forces Technical College is a premier institution for training technical manpower for the Kenya
Defence Forces. Its training is of high quality, practical and tailored to meet the changing security needs
and advancement of technology, the college is known to be the centre of excellence for Research and
Development in the KDF. We, third year students of Aeronautical engineering at TUK had a chance of
visiting the institute on Wednesday 26th February 2020 as part of our learning and career development.
We had a chance of visiting various departments and laboratories in the institute from which we gained
both encyclopedic knowledge and crucial practical skills required in the aviation industry. This is as we
have discussed below.

JET ENGINES

The concept of jet engines was covered extensively, whereby we studied a cut away section of a turbojet
engine. Through this section, the various stages of a jet engine and their working principle could be
observed and understood more vividly. This included: an axial flow compressor section and its stages, an
annular type combustion chamber, the fuel injection system as well as the turbine and nozzle sections
with their components. Other two variations of turbojet engines and their components were also observed
and discussed in detail.

Part of the study and discussion in the engines lab also included other types of jet engines such as the
turbofan and turboprop engines. Comparison between these types of engines and the turbojet engine were
observed and discussed. A centrifugal compressor and diffuser section observable through a cut away
section of a turboprop engine was also studied and its principle of operation was discussed. Other areas
included: combustion chamber bypass, working principle of the fan, exhaust cone and nozzle, engine
efficiency and methods of thrust augmentation such as water injection and afterburning.

AIRFRAMES DEPARTMENT

In the airframes department, we got to see the honeycomb structure used on the wings which has a high
strength to weight ratio. In the same lab, there was the skeleton or frame of a helicopter which used a
truss type of airframe structure. An aircraft with a monocoque structure was also shown where we got to
see different parts of the aircraft i.e. the fuselage and the empennage. We also saw different types of
structural members. These include longerons which are primary structures, frames and formers which
give the shape of the aircraft, and stringers which provide additional support to the primary structures.
There was an empennage which was part of the remains of a crash that used carbon fiber as opposed to
aluminum as it has higher strength to weight ratio and is more resistant to corrosion.

RADAR LABORATORY

Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) is an electronic detector system that measures distance or velocity
by sending a signal out and receiving its reflection. It can pierce fog, darkness, or any atmospheric
disturbance all the way to the horizon. Within its range, it can show an airplanes, or spacecraft. Radar can
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measure distance or range to a target object, and aircraft can use radar to determine altitude. Speed
detection is another common application. Radar can be used to monitor atmospheric systems, to track
storms, and to help predict the weather. Military applications include weapons ranging and direction, or
control of guided missiles.

The angle between the direction of the target and the rotation axis determines the amplitude of the
modulated signal. So, the conical scan modulation has to be extracted from the echo signal and then it is
to be applied to servo control system, which moves the Antenna beam axis towards the direction of the
target. The Radar, which is used to track the path of one or more targets is known as Tracking Radar. In
general, it performs the following functions before it starts the tracking activity.

 Target detection
 Range of the target
 Finding elevation and azimuth angles
 Finding Doppler frequency shift
So, Tracking Radar tracks the target by tracking one of the three parameters — range, angle, Doppler
frequency shift. Most of the Tracking Radars use the principle of tracking in angle. Now, let us discuss
what angular tracking is.
Angular Tracking

The pencil beams of Radar Antenna perform tracking in angle. The axis of Radar Antenna is considered
as the reference direction. If the direction of the target and reference direction is not same, then there will
be angular error, which is nothing but the difference between the two directions. If the angular error
signal is applied to a servo control system, then it will move the axis of the Radar Antenna towards the
direction of target. Both the axis of Radar Antenna and the direction of target will coincide when the
angular error is zero. There exists a feedback mechanism in the Tracking Radar, which works until the
angular error becomes zero. The following are the two techniques, which are used in angular tracking.

 Sequential Lobbing
 Conical Scanning
Sequential Lobbing

If the Antenna beams are switched between two patterns alternately for tracking the target, then it is
called sequential lobbing. It is also called sequential switching and lobe switching. This technique is
used to find the angular error in one coordinate. It gives the details of both magnitude and direction of
angular error.

Following figure shows an example of sequential lobbing in polar coordinates.

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As shown in the figure, Antenna beams switch between Position 1 and Position 2 alternately. Angular
error θ is indicated in the above figure. Sequential lobing gives the position of the target with high
accuracy. This is the main advantage of sequential lobing.
Conical Scanning

If the Antenna beam continuously rotates for tracking a target, then it is called conical scanning.
Conical scan modulation is used to find the position of the target. Following figure shows an example of
conical scanning.

Squint angle is the angle between beam axis and rotation axis and it is shown in the above figure. The
echo signal obtained from the target gets modulated at a frequency equal to the frequency at which the
Antenna beam rotates.
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The angle between the direction of the target and the rotation axis determines the amplitude of the
modulated signal. So, the conical scan modulation has to be extracted from the echo signal and then it
is to be applied to servo control system, which moves the Antenna beam axis towards the direction of the
target.
INSTRUMENTS LAB
At the instruments lab we were able to look into the operation of basic flight instruments, gyroscope
operation, as well as the auto pilot system.

Regarding the basic flight instruments, we were able to study the following;

 Airspeed Indicator (ASI)

 Altimeter
 Vertical Speed Indicator (VSI)
 Attitude Indicator (AI)
 Heading Indicator (HI)
 Turn Coordinator (TC)

The instruments provide the pilot with current information on aircraft speed, altitude, climb/descent,
attitude, heading, and turning/banking.

The instruments are powered by various aircraft systems. The ASI, altimeter, and VSI use the pitot-static
system, which provides ram air pressure from the Pitot tube and ambient pressure from the static port.
Only the ASI uses the Pitot tube; all three instruments use the static port.

The AI, HI, and turn indicator are gyroscopic instruments that contain an internal gyro powered by
vacuum, pressure, or electrical power. The gyros operate on two important properties: rigidity and
precession.

TURBOJET ENGINE
A turbojet engine is a gas jet turbine engine that works by compressing air. It works as follows:

The component parts of a turbojet engine are the inlet, the gas turbine engine, consisting of a compressor,
a combustion chamber and a turbine, and the exhaust nozzle(we were presented with nozzles of different
areas ) so as to get required thrust. Air is drawn into the engine through the inlet and compressed and
heated by the compressor. Fuel is then added in the combustion chamber and ignited. The burning fuel
adds energy to the exhaust stream by heating and expanding the air. Sufficient energy to drive the
compressor is extracted from the exhaust stream by the turbine. The remainder of the exhaust energy is
used to produce thrust, a process which is enhanced by the geometry of the exhaust nozzle. As the
exhaust gas passes through the nozzle, it is accelerated to high speed as it expands thus providing
propulsion. The thrust produced by the engine can be selectively increased by incorporating an
afterburner or re-heat into the engine design.

Turbojet aircraft work on the principle of accelerating a relatively small mass of air to a high speed. As
optimum efficiency is achieved when the speed of the accelerated air approximates that of the aircraft,
turbojet engines do not reach peak efficiency until speeds approaching Mach 2. .
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CESSNA AIRPLANE
We got a rare chance to operate the Cessna airplane at the airbase. We had first-hand interaction with the
piston powered airplane. We were able to learn how to turn on Cessna, taxi it and turn it off as per the
manufacturer’s regulations. We were also able to practically learnt how to escape safely from such an
aircraft in the event of a hitch midair.
AVIONICS LAB
Our next visit was to the electrical lab where we had one of the most fascinating and enlightening session.
The first presentation was on the DC and AC generators where we learnt about their similarities and
differences. From the generators we got to understand the working of the motor – generator set which
utilizes an electric motor as the prime mover to drive a generator and their practical applications. The
second presentation was on the Aircraft’s Ground Power Unit that is used to start the aircraft while on
ground. We went through all the steps a pilot carries out while powering up an aircraft with the visual aid
of a control unit diagram showing the connection of electrical circuits that supply the power and logic
circuits that are used to ensure everything is working properly. The third presentation was on 3 – D
printers that are used to manufacture models using plastic materials. Once one has modeled a prototype in
a computer using the Cura software the 3-D printer makes its physical model with high levels of
accuracy. The last presentation in this lab was on the Printer Circuit Board (PCB) and microcontrollers.
We were practically shown how circuits are designed and printed onto the circuit board for practical use.
A microcontroller used for traffic control was shown to us, we got to learn how it is codded and
connected to a circuit. Considering all these presentations were not theoretical but well organized
practical work the electrical lab visit can be considered as the climax of our trip.

CONCLUSION
In general we were able to interact with so many useful instruments relevant to our academic field. This
helped us better understand all that we learn theoretically in class.
RECOMMENDATIONS.

The trip to DEFTEC was highly informative and vastly enhanced knowledge henceforth we would like to
suggest more trips to be conducted to reinforce our theoretical knowledge and give us a practical view of
what is going on in the industry. This will help us have an in depth cover and acquisition of practical
skills needed in aviation industry.