Katherine had her EDT Year in Industry Placement at Leonardo. Read on to find out more about her project and experience.
Company: Leonardo
Student/Degree: Katherine Keogh – Aerospace Systems Engineering
Manager: Fraser McRoberts
Project Title: Aircraft Simulation Model with Integrated Sensors
Project summary:
Airborne RF sensors have their performance affected by installation errors, manufacturing errors, wing movement/vibration, Radio Frequency chain imperfections, timing misalignments and processing losses. My task was to create an integrated model in order to allow an assessment of the relative impacts of each of these effects.
Project Results:
I created an aircraft model in Simulink to assess these areas, including subsystems such as antennas, wing models, RF receivers, inertial measurement units, and phase-locked loops. This model allows users to set parameters on each of the subsystems and investigate the impact of subsystem performance on overall system performance. This means that projects can make decisions about which subsystems and components to focus development efforts on for the best return on investment. My model is already in use on a large program to inform development activities and act as an early testbed for some system concepts.
What have you gained from your placement?
I learnt new software and how to integrate different toolboxes within the Simulink Environment as well as attending multiple training courses to help me with my learning. Since this project was done entirely whilst working from home, I developed in both independence and confidence, as well as communication skills, through a variety of means when collaborating with my colleagues to solve issues and integrate components. Following my performance, I have received a recommendation to continue my studies to a Masters level and work during the summer as a summer placement student next year.
Company Manager’s Comment:
"Katherine’s work allows us to ask questions about our system performance to a level of detail that we have previously been unable to. This helps to unlock a new realm of possibilities when it comes to product optimisations and enhancements. It has been a pleasure to work with Katherine and we look forward to seeing her again in the future."
To find out more about EDT Year in Industry Placements, click here.