On our first week of uni, we went to collect a fancy electric blue boilersuit. It was carefully embroidered, showing the world that we belonged in the Department of Aeronautics. At that moment I felt that this item of clothing was a bit too extra, as I didn’t really see the point of having one in thefirst year.
Now that we have been having Workshop Manufacture sessions, I’m more than glad to own one.
As part of our coursework, we have “L1 Applications”, which mainly consists of designing and building a structure that can be fit in a frame and that can resist 8kN of applied force. It is a project that has given us quite a few nightmares. How thick should the members be? Should we go for 3 or 4 bolts? Is it going to fit or will it collapse with the obstacle?
In short, we were given a task that was a bit too big for us, but yet we managed to get a triangle structure design. Having all the details and drawings, it was time to actually construct it, and that’s where the boilersuit comes into play.
We got to the Aero Workshop 
were a table in front of us was awaiting, it was filled with Aluminium plates and a few tools. The supervisors told us to go ahead, to use the machines freely. Next thing you know is you are wearing goggles, cutting a metal bar that is shooting sparks as you try to cut it.
were a table in front of us was awaiting, it was filled with Aluminium plates and a few tools. The supervisors told us to go ahead, to use the machines freely. Next thing you know is you are wearing goggles, cutting a metal bar that is shooting sparks as you try to cut it.The whole situation kind of reminded me of that scene in Frankenstein where Alphonse is giving life to his creature. Okay, our triangle was not alive, but yet it was our creation.
And just like that, after 6 hours of work, the structure was finished and ready to go. It felt like freedom, but then I remembered that we still had to test it, but most importantly, write a report about it.
Overall, it was a positive experience, Mia (my group mate) and I had quite a few laughs between drilling and assembling.
Let’s hope our baby performs well and Adrian, Mia and I get a nice grade. Or else it can also fail tremendously, which should be fun too.
