BCoE seniors visit Airbus for FLIR demonstration
December 22, 2014
Andrew LeClair views the helicopter engine through the FLIR infrared camera at the Airbus airfield.
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A group of Bagley College students spent took a break from the lecture hall to conduct hands-on research for their senior design project.
Five mechanical engineering seniors visited the Airbus Americas plant in Columbus where they learned the applications and benefits of thermal imaging with the help of FLIR Systems Inc.
“The Bagley College of Engineering at Mississippi State University prides itself on giving practical educational experiences to its students,” interim dean Jason Keith said. “We are very appreciative of Airbus Helicopters for their support of a senior design team and for allowing the students access to staff members and real world data that they can use in their project.”
The students are researching ways to prevent engine overheating using material or design alterations. To help with this task, FLIR Systems provided software and thermal imaging cameras that reveal temperature change and intensity in real time.
While at the Airbus facility, the students attended a presentation by Mark Boccella, a scientific segment engineer for FLIR, about the ways thermal imaging is applicable commercially. They were also introduced to the software they would use on their project.
After the presentation, the students visited the Airbus airfield for a hands-on demonstration of thermal imaging tools. With the help of the Airbus aircraft crew, the five seniors practiced using two types of thermal imaging cameras to view the temperature changes of a moving helicopter, followed by a look inside the engine post-flight.
“My favorite part of this trip was getting to watch the helicopter fly around through the camera,” Andrew LeClair said. “This is the first hands-on type of project we’ve done, and I think we got a lot of information to help us start our design project.”
Founded in 1978 as pioneers in thermal imaging, FLIR Systems Inc. was named after the forward-looking infrared imaging systems in which it specializes. With beginnings in the automobile industry, FLIR’s thermal imaging devices are now used for applications such as security, marketing, military, weather, aerospace, manufacturing, architecture, environment, and health.
Attendees (by hometown):
BILOXI – Tyler Abell
GRENADA – Andrew LeClair
SLIDELL, La. – Benjamin Eisman
SOUTHAVEN – Justin Black
VICKSBURG – Daniel Howse
For more information about FLIR Systems, visit www.flir.com.
The Bagley College of Engineering is online at www.bagley.msstate.edu.
Photographs from the visit are available online at www.flickr.com/photos/msuengineering.
By: Erin Boozer