Engineering Commons^™

Creating An Experimental Learning And Research Driven Spacesuit Lab For Erau, Ryan L. Kobrick, Erik Seedhouse

Publications

This paper evaluates key functional data parameters that must be considered for suborbital spaceflight participants wearing pressurized suits for intravehicular activity (IVA). Data parameters of an analog spacesuit worn in an analog flight environment were obtained from 40 civilian participants using the Suborbital Space Flight Simulator (SSFS) at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) while donning Final Frontier Design’s (FFD) fully pressurized third-generation spacesuit as part of their training for Project PoSSUM (the Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere Project). The physiological data collected included: blood pressure, electrocardiograms, heart rate, grip strength, and skin temperature. These parameters were measured using a …

Design Of Variable Stiffness Composite Panels For Maximum Strength, Joel P. Hurley

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this research is to explore the design of variable stiffness composites and develop an automated framework to model, analyze and optimize these structures. Variable stiffness composites have been shown to exhibit increased strength and stiffness over traditional constant stiffness composites by tailoring fiber orientations for specific load conditions. This is achieved by allowing the fiber orientation to vary spatially across the design domain. Motivation for new design methods is driven by the recent advancements in composite additive manufacturing, such as automated fiber placement machines, which allow fiber reinforcements to be placed along prescribed trajectories during manufacturing. Through …

Numerical Study Of Mixing Of A Supercritical Jet In A Supercritical Environment, Neil Sullivan

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

A numerical simulation campaign is conducted to better elucidate flow physics and modeling requirements of a supercritical (SC) nitrogen jet injected into a tank of quiescent SC nitrogen. The goals of this work are twofold: to inform the design of injectors and combustion chambers for use in the direct-fired supercritical CO2 (s-CO2) power generation cycle and cryogenic liquid propellant rockets, and to investigate the extent to which meaningful flow characterization can be achieved with computationally expedient methods, using commercial software. Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approaches are used in STAR-CCM+ versions 10.06.010 and 12.02.011. Jet disintegration is …

Cruise Missile Integrated Air Defense System Penetration: Modeling The S-400 System, Michael Pelosi, Amie K. Honeycutt

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

This research determines improved flight-path routes that make maximum utilization of terrain-masking opportunities, and defending radar and missile system equipment performance and launch timing constraints, in order to avoid radar detection and tracking, and to mitigate subsequent missile shoot-down risks. The problem is formulated as one of constrained optimization in three dimensions. Advantageous solutions are identified using the A* Algorithm in conjunction with detailed equipment performance and constraint calculations and high-resolution digital terrain elevation maps. Topographical features in digital terrain are exploited by the algorithm to avoid radar detection and tracking. The model includes provisions for all-aspect/all-frequency radar cross section …

Static Testing Of Propulsion Elements For Small Multirotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Robert W. Deters, S.C. Kleinke, Michael S. Selig

Publications

The growing use of small multirotor aircraft has increased the interest in having better performance results especially with the propulsion system. The size of the propellers used on these aircraft operate at low Reynolds numbers that are typically less than 200,000. Static performance testing of ten propeller pairs (tractor and pusher) were completed and is the beginning of a systematic test of propellers used on multirotor systems. The propellers chosen for this initial set of tests were selected from four popular quadrotors. Besides testing the propellers provided with the aircraft, propellers that are sold as replacements from third-party companies were …

Literature Review: Biomimetic And Conventional Aircraft Wing Tips, Naseeb Ahmed Siddiqui, Waqar Asrar, Erwin Sulaeman

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

This paper is an attempt to summarize the effect of wing tip devices employed by birds, as well as aeronautical engineers in the past to improve the performance characteristics of aircraft. The focus is on reduction of the induced drag or drag due to lift also known as inviscid drag. This paper will provide an insight on both biomimetic and conventional wing tip approaches to reduce the induced drag. Prior analysis and experiments on the aerodynamics of airplane performance due to both these separate studies have been discussed. The needs of the industry and their past inventions have been described …

The Issues And Complexities Surrounding The Future Of Long Duration Spaceflight, Solomon Miiro

Graduate Student Works

The Comprehensive Exam put forward by this proposal is intended to address the learning objectives covered by the Master of Aeronautical Science Degree with specializations in Aviation Aerospace Safety Systems and some limited aspects in Human Factors in Aviation Systems. This will be accomplished by researching the following topics: effects of long duration spaceflight on crew performance and functioning and the steps that should be taken to enable long term spaceflight mission crews in lieu of accomplishing important missions; a human factor analysis should current human-machine design interfaces be enhanced to make manual rendezvous and docking in space easier to …

Performance Analysis Of A Coaxial Helicopter In Hover And Forward Flight, Stanrich D. Fernandes

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The performance of a coaxial rotor system has been analyzed by establishing a proper basis of comparison between a conventional single rotor and coaxial rotor. An attempt has also been made to better understand the complicated aerodynamic interactions associated with coaxial rotor wakes by using a free-vortex methodology (FVM). The FVM is a Lagrangian-based wake convection methodology, which solves for the evolution of the vortical wake produced by the rotor blades under the influence of an external flow. The extent to which the two rotors interact with each other was found to be highly dependent on the inter-rotor spacing. To …

Integration Of Macro-Fiber Composite Material On A Low Cost Unmanned Aerial System, May Chong Chan

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The development, deployment, and operation of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have grown exponentially in recent years and have provided researchers with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with aircraft in a manner that was previously limited to institutions and companies with large budgets. This allows the generation and testing of UAS advanced technologies using low cost systems. The scope of this thesis does not aim to make vast improvements to the control strategy itself, but to expand upon previous UAV work carried out at Embry-Riddle by designing, implementing, and demonstrating a simulation environment for mechanical and Macro-Fiber Composite (MFC) actuated …

Structural Design Of A Business Jet Winglet, Jaime Gutierrez

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Structural sizing of a winglet for the Falcon 10 was performed and is presented here. The aerodynamic profile of the winglet was taken from a previous study, which predicted an increase in range of 3.3% with an estimated weight increase of 52 kg. An investigation of the current structure layouts and materials used in the industry was conducted. Six loading cases were analyzed to identify the most critical for the winglet, found to be negative and positive sideslip and gust. A finite element model was developed and used to size the structure. A fabrication process and assembly is described and …

Comparison Of Rans Modeling To Dual-Plane Piv Measurements Of The Turbulent Tip Vortex Trailed From A Hovering Rotor, Zachary Lietzau

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Numerical simulations using the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations were conducted to study the development and turbulent decay of the tip vortices in the wake produced by a hovering rotor. The computational results were compared to detailed, dual plane Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements of a turbulent tip vortex trailed from a single-bladed rotor. The work investigated both the required mesh resolution and most suitable turbulence closure models with rotational/curvature corrections by assessing their predictions of the tip vortex properties and the overall physical nature of the rotor wake. It was found that even when using a higher-order accurate central differencing …

Battery Centric Serial Hybrid Aircraft Performance And Design Space, Lenny Gartenberg

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The design space and flight envelope of a battery centric serial hybrid aircraft has been analytically derived. The formulation assumes cruising flight only and all energy available is used. The flight envelope can be generated for any conventional propeller driven serial hybrid aircraft. The advantageous combination of an electric motor and controllable-pitch electric propeller was also explored. The results are used to be able to control efficiency and noise at constant thrust and therefore constant airspeed. Manufacturer provided electric motor and propeller data is used for efficiency purposes. Since the electric motor is virtually silent compared to the propeller, published …

Extended Surface Heat Transfer Coefficients Via Endwall Temperature Measurements, Yogesh Pai

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Short pins are used for internal cooling of the trailing edge in a gas turbine blade. A novel method is described in this thesis which helps in simplifying the experimental process used to obtain average heat transfer data on the pin surface, at the expense of additional post processing complexity. The method is based on a unique, analytical solution of the longitudinal conduction equation with internal heat generation, allowing computation of heat transfer rates via pin base temperature measurements via Temperature Sensitive Paint, or similar non-intrusive methods. Verification of this method is done with comparisons to the solution of infinite …

The Effect Of Surface Materials And Morphology On Wingsuit Aerodynamics, Timothy Allen Sestak

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This study examines the aerodynamic effects of the materials, textiles, and morphologies currently used in wingsuit design and construction. The experiment was a low-speed wind tunnel investigation using a rigid wing with an aspect ratio of 2, a NACA 4418 airfoil cross section and a smooth, polished painted surface as a baseline. The baseline wing was modified by covering the upper and lower surfaces with various textiles currently used in wingsuit construction. This study is the first step in continued research to design and build a wingsuit with superior glide performance compared to current designs. Surface textures and features on …

An Evaluation Of The Relationships Between Collegiate Aviation Safety Management System Initiative, Self-Efficacy, Transformational Safety Leadership And Safety Behavior Mediated By Safety Motivation, Daniel Kwasi Adjekum

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The study conceptualized Safety Management System (SMS) initiative, self-efficacy, and transformational safety leadership as constructs that relates to safety behavior (measured by safety compliance and safety participation) when mediated by safety motivation using a quantitative approach. Structural equation modeling techniques was used to derive a final measurement model that fit the empirical data and was used to test the study hypotheses. Utilizing a sample of 282 collegiate flight students and instructors from a large public university in the US, a 46-item survey was used to measure respondent’s perceptions on the study variables. The results indicate that perceptions of SMS policy …

System And Method For Robust Nonlinear Regulation Control Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Synthetic Jet Actuators, Vladimir V. Golubev, William Mackunis

Publications

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is provided with a plurality of synthetic jet actuators and a nonlinear robust controller. The controller compensates for uncertainty in a mathematic model that describes the function of the syn­thetic jet actuators. Compensation is provided by the use of constant feedforward best guess estimates that eliminate the need for more highly computationally burdensome approaches such as the use of time-varying adaptive param­eter estimation algorithms.

Adopting Unmanned Flight Operations Into Controlled Airspace, Jennah C. Perry, Johnny Young, Jacqueline Luedtke, Benjamin Cook, Holly Hughes, Allison M. Little, Kyle Wilkerson

Publications

Unmanned aircraft activity is becoming more common within the National Airspace System (NAS) and is expected to dominate the NAS in the near future. Specific procedures for adopting unmanned aircraft into the National Airspace System (NAS).

A variation of the Military Grid Reference System was developed and digitally overlaid onto the radar display. To incorporate this grid system, a customized flight plan database was created for the storage of operator submitted flight plans. Instead of verbal communication, a computer chat system is used for communication because of the low altitude operations in the field.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has …

Integrating Unmanned Aircraft Operations Into The National Airspace System, Benjamin Cook, Holly Hughes, Kyle Wilkerson, Allison Little

Discovery Day - Prescott

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are expected to dominate the National Airspace System (NAS) in the near future. One particular barrier preventing the integration of unmanned aircraft into the NAS is the lack of standardized procedures for distinguishing and communicating with remote UAS operators. In preparation for adopting unmanned flight operations into a complex control system, it is important to identify solutions to effectively control UAS in the NAS. To achieve simultaneous safe manned and unmanned aircraft operations in the NAS, the Joint UAS and ATC Team (JUAT) at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) are developing a system that could be used …

Utilizing Guided Simulation In Conjunction With Digital Learning Tools In Air Traffic Control Training To Enhance Learning At The Collegiate Level, Allison Little, Benjamin Cook, Holly Hughes, Kyle Wilkerson

Discovery Day - Prescott

Students in an air traffic control program are required to learn and apply advance knowledge and skills in a limited time frame. All students learn at different rates as well as through different learning styles. Swivl is a video capture tool designed to enhance student learning by allowing students to refer back to their individual classroom lab training session videos via an online portal. Swivl is being utilized in two ATC lab courses. During this research, two technological shortcomings were discovered: (1) Swivl lacks the ability to capture audio from the COA’s existing communication software and (2) Swivl cannot focus …

Integrating Unmanned Aircraft Operations Into The National Airspace System, Benjamin Cook, Holly Hughes, Allison Little, Kyle Wilkerson, Jennah C. Perry, Johnny Young, Jacqueline Luedtke

Publications

Commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are expected to dominate the National Airspace System (NAS) in the years to come. One particular barrier preventing integration of UAS into the NAS is the lack of standardized procedures for separating aircraft and communicating with ATC. In preparation for adopting unmanned flight operations into a complex control system, it is important to identify solutions to effectively control UAS in the NAS.

The Joint UAS and ATC Team (JUAT) group has designed several simulated ATC scenarios in order to determine effective solutions for integration. Through the use of digitized radar display overlays that replicate the …

Optimizing Jets For Wake Control Of Ground Vehicles, Domenic Barsotti, Sandra Boetcher

Publications

A system of wake control for a ground vehicle to help promote increased fuel efficiencies of the ground vehicle by modifying an air flow wake generated during the movement of the vehicle in a forward direction. The system includes at least one slot jet configured to be located along a rear profile portion of the ground vehicle. The at least one slot jet is configured to provide a continuous flow of air at a non-zero velocity when the ground vehicle is moving in a forward direction, the non-zero velocity being at least partially directed in a rearward direction with an …

Collision Avoidance And Navigation Of Uas Using Vision-Based Proportional Navigation, Matthew J. Clark

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Electro-optical devices have received considerable interest due to their light weight, low cost, and low algorithm requirements with respect to computational power. In this thesis, vision-based guidance laws are developed to provide sense and avoid capabilities for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operating in complex environments with multiple static and dynamic collision threats. These collision avoidance guidance laws are based on the principle of proportional navigation (Pro-Nav), which states that a UAV is on a collision course with another vehicle or object if the line-of-sight (LOS) angles to the object remain constant. The guidance laws are designed for use with monocular …

In-House Fabrication Of Temperature Sensitive Paint For Turbine Cooling Research, Mayur D. Patel, Mark A. Ricklick

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal

The Temperature Sensitive Paint (TSP) is a widely used method in measuring and visualizing flow separation and heat transfer. Compared to the cost and time consumption needed for methods such as pitot tubes, temperature sensitive paint is a cheaper alternative. Due to high usage in College of Engineering research projects, it was determined that in house fabrication of temperature sensitive paint would reduce time and cost limitations. For initial stages, literature research was performed to determine the recipe of intensity based TSP with luminophore and polymer binder that operated optimum at temperatures from 0-100°C. Europium III thenoyltrifluoroacetonate was determined to …

Professional Pilot Commercial Off-The-Shelf (Cots) Efb Usage, Policies And Reliability, Tyler A. Babb

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) have flooded the aviation industry. Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) tablets are now commonly used by pilots as EFBs. Operators use EFBs for ease of use, faster access to information, to remove weight from the aircraft, and to increase pilots’ quality of life. Identifying trends in EFB usage among professional pilots could benefit operators and universities with flight training programs. EFB policies and procedures may vary among operators but achieve FAA compliance. This study identified these policies and procedures. The types of devices and software vary, and identifying these devices and software could be useful. This research used …

An Archival Analysis Of Stall Warning System Effectiveness During Airborne Icing Encounters, John Michael Maris

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

An archival study was conducted to determine the influence of stall warning system performance on aircrew decision-making outcomes during airborne icing encounters. A Conservative Icing Response Bias (CIRB) model was developed to explain the historical variability in aircrew performance in the face of airframe icing. The model combined Bayes’ Theorem with Signal Detection Theory (SDT) concepts to yield testable predictions that were evaluated using a Binary Logistic Regression (BLR) multivariate technique applied to two archives: the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) incident database, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident databases, both covering the period January 1, 1988 …

Image And Information Fusion Experiments With A Software-Defined Multi-Spectral Imaging System For Aviation And Marine Sensor Networks, Sam B. Siewert, Matthew Demi Vis, Ryan Claus, Ramnarayan Krishnamurthy, Surjith B. Singh, Akshay K. Singh, Shivasankar Gunasekaran

Publications

The availability of Internet, line-of-sight and satellite identification and surveillance information as well as low-power, low-cost embedded systems-on-a-chip and a wide range of visible to long-wave infrared cameras prompted Embry Riddle Aeronautical University to collaborate with the University of Alaska Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC) in summer 2016 to prototype a camera system we call the SDMSI (Software-Defined Multi-spectral Imager). The concept for the camera system from the start has been to build a sensor node that is drop-in-place for simple roof, marine, pole-mount, or buoy-mounts. After several years of component testing, the integrated SDMSI is now being tested, first …

Multi-Stage Axial Compressor With Counter-Rotation, Vinod Gehlot, Magdy S. Attia, Divyam Garg

Publications

A multi-stage axial compressor incorporating a counter­rotational movement is provided with a series of rotors mounted along and driven by a driveshaft, and a geared counter-rotating outer casing. A planetary gear system is assembled along a static casing, which can be assembled as a forward or aft casing for the compressor. The bearings of the planetary gear system typically will be aligned concen­trically with a center rotor drum assembly mounted along the single driveshaft. The counter-rotating drum assembly will be assembled over the rotor drum assembly and will be engaged by the forward and aft casings so as to provide …

Multi-Site Simultaneous Time-Resolved Photometry With A Low Cost Electro-Optics System, Forrest Gasdia, Aroh Barjatya, Sergei Bilardi

Publications

Sunlight reflected off of resident space objects can be used as an optical signal for astrometric orbit determination and for deducing geometric information about the object. With the increasing population of small satellites and debris in low Earth orbit, photometry is a powerful tool in operational support of space missions, whether for anomaly resolution or object identification. To accurately determine size, shape, spin rate, status of deployables, or attitude information of an unresolved resident space object, multi-hertz sample rate photometry is required to capture the relatively rapid changes in brightness that these objects can exhibit. OSCOM, which stands for Optical …

Finding The Balance Between Price And Protection: Establishing A Surface-To-Air Fire Risk-Reduction Training Policy For Air-Carrier Pilots, Earl W. Burress Jr., Ph.D.

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Currently, U.S. air carriers do not provide equipment or training necessary to mitigate the risk posed by surface-to-air fire (SAFIRE) threats. These threats consist of self-guided weapons (infrared shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles), manually-aimed threats (small arms, recoilless grenade launchers, rockets, and light anti-aircraft artillery), and hand-held lasers. Technological solutions to counter infrared shoulder-fired missiles have been explored, but were rejected due to prohibitive equipment and maintenance costs. A lower cost option, providing air-carrier pilots with SAFIRE risk-reduction training, has not been formally addressed by the air-carrier industry or the U.S. federal government. This effort will use a business concept, the Cost-Benefit …

Long And Short-Range Air Navigation On Spherical Earth, Nihad E. Daidzic

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Global range air navigation implies non-stop flight between any two airports on Earth. Such effort would require airplanes with the operational air range of at least 12,500 NM which is about 40-60% longer than anything existing in commercial air transport today. Air transportation economy requires flying shortest distance, which in the case of spherical Earth are Orthodrome arcs. Rhumb-line navigation has little practical use in long-range flights, but has been presented for historical reasons and for comparison. Database of about 50 major international airports from every corner of the world has been designed and used in testing and route validation. …