Engineering Commons^™

Design Hazard Analysis, And System Level Testing Of A University Propulsion System For Spacecraft Application, Joseph R. Siebert

Masters Theses

"The Missouri Science and Technology Satellite (M-SAT) design team on the campus of the Missouri University of Science and Technology has developed a pair of satellites to perform an autonomous formation flight mission. To enable the mission, a unique cold gas propulsion system was developed which utilizes the refrigerant R-134a as propellant. This thesis details the design process and considerations which led to the propulsion system as integrated into the satellite for the Flight Competition Review of the NS4 competition. The design process described flowed from the mission requirements and program restrictions down through component-level requirements and resulted in a …

Continuous Control Of Lunar Orbits Via Electric Propulsion, Sunil Aggarwal

Masters Theses

"To find definite answers for the presence of water on the poles of Moon, to facilitate selection of future lunar landing sites and aid in construction of architectural bases, to assist proper lunar resource utilization and to improve lunar gravity models there is a great interest and need for highly accurate, reliable and efficient lunar surface mapping and communication. This thesis is intended to aid in proper selection of orbits for future lunar missions by demonstrating the impact of using electric propulsion on the search space of feasible and useful lunar orbits. The requirements for future lunar mapping and communication …

An Experimental And Numerical Investigation Of Flapping And Plunging Wings, Taylor A. Swanson

Doctoral Dissertations

"Micro air vehicles, or MAVs, are of current interest for a multitude of uses to which they, being small, unmanned vehicles, are uniquely suited. Among the proposed uses are exploration, reconnaissance, and communications. They can be deployed inside buildings, where their small size, hovering capability, and maneuverability, are important factors. Due to their small size, they operate at low Reynolds numbers where conventional flying mechanisms are not advantageous. Thus, attempts have been made to learn from natural flyers like insects and birds. Natural flight is accomplished by flapping wings, and this idea has been proposed for certain types of MAVs …

Guidance, Navigation And Control System For Autonomous Proximity Operations And Docking Of Spacecraft, Daero Lee

Doctoral Dissertations

"This study develops an integrated guidance, navigation and control system for use in autonomous proximity operations and docking of spacecraft. A new approach strategy is proposed based on a modified system developed for use with the International Space Station. It is composed of three "V-bar hops" in the closing transfer phase, two periods of stationkeeping and a "straight line V-bar" approach to the docking port. Guidance, navigation and control functions are independently designed and are then integrated in the form of linear Gaussian-type control. The translational maneuvers are determined through the integration of the state-dependent Riccati equation control formulated using …

Manufacturing Of Transparent Composites Using Vacuum Infusion Process, Jason Niles Gallagher

Masters Theses

"Glass is the most commonly used transparent material. However, glass is not suitable where low weight and high strength are required. For many applications there exists a need for mechanically strong composite materials of high optical quality and transparency equivalent to window glass. Glass fiber reinforced transparent composite is a viable solution. Transparency is maintained by precisely matching the refractive index of the matrix with that of the glass fiber. Aircraft canopies and transparent armor can be potential applications for this new class of materials.

In the present work, transparent composites are manufactured using vacuum infusion process. Both rectangular glass …

Analysis Of Access-To-Space Missions Utilizing On-Board Energy Management And Entropic Analysis, Tyler Winter

Masters Theses

"The overall objective of this study is the thermodynamically consistent quantification of second-law and performance losses for vehicle configurations implemented or suggested for access-to-space missions and the development of the relationships between the mission entropy generation and overall mission performance. The detailed theory which allows thermodynamically rigorous loss accounting (entropy generation and direct relationship to vehicle performance) is developed and discussed for aerospace vehicles. A full vehicle trajectory code utilizing simplified models for multi-stage rockets and air-breathing propulsion systems is developed and validated specifically for use as a testbed for second law-based theory and concepts. Results are shown in which …

Magnetohydrodynamic Power Generation In A Scramjet Using A Post Combustor Generator, Nathan Lee Mundis

Masters Theses

"A scramjet with a post combustor MHD generator is examined. A quasi-one-dimensional model is developed to calculate the flow path from tip to tail. The model includes losses due to combustion irreversibility, incomplete combustion, chemically reacting flow, friction, MHD losses, and nozzle plume modeling. Flight Mach number, magnetic field strength, gas conductivity, MHD load factor, and MHD generator expansion angle are all varied in order to assess their effects on MHD power generated and thrust lost in the engine. The trends produced through the above variations are summarized in a set of model-fit equations. It is concluded that a post …

A Guide To The Establishment Of A University Satellite Program, Abbie Marie Stewart

Masters Theses

"The UMR SAT team was formed at the University of Missouri-Rolla to design and build microsatellites. The team competed against ten other universities in the Nanosat 4 competition hosted by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. This document, written by the Chief Engineer, is a description of the process used by the UMR SAT team to develop a successful satellite program. Included in the document are methods based on systems engineering for developing a mission, a discussion of team organization and recruitment, and lessons learned during …

Configuration, Manufacture, Assembly, And Integration Of A University Microsatellite, Lori Ann Ziegler

Masters Theses

"The Space Systems Engineering Team at the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR), in conjunction with a number of Air Force, NASA, and industry mentors, is working toward the design, development, and launch of its first satellite, UMR SAT (University of Missouri-Rolla Satellite). This thesis documents the design of the UMR SAT satellites, specifically focusing attention on the layout of all components, component boxes designed for containment and protection from electromagnetic interference and the attachment of components inside the boxes and the boxes to the structure. This thesis also discusses the development of UMR SAT with challenges faced in manufacturing and prototyping …

Manufacturing Of Glass Ribbon Reinforced Transparent Composites Using The Autoclave Process, Josef Patrick Seale

Masters Theses

"Clear transparent panels have many applications ranging from windows on an aircraft to protective safety guards on industrial equipment. Glass ribbon reinforced transparent composites are light weight, load bearing and have a high impact resistance.

A transparent composite is based on the concept of matching the refractive index of the glass ribbon with that of a resin system. It is not necessary that the resin refractive index match the glass refractive index before the cure cycle, only that the refractive indexes match after curing.

Transparent composites have a high impact resistance that would be mechanically ideal for aircraft windows and …

Low-Thrust Control Of A Lunar Orbiter, Nathan Harl

Masters Theses

"This thesis presents a method for maintaining a long-term lunar Sun-synchronous orbit using continuous low-thrust hardware. The control method is developed using optimal control theory, which involves controlling a system through the minimization of a desired cost function"--Abstract, page iii.

Computational Study Of Flow Over Elliptic Airfoils For Rotor/Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Applications, Timothy William Assel

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this study will be to conduct a parametric investigation on the performance of elliptic airfoils for Rotor/Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The objective of this study is to conduct a two-dimensional, aerodynamic analysis on a various elliptic airfoil parameters, compare the reults of the analysis with theoretical predictions and experimental results, and evaluate handling and performance characteristics of Rotor/Wing UAVs during hover, transition, and forward flight"--Abstract, page iii.

Refrigerant-Based Propulsion System For Small Spacecraft, Carl Reiner Seubert

Masters Theses

"The MR SAT spacecraft under development at UMR requires a propulsion system that can be utilized to perform orbital maneuvers and three-axis attitude control to complete its mission objective of conducting spacecraft formation flight. This thesis documents the research, analysis design and development of the cold gas propulsion system that was integrated on the MR SAT spacecraft"--Abstract, page iii.

The Hygrothermal Response And Physical Aging Of Polymer Matrix Textile Composites, Natalie L. Dixon

Masters Theses

"Woven graphite/epoxy composite laminate is one type of composite currently being investigated for use in aircraft engine components. However, polymers tend to become brittle with age, especially when exposed to elevated temperature. It is necessary to understand the physical changes in a material during the aging process in order to predict the long-term behavior.

In addition to aging, materials used in aircraft will be exposed to a wide variety of temperatures and relative humidity levels. Variations in temperature and moisture content affect both the physical and the mechanical properties of composites.

Experimental methods are described for hygrothermal testing of a …

Vehicle Performance Optimization Utilizing The Air Turbo-Ramjet Propulsion System; Methodology Development And Applications, Kirk Christensen

Doctoral Dissertations

"The ATR (Air TurboRocket) is an air breathing propulsion system in which the turbocompressor turbine is powered by a hot drive gas which is generated independently of the air flow through the compressor. The ATR has a lower specific impulse (Isp) and higher thrust compared to a similar size turbojet but a lower thrust and higher Isp compared to similar size solid rocket motor (SRM). This work defines the benefits of ATR propulsion for tactical vehicles.

ATR simulation codes were developed to support analysis of hypothetical ATR powered vehicles. Both turbojet powered and SRM powered vehicles were also evaluated against …

Aerodynamics Of Closely Coupled Wings For Varying Chords And Airfoil Planforms, Gary D. Vincent

Masters Theses

"Aerodynamic characteristics of a dual wing aircraft were analyzed with variations in airfoil sections and chord ratios over existing equal chard ratio dual wing and monoplane aircraft designs. Two- and three-dimensional aerodynamic studies were conducted to find the wing geometry which would create the minimum cruise drag. The two-dimensional aerodynamic data was obtained from a multi-element inviscid vortex panel program coupled to a momentum integral boundary layer program to account for the aerodynamic coupling between the wings. With this data, a three-dimensional vortex lattice program calculated the three-dimensional aerodynamic data. compared to an equal chard ratio dual wing aircraft, lower …

Aerodynamic Study Of Dual Lifting Surfaces, Kamran Rokhsaz

Masters Theses

"Aerodynamic characteristics of two-dimensional dual airfoil systems have been investigated in an incompressible flow field in the area where improved aerodynamic characteristics are realized, due to the flow field coupling of the two airfoils. A simple analytic model has been developed to demonstrate some of the basic coupling effects in such systems. Laplace's differential equation for the stream-function has been solved numerically to determine the potential flow about dual airfoil geometries of different gap, stagger, and decalage. Two numerical methods have been employed; a finite-difference approach in Cartesian coordinates, for which the mixed boundary conditions have been transformed to the …

Experimental Determination Of Improved Aerodynamic Characteristics Utilizing Biplane Wing Configurations, Elmer Carl Olson

Masters Theses

"Improving the aerodynamic characteristics of an airplane with respect to a higher lift coefficient, a lower drag coefficient and a higher lift over drag ratio as a function of angle of attack will make it more efficient, thus conserving energy or improving performance. Investigations were carried out to determine if the aerodynamic characteristics of biplane wing systems could be made more efficient, for low subsonic speeds, than a monoplane of comparable area and aspect ratio. A variable position three-dimensional biplane wing system, and a fuselage that could be fitted with a monoplane wing or the variable position biplane wing system …

An Optical Detector Of Water Droplets Within A Thermal Diffusion Chamber, Duane Burton Bush

Masters Theses

"A technique is investigated for counting water droplets formed in a vertical plate steady flow thermal diffusion chamber designed to count cloud condensation nuclei. The counting technique utilizes light scattering. The light source is a He-Ne laser. The detector is a photomultiplier tube. The technique differs from that used in instruments manufactured by Bausch and Lomb, Royco, Climet, etc., in that the aerosol is not passed through a capillary tube. Instead, the viewed volume is optically defined.

It was found that in the configuration tested, the viewed volume is not well enough defined for use with polydisperse aerosols, although the …

Parametric Resonance Of A Beam Subjected To A Sawtooth, Axial Force, Alfred George Richardson

Masters Theses

"This study considers the response of a perfectly elastic straight beam subjected to a periodic, non-harmonic, axial load. A two-mode solution is sought and the effects of axial inertia are included in the analysis. General equations of motion for the beam are developed and their stability is studied with the aid of an analog computer. Results are presented in graphical form. Regions of instability are defined for both modes. A region of combination resonance is also found to occur for the case of a two-mode solution with axial inertia. Typical response curves are presented and the effects of axial inertia …

Experimental Studies Of Supporting Wire Disturbances In The Near Viscous Wakes Of Slender Supersonic Bodies, Kenneth Anthony Mirly

Masters Theses

"Wires have often been used as a means of mechanically supporting a model so that its wake will be relatively free of support interference. Such support systems have many advantages over stings and are less costly than magnetic suspension systems. Investigations into the disturbances caused by these supporting wires have been carried out with the use of a two-dimensional flat plate and a wire supported slender cone. The tests were conducted in the University of Missouri-Rolla axisymmetric, supersonic wind tunnel at Mach 3.15, and at a Reynolds number of 2.14 X 10⁶ per inch. Schlieren photography, pitot and static pressure …

Design And Preliminary Testing Of A Rotary Internal Combustion Engine, Frank Darrell Statkus

Masters Theses

"With the advent of legislation against pollution, and rising wage, manufacturing, and materials costs, the prime mover industry is presently intent on developing new economical, non-polluting methods of power. It was the hope of the author that the engine described herein would provide an advancement towards meeting the new requirements. The design and resulting prototype is an eight cylinder rotary internal combustion engine, weighing approximately sixty pounds, and operating on the tour stroke principle. Theoretical calculations were made to determine ideal horsepower, mean effective pressure, and efficiency. Ideal horsepower ranged from 38.7 to 62.8. A dynamic analysis of the pistons …

A Closed Form Method For Predicting The History Of Circular Orbit Altitude Decay Of A Near-Earth Satellite Including The Effect Of A Dynamic Atmosphere, John Copley Buchholtz

Masters Theses

"A closed form expression for the time to decay between two circular orbit altitudes is developed. The long-term dynamic variation of high altitude atmospheric density is included. The density is approximated as a ratio of two quadratics with the numerator being a function of the time-related exospheric temperature and the denominator being a function of altitude. The 11-year cyclic variation of exospheric temperature is then represented as a piecewise linear function of time. The analytic expression for circular orbit altitude decay rate is developed by describing the energy loss due to atmospheric drag. A point mass representation of the Earth's …

An Analog Computer Simulation Of The Flapping Of A Helicopter Hinged Main Rotor Blade, Edward Charles Robinson

Masters Theses

"An analog computer simulation was performed on the Systron Donner SD 40/80 electronic differential analyzer consisting of one panel (SD 40) less three modules augmented by three digital logic modules for iterative operation. The flapping equation was solved in continuous iteration for various values of blade mass and the resultant blade flapping magnitudes and harmonic coefficients were compared in computer plots of the blade tip path plane. A flap compensator was added and the result plotted. Various aerodynamic parameters of the flapping equation solution were plotted"--Abstract, page ii.

Turbulent Structure In The Wake Of Sphere, Darrell W. Pepper

Masters Theses

"The study of turbulent wakes is considered necessary to understand the droplet behavior associated with the collision coalescence phenomena in atmospheric clouds. The Vertical Atmospheric Wind Tunnel enables experiments dealing with this droplet behavior to be analyzed. The experiments conducted in the UMR Vertical Atmospheric Wind Tunnel consist of two parts: one is the investigation of the flow field characteristics in the test section of the wind tunnel; the other is the measurement of the turbulent structure in the wake of a sphere. The test section is rectangular in design and has a cross-sectional area of 36 square inches (6 …

Initial Operation And Calibration Of The Umr Supersonic Axisymmetric Wind Tunnel, James Riley Murphy

Masters Theses

"Initial testing and a preliminary calibration were conducted in the UMR supersonic variable Mach number axisymmetric blowdown wind tunnel facility. During initial operations problems were encountered with control valve seat failure, control valve response and stability, and automatic operation. After having brittle fracture failures with seats made of nylon, Teflon and Telfon-copper composite, a copper seat was found to perform satisfactorily with minimal valve leakage. Control valve response and stability were greatly influenced by the setting of the needle valve located between the total pressure probe and the controller. The needle valve setting was observed to depend upon the stagnation …

The Numerical Solution Of Two-Dimensional Fluid Flow Problems, E. David Spong

Masters Theses

"A numerical solution method is developed for the solution of two-dimensional, irrotational and compressible fluid flow problems. The partial differential equation, in terms of the velocity potential, describing the flow is replaced by finite difference equations and the resulting matrix is solved by Gaussian elimination. The method is successfully applied to two subsonic flow problems: a 7.5⁰ wedge and a 6⁰ wedge inlet. The method becomes invalid, as expected, with the appearance of sonic velocity in the flow field. An investigation of the definition of the singularities is made. This indicates that the best agreement with the experimental results for …

Collision And Pursuit Course Terminal Closures For Spacecraft To Satellite Rendezvous, John Anthony Campbell

Masters Theses

"Collision and pursuit course closure maneuvers were studied for correcting position and velocity errors in the terminal phase of spacecraft to satellite rendezvous.

Minimum values of the ratio of initial range to velocity necessary to achieve rendezvous were determined for collision closures as a function of the initial line of sight. The time and velocity increment required for rendezvous were computed as a function of initial conditions.

Pursuit closure maneuvers were analyzed and time and velocity increments defined as a function of initial range, closing velocity, line of sight angle and angular velocity.

The velocity increments required were significantly higher …