Engineering Commons^™

East Coast Abort Modeling With Rtls Elimination For The Space Shuttle-Liquid Fly Back Booster Launch System, Thomas L. Miller Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the ability of the proposed Liquid Fly Back Booster, a replacement for the Space Shuttle's Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs), to eliminate the need for the Return to Launch Site (RTLS) abort mode. A Fortran model of a nominal launch trajectory was perturbed to simulate a single Space Shuttle Main Engine-out (SSME-out) abort scenario at different times in the launch with the goal being to abort to the southern most landing site possible. The model accounts for vehicle lift, drag, dynamic pressure, throttling times and includes atmospheric effects to enhance fidelity. Results show the RTLS abort mode can …

Progressive Failure Analysis Of Composite Panels, Stephen M. Spottswood

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research was to determine the physical response, including material failure, of a curved composite panel designed to resist transverse loading. The cause of the material failure, in the form of delamination, fiber and/or matrix failure, was determined through various criterion based on non-linear movement using a finite element analysis technique. Data generated both with and without the addition of progressive failure criteria, was compared with previously published experimental data, noting where the theory diverges from the experimental results. The inclusion of various failure criterion, to include maximum stress, Lee, and Hashin, provided a more realistic representation …

Design And Analysis Of On-Orbit Servicing Architectures For The Global Positioning System Constellation, Gregg A. Leisman, Adam D. Wallen

Theses and Dissertations

Satellites are the only major Air Force systems with no maintenance, routine repair, or upgrade capability. The result is expensive satellites and a heavy reliance on access to space. At the same time, satellite design is maturing and reducing the cost to produce satellites with longer design lives. This works against the ability to keep the technology on satellites current without frequent replacement of those satellites. The Global Positioning System Joint Program Office realizes that it must change its mode of operations to quickly meet new requirements while minimizing cost. The possibility of using robotic servicing architectures to solve these …

A Statistical Analysis Of Space Structure Mode Localization, Amy M. Cox

Theses and Dissertations

Cyclic structures, such as antenna arrays, multi-bay trusses, and compressor blades, are significantly impacted by slight changes to system periodicity. Manufacturing errors of 5% or less can result in drastic changes to a structure's modal behavior. This change in modal behavior is significant, since it may result in the focusing of modal energy to individual substructures of the system. Poor modal identification can result in poorly designed control systems, resulting in shape control and pointing issues for space antennae. Additionally, modal energy localization may damage individual system components due to unanticipated levels of cyclic loading, leading to high cycle fatigue.

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 …

Computational Modeling Of Airborne Noise Demonstrated Via Benchmarks, Supersonic Jet, And Railway Barrier, Moumen Idres

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In the last several years, there has been a growing demand for mobility to cope with the increasing population. All kinds of transportation have responded to this demand by expanding their networks and introducing new ideas. Rail transportation introduced the idea of high-speed trains and air transportation introduced the idea of high-speed civil transport (HSCT). In this expanding world, the noise legislation is felt to inhibit these plans. Accurate computational methods for noise prediction are in great demand.

In the current research, two computational methods are developed to predict noise propagation in air. The first method is based on the …

Setpoint Tracking Predictive Control In Chemical Processes Based On System Identification, Sinchai Chinvorarat

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A Kraft recovery boiler in a pulp-paper mill provides a means for recovery of the heat energy in spent liquor and recovery of inorganic chemicals while controlling emissions. These processes are carried out in a combined chemical recovery unit and steam boiler that is fired with concentrated black liquor and which produces molten smelt. Since the recovery boiler is considered to be an essential part of the pulp-paper mill in terms of energy resources, the performance of the recovery boiler has to be controlled to achieve the highest efficiency under unexpected disturbances.

This dissertation presents a new approach for combining …

Continuous Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis For Aerodynamic And Acoustic Optimization, Kaveh Ghayour

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A gradient-based shape optimization methodology based on continuous adjoint sensitivities has been developed for two-dimensional steady Euler equations on unstructured meshes and the unsteady transonic small disturbance equation. The continuous adjoint sensitivities of the Helmholtz equation for acoustic applications have also been derived and discussed.

The highlights of the developments for the steady two-dimensional Euler equations are the generalization of the airfoil surface boundary condition of the adjoint system to allow a proper closure of the Lagrangian functional associated with a general cost functional and the results for an inverse problem with density as the prescribed target. Furthermore, it has …

Studies Related To The Design Of A Magnetic Suspension And Balance System For An Ultra-High Reynolds Number Flow Facility, Oscar Magno Michael Gomeiz

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The basic design principles for a magnetic suspension and balance system applied to the test section of an ultra-high Reynolds number facility are defined. The design of the cross-sectional area to be used in the test section is analyzed. The parameters of the permanent magnet to be used in the model inside the test section are investigated. The testing of magnetic fields at the center of a test pipe and validation of data by computer finite element analysis is described with the purpose of finding common results. The performance of the magnet configuration is evaluated with relation to the magnetic …

Efficient Dynamic Unstructured Methods And Applications For Transonic Flows And Hypersonic Stage Separation, Xiaobing Luo

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Relative-moving boundary problems have a wide variety of applications. They appear in staging during a launch process, store separation from a military aircraft, rotor-stator interaction in turbomachinery, and dynamic aeroelasticity.

The dynamic unstructured technology (DUT) is potentially a strong approach to simulate unsteady flows around relative-moving bodies, by solving time-dependent governing equations. The dual-time stepping scheme is implemented to improve its efficiency while not compromising the accuracy of solutions. The validation of the implicit scheme is performed on a pitching NACA0012 airfoil and a rectangular wing with low reduced frequencies in transonic flows. All the matured accelerating techniques, including the …