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California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Aerospace Engineering

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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Interactions Of A Co-Rotating Vortex Pair At Multiple Offsets, Kyle Forster, Tracie Barber, Sammy Diasinos, Graham Doig May 2017

Interactions Of A Co-Rotating Vortex Pair At Multiple Offsets, Kyle Forster, Tracie Barber, Sammy Diasinos, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

Two NACA0012 vanes at various lateral offsets were investigated by wind tunnel testing to observe the interactions between the streamwise vortices. The vanes were separated by nine chord lengths in the streamwise direction to allow the upstream vortex to impact on the downstream geometry. These vanes were evaluated at an angle of incidence of 8° and a Reynolds number of 7 x 104 using particle image velocimetry. A helical motion of the vortices was observed, with rotational rate increasing as the offset was reduced to the point of vortex merging. Downstream meandering of the weaker vortex was found to …


Interactions Of A Counter-Rotating Vortex Pair At Multiple Offsets, Kyle Forster, Tracie J. Barber, Sammy Diasinos, Graham Doig Apr 2017

Interactions Of A Counter-Rotating Vortex Pair At Multiple Offsets, Kyle Forster, Tracie J. Barber, Sammy Diasinos, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

The interactions between two streamwise vortices were investigated by wind tunnel testing of two NACA0012 vanes at various lateral offsets. One vane was spaced 10 chord lengths (C) downstream of the other, with both at an angle of incidence of 8 degrees and a Reynolds number of 7 x 104. The evolution of the vortex pair was observed until 6.5C behind the downstream vane using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). It was found that proximity of the upstream vortex to the downstream vane had a significant effect on the rotational rate of the subsequent vortex pair, with far offset …


Suppressing Restricted Shock Separation In A Subscale Rocket Nozzle Using Contour Geometry, K. Schomberg, J. Olsen, A. J. Neely, Graham Doig Jul 2016

Suppressing Restricted Shock Separation In A Subscale Rocket Nozzle Using Contour Geometry, K. Schomberg, J. Olsen, A. J. Neely, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

The use of a thrust-optimized contour (TOC) for the supersonic nozzle in a rocket engine will inherently maximize the propulsive efficiency and payload capacity of the entire launch system. A TOC can be approximated using a skewed parabola, commonly referred to as a thrust-optimized parabola (TOP), and the TOP contour can be manipulated to avoid undesirable flow separation during low-altitude operation by increasing the static wall pressure at the expense of thrust (approximately 0.1 0.2%). For this reason, a TOP design is often used in nozzles with a high area ratio, such as those used in the Vulcain and Vulcain …


The Aerodynamic Effects On A Cornering Ahmed Body, James Keogh, Tracie Barber, Sammy Diasinos, Graham Doig Jul 2016

The Aerodynamic Effects On A Cornering Ahmed Body, James Keogh, Tracie Barber, Sammy Diasinos, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

As a vehicle travels through a corner, the flowfield observed from the vehicle׳s frame of reference becomes curved. This condition results in the relative flow angle and freestream velocity changing both across the width and along the length of the body. Wall-resolved Large Eddy Simulations were used to simulate a simple vehicle shape through three different radii corners. The variable flow angle and acceleration affected the pressure distribution along either side of the body and caused an increase in the size of the outboard C-pillar vortex, and an inboard decrease. Furthermore, an outboard extension of the separation bubble at the …


Design And Development Of The Sunswift Eve Solar Vehicle: World's Fastest Long-Range Electric Car, Sam Paterson, Pujith Vijayaratnam, Charith Perera, Graham Doig Jan 2016

Design And Development Of The Sunswift Eve Solar Vehicle: World's Fastest Long-Range Electric Car, Sam Paterson, Pujith Vijayaratnam, Charith Perera, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

The Sunswift project of the University of New South Wales, Australia, exists to provide university students with a multi-disciplinary engineering challenge, enhancing the true educational value of their degree with a unique hands-on real-world experience of creating solar–electric hybrid vehicles. The design and development of the low-drag ‘solar supercar’ Sunswift eVe car are described here, detailing the student-led process from initial concept sketches to the completed performance vehicle. eVe was designed to demonstrate the potential of effective solar integration into a practical passenger-carrying vehicle. It is a two-seater vehicle with an on-body solar array area of 4 m2 and …


A New Type Of Wind Tunnel For The Evaluation Of Curved Motion, James Keogh, Tracie Barber, Sammy Diasinos, Graham Doig Jan 2016

A New Type Of Wind Tunnel For The Evaluation Of Curved Motion, James Keogh, Tracie Barber, Sammy Diasinos, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

While aerodynamic analysis of the flow conditions during cornering can be an important design parameter for applications such as automobiles, vessels, and highly maneuverable aircraft, it can be difficult to simulate. This type of motion requires controlled and repeatable flow curvature, relative to the model. A new design to allow experimental testing for this condition has been developed, and by testing in a non-inertial reference frame, flow curvature is achieved in the absence of a static pressure gradient. Initial results have demonstrated the ability of the concept to produce the correct flowfield and the new design offers potential for new …


Interactions Of Shock Tube Exhaust Flows With Laminar And Turbulent Flames, Joel E.C. Chan, Paul M. Giannuzzi, Kaveh R. Kabir, Michael J. Hargather, Graham Doig Jan 2016

Interactions Of Shock Tube Exhaust Flows With Laminar And Turbulent Flames, Joel E.C. Chan, Paul M. Giannuzzi, Kaveh R. Kabir, Michael J. Hargather, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

The interactions of flow features emitting from open-ended shock tubes with free-standing propane flames have been investigated using high-speed schlieren imaging and high-frequency pressure measurements, with additional data from validated numerical modeling. Both compressed air-driven interactions with non-pre-mixed laminar diffusion flames (small-scale) and explosively-driven interactions with turbulent non-pre-mixed turbulent flames (large-scale) were tested for various flame locations and shock tube stagnation pressures (and therefore Mach numbers). In the small-scale tests it was observed that the flames were not significantly influenced by the passage of either the initial shock if placed close to the tube exit, or the weaker pressure waves …


Reducing Transonic Wind Tunnel Sting Interference Effects For Concealed Store Release Testing, Graham Doig, Goran Bogdan, Kaveh R. Kabir, Murray R. Snyder Oct 2015

Reducing Transonic Wind Tunnel Sting Interference Effects For Concealed Store Release Testing, Graham Doig, Goran Bogdan, Kaveh R. Kabir, Murray R. Snyder

Aerospace Engineering

Internal weapons bays are becoming increasingly common on aircraft for reasons of stealth and aerodynamic performance, and will be even more prevalent on coming generations of unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs). Wind tunnel testing of store releases to assess forces and moments for safety and clearance must be conducted with a store mounted to an angled strut rather than a conventional rear sting, to allow the full range of motion as the store “drops” from inside the aircraft. Interference from this strut can disrupt the flowfields and thus the reliability of moments obtained, and therefore an investigation was conducted to …


The Effects Of Simplifications On Isolated Wheel Aerodynamics, Sammy Diasinos, Tracie Barber, Graham Doig Sep 2015

The Effects Of Simplifications On Isolated Wheel Aerodynamics, Sammy Diasinos, Tracie Barber, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

In order to study the aerodynamic forces and flow features of rotating wheels, compromises and simplifications are often made in wind tunnel testing, and more frequently so in numerical modelling. A CFD approach similar to that commonly used in industry was utilised to investigate common assumptions involving; the influence of geometric fidelity in wheel hub regions, ground representation, the modelling of the contact patch, and the effects of rotation on separation. It was found that the separation and wake characteristics were strongly influenced by the rotation of the wheel; the separation point changed by as much as 90% compared to …


Design Of High-Area-Ratio Nozzle Contours Using Circular Arcs, K. Schomberg, J. Olsen, Graham Doig Sep 2015

Design Of High-Area-Ratio Nozzle Contours Using Circular Arcs, K. Schomberg, J. Olsen, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

A method using circular arcs to generate the divergence contour in a supersonic nozzle is presented. Comparison of the arc-based geometry with existing nozzle contours demonstrated that an average decrease in axial length of 7.5% can be expected when the arc-based design method is applied to a core stage nozzle. Two arc-based and conventional nozzles were evaluated numerically across the pressure operating range of a core stage engine to compare calculated thrust and separation characteristics with existing data. The length-weighted thrust coefficient was increased by 0.3–1.8% in the arc-based design in both configurations. Separated flow characteristics were compared using contours …


Computational Aerodynamic Analysis Of A Micro-Ct Based Bio-Realistic Fruit Fly Wing, Joshua Brandt, Graham Doig, Naomi Tsafnat May 2015

Computational Aerodynamic Analysis Of A Micro-Ct Based Bio-Realistic Fruit Fly Wing, Joshua Brandt, Graham Doig, Naomi Tsafnat

Aerospace Engineering

The aerodynamic features of a bio-realistic 3D fruit fly wing in steady state (snapshot) flight conditions were analyzed numerically. The wing geometry was created from high resolution micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) of the fruit fly Drosophila virilis. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses of the wing were conducted at ultra-low Reynolds numbers ranging from 71 to 200, and at angles of attack ranging from -10° to +30°. It was found that in the 3D bio-realistc model, the corrugations of the wing created localized circulation regions in the flow field, most notably at higher angles of attack near the wing tip. Analyses …


Analysis Of A Low-Angle Annular Expander Nozzle, Kyll Schomberg, John Olsen, Graham Doig Mar 2015

Analysis Of A Low-Angle Annular Expander Nozzle, Kyll Schomberg, John Olsen, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

An experimental and numerical analysis of a low-angle annular expander nozzle is presented to observe the variance in shock structure within the flow field. A RANS-based axisymmetric numerical model was used to evaluate flow characteristics and the model validated using experimental pressure readings and schlieren images. Results were compared with an equivalent converging-diverging nozzle to determine the capability of the wake region in varying the effective area of a low-angle design. Comparison of schlieren images confirmed that shock closure occurred in the expander nozzle, prohibiting the wake region from affecting the area ratio. The findings show that a low angle …


Techniques For Aerodynamic Analysis Of Cornering Vehicles, James Keogh, Tracie J. Barber, Sammy Diasinos, Graham Doig Mar 2015

Techniques For Aerodynamic Analysis Of Cornering Vehicles, James Keogh, Tracie J. Barber, Sammy Diasinos, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

When a vehicle travels through a corner it can experience a significant change in aerodynamic performance due to the curved path of its motion. The yaw angle of the flow will vary along its length and the relative velocity of the flow will increase with distance from the central axis of its rotation. Aerodynamic analysis of vehicles in the cornering condition is an important design parameter, particularly in motorsport. Most racing-cars are designed to produce downforce that will compromise straight-line speed to allow large gains to be made in the corners. Despite the cornering condition being important, aerodynamicists are restricted …


20 Years Of Unsw Australia's Sunswift Solar Car Team: A New Moment In The Sun, But Where To Next?, Hayden Charles Smith, Sam Paterson, Clara Mazzone, Sammy Diasinos, Graham Doig Mar 2015

20 Years Of Unsw Australia's Sunswift Solar Car Team: A New Moment In The Sun, But Where To Next?, Hayden Charles Smith, Sam Paterson, Clara Mazzone, Sammy Diasinos, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

The Sunswift Solar Car project has been running at UNSW Australia in Sydney for 20 years as of 2015. It is an entirely student-run endeavour which revolves around the design and development of a solar/electric vehicle nominally designed to compete in the World Solar Challenge rally from Darwin to Adelaide every 2 years. The student cohort is drawn from a range of schools, disciplines and backgrounds, and the team has been increasingly successful and high-profile particularly in its second decade. The excellent level of hands-on training that the project provides to students is not rewarded with academic credit yet many …


Explosive-Driven Shock Wave And Vortex Ring Interaction With A Propane Flame, P. Giannuzzi, M. J. Hargather, Graham Doig Mar 2015

Explosive-Driven Shock Wave And Vortex Ring Interaction With A Propane Flame, P. Giannuzzi, M. J. Hargather, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

Experiments were performed to analyze the interaction of an explosively driven shock wave and a propane flame. A 30 g explosive charge was detonated at one end of a 3-m-long, 0.6-m-diameter shock tube to produce a shock wave which propagated into the atmosphere. A propane flame source was positioned at various locations outside of the shock tube to investigate the effect of different strength shock waves. High-speed retroreflective shadowgraph imaging visualized the shock wave motion and flame response, while a synchronized color camera imaged the flame directly. The explosively driven shock tube was shown to produce a repeatable shock wave …


The Influence Of Cornering On The Vortical Wake Structures Of An Inverted Wing, James Keogh, Graham Doig, Sammy Diasinos, Tracie Barber Feb 2015

The Influence Of Cornering On The Vortical Wake Structures Of An Inverted Wing, James Keogh, Graham Doig, Sammy Diasinos, Tracie Barber

Aerospace Engineering

The aerodynamic performance of inverted wings on racing-car configurations is most critical when cornering; however, current wind tunnel techniques are generally limited to the straight-line condition. The true cornering condition introduces complexity because of the curvature of the freestream flow. This results in an increase in the tangential velocity with increasing distance from the instantaneous centre of rotation and causes the front wing to be placed at a yaw angle. Numerical simulations were used to consider an 80% scale front wing when steady-state cornering with radii ranging from 60m to 7.5 m, and yaw angles ranging from 1.25° to 10°. …


Aerodynamic Testing And Development Of Sunswift Eve, Simon Ambrose, Graham Doig Jan 2015

Aerodynamic Testing And Development Of Sunswift Eve, Simon Ambrose, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

The current understanding of the aerodynamic performance of Sunswift’s solar-electric race car eVe is limited, despite the design and manufacture of the vehicle in 2012-13. This paper describes an investigation into the aerodynamic behaviour of the vehicle and details the successive design and development of drag minimisation strategies. A study of the ex­ternal airflow around the vehicle was undertaken through a computational fluid dynamics analysis, with validation offered through the results of real-world track testing. Particular reference is made to the Sunswift team’s successful long-range electric vehicle land speed record attempt on 23 July 2014. A predicted 10% reduction in …


On The Interaction Of A Racing Car Front Wing And Exposed Wheel, S. Diasinos, G. Doig, T.J. Barber Dec 2014

On The Interaction Of A Racing Car Front Wing And Exposed Wheel, S. Diasinos, G. Doig, T.J. Barber

Aerospace Engineering

A numerical investigation of generic open-wheel racing car wing and wheel geometry has been conducted, using original sub-scale experimental data for validation. It was determined that there are three main interactions that may occur, identifiable by the path that the main and secondary wing vortices take around the wheel. Interaction ‘A’ occurs when the main and secondary wing vortices both travel outboard of the wheel; interaction ‘B’ is obtained when only the main wing vortex passes inboard of the wheel; while interaction ‘C’ sees both wing vortices travel inboard of the wheel. The different interactions are achieved when geometric changes …


Flow Compressibility Effects Around An Open-Wheel Racing Car, J. Keogh, G. Doig, S. Diasinos Dec 2014

Flow Compressibility Effects Around An Open-Wheel Racing Car, J. Keogh, G. Doig, S. Diasinos

Aerospace Engineering

A numerical investigation has been conducted into the influence of flow compressibility effects around an open-wheeled racing car. A geometry was created to comply with 2012 F1 regulations. Incompressible and compressible CFD simulations were compared-firstly with models which maintained Reynolds number as Mach number increased, and secondly allowing Mach number and Reynolds number to increase together as they would on track. Results demonstrated significant changes to predicted aerodynamic performance even below Mach 0·15. While the full car coefficients differed by a few percent, individual components (particularly the rear wheels and the floor/ diffuser area) showed discrepancies of over 10% at …


Investigation Of Conjugate Heat Transfer In Fluid-Structure Interaction Modeling Using Openfoam, Andrew Brown Oct 2014

Investigation Of Conjugate Heat Transfer In Fluid-Structure Interaction Modeling Using Openfoam, Andrew Brown

Aerospace Engineering

No abstract provided.


Transonic And Supersonic Ground Effect Aerodynamics, Graham Doig Aug 2014

Transonic And Supersonic Ground Effect Aerodynamics, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

A review of recent and historical work in the field of transonic and supersonic ground effect aerodynamics has been conducted, focussing on applied research on wings and aircraft, present and future ground transportation, projectiles, rocket sleds and other related bodies which travel in close ground proximity in the compressible regime. Methods for ground testing are described and evaluated, noting that wind tunnel testing is best performed with a symmetry model in the absence of a moving ground; sled or rail testing is ultimately preferable, though considerably more expensive. Findings are reported on shock-related ground influence on aerodynamic forces and moments …


The Aerodynamics Of A Cornering Inverted Wing In Ground Effect, James Keogh, Graham Doig, Tracie J. Barber, Sammy Diasinos May 2014

The Aerodynamics Of A Cornering Inverted Wing In Ground Effect, James Keogh, Graham Doig, Tracie J. Barber, Sammy Diasinos

Aerospace Engineering

For racing car configurations an inverted wing produces negative lift that allows increased levels of acceleration to be maintained through corners. Routine aerodynamic analysis, however, will typically be in the straight-line condition. A numerical analysis of the inverted T026 wing geometry through the curved path of a constant radius corner was conducted. The asymmetrical properties of the oncoming flow resulted in the introduction of a rolling and yawing moment along the span, as well as side-force. Yaw angle, flow curvature and a velocity gradient resulted in changes to the pressure distribution over the wing surface. Primary vortex behaviour was observed …


Application Of Kriging To Motorsport Aerodynamic Analysis, Matthew Cruickshank, Graham Doig May 2014

Application Of Kriging To Motorsport Aerodynamic Analysis, Matthew Cruickshank, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

Aerodynamic analysis in motorsport is conducted using three methods, computational, scaled experimental and full-scale operational. However, the varying fidelity, different sampling resolutions and unavoidable errors of each technique make valid comparisons between datasets from each method difficult and time consuming. Kriging is a geostatistical method to estimate values within a data field by examining and applying the trends of the dataset. This research examines how such techniques can be used to aid comparison between aerodynamic measurements of a race car. It examines how kriging can be used to transform discrete measurements, of varying fidelity and sampling resolution, into semi-continuous measurements, …


Computational Simulation Of An Altitude Adaptive Nozzle Concept, K. Schomberg, G. Doig, J. Olsen May 2014

Computational Simulation Of An Altitude Adaptive Nozzle Concept, K. Schomberg, G. Doig, J. Olsen

Aerospace Engineering

A computational analysis of an annular converging-diverging (CD) and an altitude adaptive expansion-deflection (ED) nozzle is presented. Numerical results were generated using a 2D axisymmetric, pressure-coupled solver in conjunction with the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence closure model and second order spatial discretisation schemes. Results were recorded over a theoretical altitude range and compared to experimental static pressure readings and schlieren images. The correlation between numerical and experimental static pressure values was high for all cases. Comparison of schlieren imagery outlined the large variety of flow regions within the ED nozzle flow field. The interactions between these regions were highly sensitive to turbulence …


Fundamental Studies Of Vortices Induced By A Vortex-Generator For Automotive Applications, Asiful Islam, Graham Doig May 2014

Fundamental Studies Of Vortices Induced By A Vortex-Generator For Automotive Applications, Asiful Islam, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

For automotive applications, passive flow control devices can be used to reduce, delay or prevent flow separation. This study explores the nature of vortex generation and behaviour, numerically and experimentally, for a simple geometry at a Reynolds Number (Rex) of 5×105 and 1.945×106. The setup comprised a triangular vane vortex-generator mounted on a shallow ramp referenced from literature. Flow over the isolated ramp was validated with past experimental particle-image-velocimetry (PIV) data, which also highlighted the relative performance of various turbulence models. A parametric study was undertaken with the vane orientation defined by an angle-of-attack (β) and stream-wise location (xedge/xVG). These …


Aerodynamic Design And Development Of The Sunswift Iv Solar Racing Car, Graham Doig, Chris Beves Jan 2014

Aerodynamic Design And Development Of The Sunswift Iv Solar Racing Car, Graham Doig, Chris Beves

Aerospace Engineering

The aerodynamic design and development of the University of New South Wales' ultra-low-drag solar-electric Sunswitt IV car is described, detailing the student-led design process from initial concept sketches to the completed vehicle. The body shape was established and relined over a period of six months in 2008-2009, almost entirely using computational fluid dynamics. The guiding philosophy was that predictable handling and drag minimization in challenging, changing wind conditions of the type commonly seen during the World Solar Challenge across Australia was preferable to high performance only on 'perfect' days. The car won its class in the 2009 and 2011 World …


Implications Of Compressibility Effects For Reynolds-Scaled Testing Of An Inverted Wing In Ground Effect, G. Doig, Tracie J. Barber, Sammy Diasinos Jan 2014

Implications Of Compressibility Effects For Reynolds-Scaled Testing Of An Inverted Wing In Ground Effect, G. Doig, Tracie J. Barber, Sammy Diasinos

Aerospace Engineering

The influence of compressibility around an isolated inverted wing at a fixed Reynolds number was examined as relevant to the issue of wind tunnel scaling effects. Three-dimensional simulations were conducted for low ground clearances, at: full scale and a Mach number of 0.088, at 50% scale at Mach 0.176, and at 25% scale at Mach 0.352. As the scale was reduced, the increasing peak local Mach number between the wing and the ground resulted in a higher propensity of the flow to separate towards the trailing edge, and for incompressible or full-scale CFD to underestimate the lift and drag coefficients …


Modification Of A Low Cost Vacuum Chamber For Use With An Electromagnetic Railgun, Jason M. Bertels Nov 2013

Modification Of A Low Cost Vacuum Chamber For Use With An Electromagnetic Railgun, Jason M. Bertels

Aerospace Engineering

This report details the design and manufacture of modifications to a low cost vacuum chamber intended for railgun operations. These modifications intend to increase the functionality of the chamber and enable the modeling of high velocity impacts in a space. The original vacuum chamber was constructed primarily from polyvinyl chloride to meet the low cost design constraints, which limits pressures obtainable to the low vacuum region (760 Torr to 2 Torr). Modifications include construction of a space-saving storage rack, replacement of external door supports, installation of an internal guide rail, and installation of electrical feedthroughs.


Light Curve Generation For Satellites In Geostationary Orbits, Kimberly Andersen Nov 2013

Light Curve Generation For Satellites In Geostationary Orbits, Kimberly Andersen

Aerospace Engineering

This research were conducted at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo throughout the Winter, Spring, and Fall quarters of 2013. The data presented in this paper was taken on the night of October 20, 2013 at the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Astronomical Observatory and was reduced using IRAF software available on campus. This report describes the results of an observation of two bright XM geostationary satellites and the steps taken to get to those results. The average magnitude values of the XM-1 and XM-2 satellites were 13.753±0.007 and 14.015±0.007 respectively. The magnitude varied an average of 0.1 magnitudes …


Interaction Of A Shock Tube Exhaust Flow With A Non-Pre-Mixed Flame, Graham Doig, Zebulan Johnson, Rachel Mann Aug 2013

Interaction Of A Shock Tube Exhaust Flow With A Non-Pre-Mixed Flame, Graham Doig, Zebulan Johnson, Rachel Mann

Aerospace Engineering

No abstract provided.