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Articles 1 - 26 of 26
Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Creation And Analysis Of An Electric And Magnetic Model Of A Micro Ion Thruster, Maxwell Bodnar
Creation And Analysis Of An Electric And Magnetic Model Of A Micro Ion Thruster, Maxwell Bodnar
Aerospace Engineering
This report explores the magnetic and electric fields within the Cal Poly Miniature Xenon Ion (MiXI) Thruster V3 in order to create a comprehensive electric and magnetic model of the plasma chamber to analyze and test the current thruster configurations and changes to the existing thruster. This model is used to analyze the operation and efficiency of the ion thruster and the plasma environment within the plasma chamber. This model explores the ionization and electron collision rates during operation of the thruster to measure the efficiency of the current thruster configuration, also determining the theoretical Isp and thrust of the …
Ramjet Combustion Chamber, Paul Cameron Stone
Ramjet Combustion Chamber, Paul Cameron Stone
Aerospace Engineering
A ramjet combustion chamber is designed and some initial assembly fabrication and test completed as a component of a ramjet graduate project for California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Supersonic Wind Tunnel. The combustor design is driven by a theoretical model created by a Cal Poly graduate student, Harrison Sykes. Temperature, pressure, and fuel flow will be measured.
Design And Fabrication Of A Ramjet Engine, Clinton C. Humphrey
Design And Fabrication Of A Ramjet Engine, Clinton C. Humphrey
Aerospace Engineering
In this report, the design and fabrication of the inlet to a ramjet engine is described. The inlet utilizes a single ramp and single sided three shock internal compression to slow the airflow from supersonic to subsonic speeds while providing maximum stagnation pressure to the combustor. The optimum angle for the inlet ramp is calculated to be 10° and it decelerates the airflow from Mach 3.3019 to Mach 0.5438. The stagnation pressure increases from 150 psi to 4.67 ksi. The material of the inlet is composed primarily of low carbon mild steel to accommodate the high pressure of the inlet.
Proof Of Concept For Propeller Performance Testing In The Cal Poly Wind Tunnel, Alex N. May, Clayton R. Green, Clinton J. Kirsop, Jason A. Schupp
Proof Of Concept For Propeller Performance Testing In The Cal Poly Wind Tunnel, Alex N. May, Clayton R. Green, Clinton J. Kirsop, Jason A. Schupp
Aerospace Engineering
The goal of this experiment was to execute a proof of concept for a potential propulsion systems laboratory. During the course of this experiment, a data acquisition system was designed, built, and tested in order to collect data from the Cal Poly 3x4 ft draw-down wind tunnel. By operating a brushless outrunner motor and propeller on the sting mount, data was collected for thrust, torque, RPM, current, voltage, and tunnel velocity. By obtaining data for each of these performance metrics, trends were analyzed to confirm the concept and apparatus was functional. The results of the experiment revealed that the concept …
Design And Analysis Of Reusable Nozzles For Cal Poly’S Hybrid Rocket Lab, Cheyne Austin, Jose Vargas
Design And Analysis Of Reusable Nozzles For Cal Poly’S Hybrid Rocket Lab, Cheyne Austin, Jose Vargas
Aerospace Engineering
Two nozzles were designed and constructed for testing in the Cal Poly propulsion laboratory to explore which nozzle was the most capable in producing the most thrust. A 15 degree and 30 degree converging-diverging nozzles were machined and tested. Theory suggest that a bell nozzle would be the most efficient since all of the gasses generated in the combustion chamber are directed and accelerated by the throat leave the nozzle traveling along the thrust axis. All of the momentum of the gasses are directed axially thus resulting in maximum thrust. Thrust should also be produced by the converging-diverging nozzle and …
Nozzle Design For The Supersonic Wind Tunnel Ramjet Attachment, Andrew Michael Carter
Nozzle Design For The Supersonic Wind Tunnel Ramjet Attachment, Andrew Michael Carter
Aerospace Engineering
This document outlines the concept, design, and manufacturing stages of the nozzle section to the Ramjet Attachment. This project is a subsidiary of the thesis, Baseline Performance of Ramjet Engine”, developed by Harrison Sykes. The nozzle geometry is based off of theoretical calculations using Isentropic and Rayleigh line flow relations for a two-dimensional cross section. The nozzle sees an inlet temperature of 953 degrees Fahrenheit, pressure of 28 psi, and a Mach number of 0.356 after the combustion chamber. The nozzle section is a two foot long converging diverging nozzle to choke and accelerate the flow to achieve an exit …
Smore Revision: Ignition And User Interface, Arash Mehrparvar
Smore Revision: Ignition And User Interface, Arash Mehrparvar
Aerospace Engineering
The Static Methanol Oxygen Rocket Engine (SMORE) has undergone several revisions since its inception. This latest revision aimed to increase startup reliability and user safety in the operation of the rocket. The implementation of maintenance procedures, safeguards in the ignition system, as well as construction of a new control box and redesign of the igniter itself have accomplished these goals while keeping costs down and without modifying the current rocket setup. Startup reliability has increased drastically, so long as all other rocket setup procedures are followed properly. 250 subsequent firings of the rocket have proven an igniter reliability of more …
Electric Aircraft Propulsion System, Austin J. Doupe
Electric Aircraft Propulsion System, Austin J. Doupe
Aerospace Engineering
This report specifies the purpose, assembly, operation, and data collection of a testing apparatus to characterize small electric aircraft propulsion systems designed for commercial use. This apparatus was constructed with the goal of determining overall system characteristics and efficiencies. The apparatus was pushed to a safety limit as deemed by advisor John Dunning and the results of the experiment were an output power of 3.2kW (25% of max rated power) and a system efficiency of 58.6%, both of which occurred at 2200 RPM. Currently the apparatus needs improvement. It should have an upgraded structure to mount to (instead of the …
High-Fidelity Low-Thrust Trajectory Determination Research And Analysis, Tyler Hill
High-Fidelity Low-Thrust Trajectory Determination Research And Analysis, Tyler Hill
Aerospace Engineering
This document discusses a numerical analysis method for low thrust trajectory propagation known as the proximity quotient or Q-Law. The process uses a Lyapunov feedback control law developed by Petropoulos[1] to propagate trajectories of spacecraft by minimizing the user defined function at the target orbit. A simplified propagator is created from the core mechanics of this method in MATLAB and tested in several user defined cases to demonstrate its capabilities. Several anomalies arose in test cases where variations in eccentricity, inclination, right ascension of the ascending node, and argument of perigee were specified. Solutions to these anomalies are discussed …
Preliminary Design Of A Laboratory Cylindrical Hall-Effect Thruster, Scott Mcgrail, Sam Parker
Preliminary Design Of A Laboratory Cylindrical Hall-Effect Thruster, Scott Mcgrail, Sam Parker
Aerospace Engineering
A 3-cm cylindrical Hall thruster with permanent magnets was designed and modeled. The goal was to design a Hall thruster for Cal Poly’s propulsion laboratory of similar size and performance as Cal Poly’s MiXI thruster. The design process began with an investigation into the physics of Hall thrusters and selection of certain thruster parameters. The selected parameters were the diameter and depth of the channel, the total power input to the system, the discharge supply voltage, the cathode voltage, and the propellant flow rates to the anode and cathode. These parameters were used to determine the operational characteristics of the …
Ramjet Fuel System, Kelsey Selin
De-Orbiting Upper Stage Rocket Bodies Using A Deployable High Altitude Drag Sail, Robert A. Hawkins Jr., Joseph A. Palomares
De-Orbiting Upper Stage Rocket Bodies Using A Deployable High Altitude Drag Sail, Robert A. Hawkins Jr., Joseph A. Palomares
Aerospace Engineering
This report examines the effectiveness of a drag sail to de-orbit upper stage rocket bodies. Many other perturbations contribute to the de-orbiting of these rocket bodies, and these perturbations will also be discussed briefly. This paper will show the length of time needed to force the altitudes of various launch vehicle stages with varying drag area sizes to less than 100 km. The upper stage of the Delta IV launch vehicle in an orbit with an altitude of 500 km will naturally de-orbit in 720 days but when equipped with a 20 m2 drag sail, it will de-orbit in …
Investigating Various Propulsion Systems For An External Attachment For A Controlled-Manual De-Orbit Of The Hubble Space Telescope, Nelson De Guia
Investigating Various Propulsion Systems For An External Attachment For A Controlled-Manual De-Orbit Of The Hubble Space Telescope, Nelson De Guia
Aerospace Engineering
This reports explains the results for a proposed senior project. This project concerns the Hubble Space Telescope, and exploring the possibility of having an external propulsion attachment for a manual de-orbit. The Hubble Space Telescope was proposed to return to Earth via the Space Shuttle. Although, through the current U.S. Space Administration, the Space Shuttle has been retired before the Hubble Space Telescope was retrieved. By completing this project, the results could provide insight to what type of propulsion would best de-orbit the Hubble upon its retirement. Different propulsion systems were considered to attempt to determine an optimal attachment, varying …
Feasibility Analysis For Electrically-Powered Hoverboard, Cameron Chan, Jason Cortez, Jay Lopez
Feasibility Analysis For Electrically-Powered Hoverboard, Cameron Chan, Jason Cortez, Jay Lopez
Aerospace Engineering
Composite materials are engineered by combining two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties in such a way that the constituents are still distinguishable, and not fully blended. Due to today’s high rising prices of gasoline and aviation fuel costs, many manufacturers have turned to the use of lightweight composites in their designs due to the advantages of the composite material, which include outstanding strength, excellent durability, high heat resistance, and significant weight reduction that the composite material properties hold. The purpose of this project is to design and construct a composite structure for an electrically-powered …
Wind Tunnel Modeling Of Small Electric Uav Power System Performance, Nathan R. Phelps
Wind Tunnel Modeling Of Small Electric Uav Power System Performance, Nathan R. Phelps
Aerospace Engineering
This report details the design and construction of a testing apparatus for characterization of small electric aircraft power systems designed for use in the California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo Aerospace Engineering department’s subsonic wind tunnel. This apparatus was constructed and implemented with the goal of determining system and component efficiencies of an entire power system using RC Aircraft components as an analog for systems currently in use in the current generation of small electric UAV’s in service with the US Armed Forces. The goal of these experiments was to determine where improvements in the system architecture can be …
Analysis And Design Of A Propulsion System Trade Study Tool For A Boeing 376 Series Communications Satellite, Kevin Dunk
Analysis And Design Of A Propulsion System Trade Study Tool For A Boeing 376 Series Communications Satellite, Kevin Dunk
Aerospace Engineering
No abstract provided.
Electric Aircraft Propulsion Test Rig Design & Fabrication, Ryan Mayer, Brian Kubicki, Bradley Rodriguez, Austin Harris, David Caudle
Electric Aircraft Propulsion Test Rig Design & Fabrication, Ryan Mayer, Brian Kubicki, Bradley Rodriguez, Austin Harris, David Caudle
Aerospace Engineering
An electric aircraft propulsion test rig was designed and fabricated to predict thrust, torque and battery discharge profiles for an electric aircraft. The original unit was purchased from ElectraFlyer and included the DC brushless motor, carbon fiber propeller, charger, electronic controller and lithium polymer batteries. Various components were constructed and purchased in order to fabricate the optimal test rig apparatus. This apparatus allows for simultaneous measurement of the torque and thrust of the system through the use of a biaxial sensor. The test rig also measures system voltage and current, which allows the user to determine the discharge profile of …
Design, Manufacturing And Testing Of An Environmentally-Green Bipropellant Thruster, Alex Bendoyro, Gabriel Sanchez, Erin Stearns, Phillip Takahashi
Design, Manufacturing And Testing Of An Environmentally-Green Bipropellant Thruster, Alex Bendoyro, Gabriel Sanchez, Erin Stearns, Phillip Takahashi
Aerospace Engineering
This project reviews the design, manufacturing and experimentation process of a green bi-propellant thruster designed to output 5 lbf. The goals were to successfully design, manufacture and test a thruster, while discovering the complications that arise through out the complete design process of a green thruster. The thruster was successfully designed using ideal rocket equations and the design was successfully confirmed using CFD and FEA. Manufacturing of the thruster was fully planned and revealed mild flaws in thruster design. For example some features were not manufacturable to the exact measurements desired. Testing of the engine gave results inconsistent with expected …
Hybrid Rocket Based Combined Cycle Test Rig Design, Construction, And Testing, Mark Costa, Matthew Handfelt
Hybrid Rocket Based Combined Cycle Test Rig Design, Construction, And Testing, Mark Costa, Matthew Handfelt
Aerospace Engineering
No abstract provided.
Compressor Performance Map Generation And Testing Per Sae J1723, Jeffrey Lee Freeman
Compressor Performance Map Generation And Testing Per Sae J1723, Jeffrey Lee Freeman
Aerospace Engineering
A MATLAB program was written to plot compressor performance maps for a set of test data that was collected in accordance with SAE J1723 at Vortech Engineering, Inc. Paxton Automotive Corp.'s N2500 supercharger was used as a case example for the program, which was carried through from test stand installation to finalized compressor performance map. A sequence was also developed to interpolate the efficiency of the compressor for a given operational setting. The program was shown to be a great improvement from the previously applied technique for accomplishing the same tasks; it is more accurate in plotting the given data, …
Hybrid Rocket Motor, Zach Arena, Alexander Athougies, Alden Rodulfo
Hybrid Rocket Motor, Zach Arena, Alexander Athougies, Alden Rodulfo
Aerospace Engineering
This project involves the re-design, manufacturing, and testing of the Cal Poly Space System’s 4th iteration of an M-class 98mm hybrid rocket motor. This motor utilizes hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene as fuel with liquid nitrous oxide as the oxidizer. Modeling and analysis was conducted on a 12 port self-impinging swirl injector and fuel manufacturing to improve performance. Several hot and cold flow tests were conducted to validate the analysis and predict performance values. Test results included two test fires resulting in an average of 212 lbf of thrust for 6 seconds with an Isp of 160 seconds and an average thrust of …
Design, Fabrication, And Testing Of An Automotive Turbocharger-Based Gas Turbine Engine, John Kyle Thoma, Daniel Shehan, Benjamin Naravage, Jacob Melvin
Design, Fabrication, And Testing Of An Automotive Turbocharger-Based Gas Turbine Engine, John Kyle Thoma, Daniel Shehan, Benjamin Naravage, Jacob Melvin
Aerospace Engineering
A fully-functioning, self-sustaining gas turbine engine was designed and built. The engine was constructed around a Holset HE351 VGT automobile turbocharger, containing compressor and turbine assemblies on a common shaft. Other components of the engine were either purchased or designed and fabricated in-house. During initial testing of the completed engine, the turbocharger, however, was found to have extensive damage to the internal oil seals, and so the project could not be completed as planned. Instead, the combustor design and fabrication was completed for stand-alone testing. The combustion chamber was designed so that the flame tube could be easily changed out …
Valveless Pulsejet Engine, Cory William Kerr, James Robert Reynolds
Valveless Pulsejet Engine, Cory William Kerr, James Robert Reynolds
Aerospace Engineering
The goal of this project is to build a valveless pulsejet based on the Lady Anne model, known as the Focused Wave Engine VIII Twin Stack. This project has two main goals. The first goal is to design and build the valveless pulsejet. This includes machine work on stainless steel to build the engine, as well as modifying copper tubes to serve as a fuel injection system. The second goal is to build a test stand that allows for accurate data collection of the total thrust being produced by the engine and acts as a fuel injection and ignition system. …
Experimental Development Of Compressor And Turbine Performance Maps For Turbomachinery, Michael W. Green
Experimental Development Of Compressor And Turbine Performance Maps For Turbomachinery, Michael W. Green
Aerospace Engineering
Turbomachinery performance maps are used to reveal the on and off design performance of compressors and turbines. These maps plot the component’s pressure ratio versus the corrected flow rate for multiple engine rotor speeds. In this experiment, a Boeing T50-BO-8A converted turbojet engine was operated at a wide variety of rotor speeds with orifice plates of different sizes to vary the flow rate. The corrected flow rate through the turbojet ranged from 1.32 to 2.55 lb/s. The pressure ratios for the compressor and turbine ranged from 2.0 to 4.3 and from 1.7 to 4.3, respectively. The resulting performance maps showed …
Smore Phase 2: An Upgrade In Valve Systems & Startup Procedure For A Small Methanol Oxygen Liquid Rocket Engine, Christian Soria
Smore Phase 2: An Upgrade In Valve Systems & Startup Procedure For A Small Methanol Oxygen Liquid Rocket Engine, Christian Soria
Aerospace Engineering
A Methanol-Oxygen liquid rocket engine was designed and manufactured under the California Polytechnic State University Aerospace Department by students in a graduate level rocket propulsion class. The SMORE, previously known as the KORE, is now in an ongoing testing and developing stage with plans to incorporate it into the aerospace undergraduate propulsion lab. Phase 2 of the liquid rocket engine development is to produce a start-up procedure that will improve the safety due to manual operation and poor ignition conditions. A propane ignition system along with the implementation of electrically operated solenoid valves to control the fuels and oxidizer were …
Mixi Thruster Tungsten And Thoriated Tungsten Testing, Jesse R. Miller
Mixi Thruster Tungsten And Thoriated Tungsten Testing, Jesse R. Miller
Aerospace Engineering
The purpose of this project is to build and evaluate a tungsten filament cathode for the 3-cm Miniature Xenon Ion (MiXI) thruster. The filament is to be used for future tests within the CP 3-cm MiXI and thoriated tungsten is to be examined as a possible alternative. No testing of these filaments was conducted, but the preparatory work has been conducted for future testing.