Engineering Commons^™

An Optimization Procedure To Design Nozzle Contours For Hypersonic Wind Tunnels, Omar Antonio Dominguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Supersonic wind tunnels allow scientists and researchers to evaluate and analyze the behaviors of objects under real-life conditions when subjected to supersonic speeds. One of the main complexities when building a wind tunnel is the design of the convergent-divergent nozzle that is used to produce high-speed and high-quality flows. To achieve supersonic speeds, this nozzle adopts a specialized approach that incorporates the complexities of flow compressibility. The compressible effect is accurately evaluated using isentropic relations, allowing for precise determination of stagnation pressure and temperature, and static pressure and temperature relevant to the desired Mach number. Isentropic equations used to define …

Study Of Different Heat Treatments And Aging Conditions For Observing Microstructures And Mechanical Properties Of Lpbf Fabricated F357 Alloy, Victor Adrian Medrano Balderas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Aluminum F357 is a widely used material for casting in the aerospace and additive manufacturing industry. Heat treatments are commonly applied to some aluminum alloys to modify their properties. With a further study on the aging and performance of the F357 with 3D printing technology, several industries benefit from this; military, automotive, and aerospace are some examples because of the numerous components cast in service. This work presents the mechanical properties of F357 specimens fabricated with EOS technology and subjected to heat treatments. Heat treatment conditions were applied to tensile specimens and tested. Furthermore, the specimens were subjected to artificial …

Cryogenic Flow Boiling Heat Transfer On Additively Manufactured Liquid Rocket Engine Cooling Channels, Debra Jazmin Ortega

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The enhancement of flow boiling heat transfer is critical because it can solve thermal management issues seen across all engineering and manufacturing applications. Even though advancements are being made, more studies are needed to understand the behavior of forced convective boiling further.Currently, there are four major issues in the field of regenerative cooling of liquid rocket engines. 1. The cooling channels are typically manufactured using conventional machining, while aerospace industries are currently exploring the additive manufacturing approach. 2. The experimental critical heat flux values for cryogenic fluids are either lower or very close to the model predictions; however, the effect …

Compact Electrospray Propulsion Systems For Small Form-Factor Satellites: An Orbital Performance Survey & Platform Design, Alberto Meza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over the past decades, small form-factor satellites such as CubeSats have remained as one of the most accessible platforms to reach space for universities, research institutions, private and governmental entities to perform a wide range of missions. This paper presents a survey into the design and implementation of an electrospray rail thruster, to be integrated to the CubeSat platform. The design investigated features propellant tanks for each individual thruster embedded inside the rail of a standard 1U CubeSat. The capabilities of utilizing the electrospray thruster as an attitude & determination control system was also investigated in which, a pointing accuracy …

A Comparative Evaluation Of Oxidation And Combustion Phenomena In Ti-6al-4v Exposed To Earth Re-Entry And Arc-Jet Test Environments, Arlene Smith

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Ti-6Al-4V alloy is widely used in aerospace applications for its beneficial combination of properties. However, this alloy has high solubility for oxygen and thus a high reactivity. Recovered data contained within the Columbia artifacts suggests that this alloy underwent an accelerated degradation and combustion reaction when exposed to the high enthalpy, low-pressure surroundings experienced during reentry into Earth's atmosphere. Arc-jet testing has provided a simulated aerothermodynamic heating environment to mimic what the spacecraft endured. When the effect of thermal alteration on this alpha-beta phase alloy was investigated during previous studies, optical metallography and microhardness tests revealed inconsistencies between samples …

Characterization Of 3d Printed Parts Containing Integrated Functionality Via Ultrasonically Embedded Wires, David Abraham Sepulveda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Material extrusion additive manufacturing has been widely adopted because it offers freedom of design, which allows complex geometry fabrication, and rapid prototyping. Interest in producing components with integrated functionality allowed forms of hybrid manufacturing to be developed such as the Multi3D system. This system produces parts with embedded components by combining additive, subtractive, soldering, dispensing, and embedding techniques. However, this involves pausing the printing process (which takes place in a controlled environment) and exposing it to ambient temperature where embedding takes places. In this research, the effect of embedding parts with 24 AWG copper for improved functionality was quantified mechanically. …

Oxygen Compatibility For Aerospace Materials, Jazmin Abril Arellano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The use of oxygen for aerospace applications is bonded to the history of American rocketry. The first liquid powered rocket engine used gaseous oxygen to pressurize both gasoline as fuel and liquid oxygen as oxidizer. Research and development about oxygen compatibility with aerospace materials has been continuously performed. However, no universal test has been developed to determine the oxygen compatibility of all materials yet. A review about oxygen properties, ignition mechanisms and their unique characteristic elements in addition to metals and nonmetals commonly used in oxygen systems and materials prohibited in oxygen applications can be found in this document. The …

Trade Study Analysis Of The Janus Moon Lander Vehicle, Omar Vazquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Liquid Oxygen (LOX) and Liquid Methane (LCH4) has become a propellant combination of interest in the recent years, especially for leading aerospace companies with the sight set on mars such as SpaceX and Blue Origin in their heavy thrust engines (the Raptor and BE-4 respectively) since methane can be more stable than hydrogen, can be stored at more manageable temperatures and can be produced locally, at mars, using in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) [1].The Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research (cSETR) has developed a 500 lbf throttleable (4:1) thrust chamber (CROME) using the aforementioned propellant combination with the intention of …

Practical Applications Of Pressure-Fed Lox/Ch4 Rocket Engines, James Susen Parks

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The University of Texas at El Paso Aerospace Center is working on a family of LOX/CH4 pressure-fed rocket engines. The applications of a pressure-fed rocket engine include orbital launch vehicles and lunar ascent and descent vehicles. This dissertation focuses on the application of the CROME LOX/CH4 engines under development at UTEP. The dissertation contains three chapters on orbital launch vehicles and a fourth chapter on lunar descent/ascent vehicles. The first two chapters look at pressure-fed LOX/CH4 orbital launch vehicle design compared to an electric pump fed and a gas generator vehicle. The third chapter looks at the sensitivities in the …

Small Satellite Development And Mission Design For Low Earth Orbit And Geostationary Transfer Orbit Missions, Ashiqur Rahman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Aerospace Center formerly known as cSETR at UTEP is a NASA funded center of excellence in aerospace and exploration, focusing on strategic capability development in propulsion and robotic lander, lunar surface exploration, and small spacecraft technologies. To support the center’s mission for space exploration and to demonstrate advancements in small satellite technologies, the Aerospace Center at The University of Texas at El Paso is on track to develop and launch several CubeSats in next few years. A CubeSat is a small satellite that has become popular in recent years due to their low cost, low complexity and short development timeline. …

Development And Testing Of Nanostructured Materials For Extreme Environment Applications, Nanthakishore Makeswaran

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Nanostructured materials have many potential applications in the fields of power generation and transportation technologies, particularly in the areas of gas sensing technology, industrial gas turbines and protective coatings. In the former case β-Ga2O3 represents a promising candidate due to its high degree of stability and functionality for oxygen sensing at higher temperatures (>700oC). In the latter case, the application of Y-Si-Fe compounds acting as environmental barrier coatings for gas turbine and aerospace engine applications to protect from corrosion effects has been demonstrated in recent years. In both cases, however, there is room for improvement whether it is in …

Thermoanalytical Studies On The Decomposition Of Energetic Ionic Liquids, Alan Esparza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Hydrazine has been extensively used as a propellant for space applications for more than half a century. However, its hazardous characteristics cause high storage and handling costs. For this reason, the search for alternatives, the so-called “green monopropellants,” is of great interest. Most green monopropellants are mixtures of an oxidizer and a fuel, and several ionic liquids (ILs) have been proposed for this application. Among them, hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) and 2-hydroxylethylhydrazinium nitrate (HEHN) are promising oxidizer and fuel, respectively. The objective of the present work was to clarify the decomposition kinetics of both HAN and HEHN, using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), …

Bio-Inspired Method For Close-Proximity Operations On A Near-Earth Asteroid, Rene Alberto Valenzuela Najera

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Space maneuvers in the vicinity of small celestial bodies and achieving a soft landing over the surface of small celestial bodies are essential movements to advance the status of exploration, collection of geographical data, measurement of physical properties among other on-orbit tasks. Before a spacecraft reaches hovering position over an asteroid in order to perform orbital tasks, close-proximity operations must be done. Since the movements of the spaceships depend on the acceleration forces provided by the thrusters and external disturbances forces, the correct planning of execution of the close-up trajectories on the celestial body orbit and trajectory to land on …

Development Of A Cold Gas Propulsion System For A 1u Cube Satellite, Norma Alicia Perea

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In efforts to further the development test capabilities of nanosatellites on earth, NASA White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) is developing a Magnetic Levitation Table (MLT) for ground testing of nanosatellites. Testing of the table requires dedicated test articles that employ space-like systems, but those that can be used in the confines of a small lab testing area. In collaboration with WSTF, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Center for Aerospace Exploration Technology Research (cSETR) is developing an 1U cold gas propulsion cube-satellite demonstrator (CGD) to test capabilities of the levitation table. A 1U cube satellite was designed with …

Planar Motion Control Of A Cube Satellite Using Cold Gas Thrusters, Christian Lozoya

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Thesis presents a mathematical model developed for the computational simulation ofCubeSat movement using four thrusters that permit uniaxial translation and rotation. Arbitrary functions are fit to boundary conditions to simulate the force, acceleration, velocity, and displacement of the CubeSat along a plane. The model is used to derive a motion control algorithm assuming constant pressure and mass. A single model describes both translation and rotation. This Thesis also explores the relationship between propellant consumption and the time required to complete a displacement implied by the model.

The Design And Testing Of A 500 Lbf Liquid Oxygen/Liquid Methane Engine, Manuel Jesus Herrera

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The development of liquid oxygen/liquid methane (LOX/LCH4) propulsion systems has recently become a topic of interest ever since this particular propellant combination was determined to be a suitable candidate for use in space exploration, more specifically missions to Mars. This propellant combination is unique because the propellants can be synthesized from local resources on Mars, a process called In-situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). ISRU would allow for spacecrafts to be lighter and/or increase its payload capacity to Mars-bound missions because the vehicle would not have to store the propellants required for the voyage back to earth.

For this reason, The University …

Investigating Using Titanium Zirconium Molybdenum For Additively Manufacturing Aerospace Components, Justin Hunter Vanhoose

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Mankind throughout history has possessed an innate characteristic to explore, migrating to new frontiers.The requirement for this travel is most broadly associated with the need to pursue more resources. Rockets have been used as a means of weapons since the Sung Dynasty in the thirteenth empire and have now been integrated for travel/transport. The sophistication of rocketry and propulsion has reached a level to where it is plausible that mankind will be a multi-planetary species. The space industry has grown significantly with the advancement of the sophistication of these rocket technologies. However, a specific challenge to overcome in the space …

Structural Design Of Complex Components, Armando Antonio Ochoa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research (cSETR) is determined to develop a launch vehicle that is made completely of additive manufacturing materials, has the capability to transport a 100 lb payload to low earth orbit (LEO) as well as completing the design of a strucutral steel mobile launch stand that has the capability of withstanding the launch vehicle's static and dynamic loadings. The project will consist of carbon composite components to reduce weight while maintaining efficiency, strucutral steel components to resist extreme loadings and maintain strucutral shape, and lastly …

Structures And Daq System For The Lox/Lch4 500 And 2000 Lbf. Rocket Engines, Rachel Pilgrim

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With the progression of space exploration and research, new alternative fuels and fuel combinations have been discovered. The ability to produce methane from Mars' atmosphere and oxygen from Mars' regolith has led to the two becoming a great alternative propellant combination for rocket propulsion systems. To further advance LOX/LCH4 propulsion systems, a 500 and 2000 lbf rocket engine were designed and manufactured and are to be launched from the MIRO cSETR Technology Research and Innovation Acceleration Park (tRIAc) in Fabens, Texas for data collection and analysis. The objective of this thesis is to give a thorough overview of the static …

Development And Environmental Testing Of A Single-Axis Printer Inside A 1u Cubesat For On-Orbit Servicing Repairs In Low Earth Orbit, Perla Rocio Perez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As additive manufacturing is becoming an established technology in space, new emerging strategies improve the efficiency of the printing processes. Orbital Factory 2 (OF-2) is a small satellite-or CubeSat-developed at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) which launched to space on November 2019. In January 2020, it will be released in low earth orbit (LEO). OF-2 is a 1U (10x10x10cm) CubeSat that carries a one-axis printer experiment as its primary payload. This printer was developed and tested in-house. The experiment focuses on printing electrically conductive ink on a printing circuit board that verifies the conductivity on the trace …

Thermal/Mechanical Analysis And Development Of A 2000 Lbf Liquid Oxygen/Liquid Methane Rocket Engine, Marissa Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research (cSETR) is developing three rocket engines: a 5 lbf reaction control engine, a 500 lbf engine, and a 2000 lbf engine. All these engines utilize a liquid oxygen and liquid methane propellant combination. The reason methane was selected for the fuel is because methane is easy to store, is self-pressurizing, and readily available. There is also the possibility of creating methane on planets such as Mars through an electrolysis process on the ice water found on Mars.

The 2000 lbf engine, or the CROME-X, is a modular, steady-state pintle injector engine. It …

Small Satellite Development At Utep, Emily Herzog

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The small satellite industry has seen tremendous growth in recent years. A CubeSat is a particular type of standardized small satellite that follows the CubeSat specifications. These specifications define the structural, testing, and operational requirements of the satellite. This standard facilitates cheaper design, integration, and launch of satellites, allowing smaller organizations to participate in the normally costly area of space exploration.

The University of Texas at El Paso has recognized the opportunity and has begun developing several CubeSats. The two that are the topic of this Thesis are called Orbital Factory II (OFII) and Orbital Factory X (OFX). An on-orbit …

The Design Of A Rocket Propulsion Labview Data Acquisition And Control System, Dylan Allan Ott

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

When designing a rocket engine, both the propulsion system and propellant choice(s) are an important deciding factor. Desired rocket engine behavior, specific impulse, and levels of thrust are all different between the various propulsion systems. A bi-propellant cryogenic liquid 5lbf, 500lbf, and 2000lbf rocket engine was designed and manufactured by UTEP. The 5lbf rocket engine is a Reaction Control Engine and the 500lbf and 2000lbf rocket engine is a throttleable Main Engine. To provide a reliable and safe data acquisition and control system for this experiment, a Real-Time control platform was needed. A compact DAQ system was purchased and configured …

Theoretical Acoustic Absorber Design Approach For Lox/Lch4 Pintle Injector Rocket Engines, Jonathan Candelaria

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Liquid rocket engines, or LREs, have served a key role in space exploration efforts. One current effort involves the utilization of liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid methane (LCH4) LREs to explore Mars with in-situ resource utilization for propellant production. This on-site production of propellant will allow for greater payload allocation instead of fuel to travel to the Mars surface, and refueling of propellants to travel back to Earth. More useable mass yields a greater benefit to cost ratio. The University of Texas at El Paso's (UTEP) Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research Center (cSETR) aims to further advance these …

Quantifying The Characteristic Length Of A Combustor For An Ionic Liquid Monopropellant Thruster, Kimberly Marie Hogge

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Ionic liquid monopropellants are currently being researched as a promising alternative to hydrazine in propulsion systems. This report presents a flame study that delineates the flame length of the expected decomposition products from an ionic liquid monopropellant. Through these studies, the characteristic length of a combustion chamber will be defined through calculations and empirical correlations. There is limited information on designing a propulsion system for an ionic liquid monopropellant. Therefore, defining the magnitude for an effective characteristic length serves as beneficial in designing a propulsion system for an ionic liquid monopropellant thruster.

Design Of A 2000 Lbf Lox/Lch4 Throttleable Rocket Engine For A Vertical Lander, Israel Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid methane (LCH4) has been recognized as an attractive rocket propellant combination because of its in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) capabilities, namely in Mars. ISRU would allow launch vehicles to carry greater payloads and promote missions to Mars. This has led to an increasing interest to develop spacecraft technologies that employ this propellant combination.

The UTEP Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research (cSETR) has focused part of its research efforts to developing LOX/LCH4 systems. One of those projects includes the development of a vertical takeoff and landing vehicle called JANUS. This vehicle will employ a LOX/LCH4 …

Design And Development Of A Delivery System For Green Ionic Monopropellants And Testing Of A 22n Thruster, Jaclyn Mona Mejia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

LMP-103S and AFM-315E are emerging propellants that are less toxic to the environment than the propellants currently being used in spacecraft propulsion. Both propellants are a blend of liquid fuel, oxidizer and a majority percent of water. The diluted solutions enable the capability to handle and store the propellants with fewer requirements; for this reason, it decreases the overall cost of the propellants since it needs less precautions. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) awarded the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) a contract to further research green propellants and eventually replace Hydrazide.

Development And Integration Of The Janus Robotic Lander: A Liquid Oxygen - Liquid Methane Propulsion System Testbed, Raul Ponce

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Initiatives have emerged with the goal of sending humans to other places in our solar system. New technologies are being developed that will allow for more efficient space systems to transport future astronauts. One of those technologies is the implementation of propulsion systems that use liquid oxygen and liquid methane (LO2-LCH4) as propellants.

The benefits of a LO2-LCH4 propulsion system are plenty. One of the main advantages is the possibility of manufacturing the propellants at the destination body. A space vehicle which relies solely on liquid oxygen and liquid methane for its main propulsion and reaction control engines is necessary …

The Design, Construction And Operation Of System To Analyze The Decomposition Gases Of Af-M315e, Jonathan Alejandro Valenzuela Brok

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With the current trend of aerospace organizations towards developing green monopropellant, the key priority is to eliminate the use of highly dangerous monopropellants, such as hydrazine. In that vein, one of the best candidates to replace hydrazine is a monopropellant known as AF-M315E. AF-M315E was developed by the Air Force and is currently being advanced by NASA and private corporations for use on various satellite platforms, with NASA looking to launch a test satellites part of their Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM), Raytheon providing support on the Missile Defense Agency's Network Centric Airborne Defense Element (NCADE) program and Department of …

Development And Verification Of A Lab-Scale Green Propellant Hybrid Motor System, Shyamal Patel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Hybrid rocket propulsion offers the potential to combine advantages of both solid and liquid propellant systems, but low regression rates hinder their practicality. The suggested use of hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) based propellants in hybrids offers the potential for developing high impulse motors with low development and production costs. In this paper, I present the development of a small-scale system used to measure the regression rate of a hybrid motor. The system can accommodate fuel grains 5 cm long with an outer diameter of 6 cm and can implement the various decomposition gases needed for HAN. The motor firings of hydroxyl …