Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Experimental And Numerical Analysis Of Laminar And Transitional Flow Through Annular Corrugated Pipes, Joseph Russell Sargent

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents studies on pressure loss through annular corrugated pipes to determine a friction factor coefficient using nitrogen. Ten different corrugated pipes’ geometries were evaluated via testing and experimentation. The ratio of corrugation height to inner diameter varied from 0.233 to 0.333 and the ratio of corrugation pitch to inner diameter varied from 0.181 to 0.446. Nitrogen flow rates between 0.25 to 94.4 standard liters per minute were used, resulting in Reynolds numbers, based on the corrugated pipe inner diameter, from 100 to 23,000. The experimental set-up was validated using smooth-pipe pressure loss measurements and the derived friction factor …

Aerodynamic Design And Analysis Of A Modified 2006 Mazda Miata, William N. Recher

Honors College Theses

Aerodynamic forces developed by automobiles have destabilizing effects at high speed. These forces tend to skew toward a vehicle’s rear which can present safety concerns, especially for rear-wheel-drive automobiles like the Mazda Miata. To address oversteer and high-speed instability, a vehicle’s design can be tailored to bring about aerodynamic balance and improve traction. LiDAR was used to bring the physical automobile into the digital space. Then, a splitter and diffuser were added to reduce the magnitude of the destabilizing forces. Next, the size and shape of the rear-wing required to balance the vehicle was calculated using a combination of parameters …

Depressurization Characteristics Of Steam-Based Reciprocating Vacuum Pump, Hongling Deng

Dissertations

This dissertation introduces a novel vacuum technology that leverages low-pressure saturated steam and cooling-controlled condensation, offering an efficient way to utilize low-grade thermal energy sources like waste heat, steam, or solar energy. At the heart of this technology is a unique duo-chamber vacuum pump system, featuring a reciprocating piston and a heat-conductive wall, designed to generate a vacuum through steam-condensation and cooling processes.

The core of this research lies in developing and validating mechanistic models for the steam-condensation depressurization process, a complex phenomenon involving phase change and transport mechanisms. Prior to this work, these mechanisms were not sufficiently modeled or …

Husker Motorsports Active Drag Reduction System, Creighton Hughes, Evan Killian, Micah Busboom, Aj Johnson, Jude Steffen

Honors Theses

Formula SAE is a multifaceted competition that involves student teams designing and competing with an open-wheel style race car. There are 5 different dynamic events included in the competition. Each event requires a unique aerodynamic setup to have the best performance possible. This design project focuses on a drag reduction system (DRS) that will improve aerodynamic performance, resulting in faster lap times and increased competitiveness. Key features include a direct electronic actuation mechanism that will allow the rear wing to be adjusted during a race. The benefits of the DRS system, include increased speed, improved handling, and greater fuel efficiency …

Kwad - Ksu All Weather Autonomous Drone, Nick Farinacci, Sebastian Gomez, Stewart Baker, Ed Sheridan

Symposium of Student Scholars

"KWAD" or "KSU all-Weather Autonomous Drone" project was sponsored by Ultool, LLC to the KSU Research and Service Foundation to create a lightweight drone capable of capturing HD video during all-weather operations. The conditions of all-weather operation include rainfall of one inch per hour and wind speeds of up to twenty miles per hour. In addition, a global minimum structural safety factor of two is required to ensure the system's integrity in extreme weather conditions. Potential mission profiles include autonomous aerial delivery, topological mapping in high moisture areas, security surveillance, search and rescue operations, emergency transportation of medical supplies, and …

Modeling, Control, And Hardware Development Of A Thrust-Vector Coaxial Uav, Andrew North

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This thesis introduces a unique thrust vector coaxial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configuration and presents a comprehensive investigation encompassing dynamics modeling, hardware design, and controller development. Using the Newton-Euler method, a dynamic model for the UAV is derived to gain in-depth insights into its fundamental flight characteristics. A simple thrust model is formulated and modified by comparing it with data obtained from vehicle testing. The feasibility of manufacturing such a vehicle is assessed through the development of a hardware prototype. Finally, a linear state feedback controller is designed and evaluated using the non-linear dynamics model. The results demonstrate successful validation …

Landing Gear Sealing Solution, Andrew Milligan

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

XYZ Landing Gear Solutions has been tasked with redesigning two internal components of the landing gears for the ABC-123 aircraft program. The customer, ABC Aeronautics, informed XYZ Landing Gear Solutions that a particular system of the landing gear does not meet the necessary performance requirements of the program. As a result, the entire system will have to be removed, facilitating the need for a redesign of the two components that the system interfaced with. The focus of this project will be completing the redesign process for both of these components. “Redesign” and “design” will be used interchangeably in this report. …

A Computational Fluid Dynamic Analysis Of Oxyacetylene Combustion Flow For Use In Material Response Boundary Conditions, Craig Meade

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical Engineering

Oxyacetylene torches are used in the aerospace industry and research to test thermal protection system materials (TPS) due to their high flame temperatures and high heat flux capabilities. The purpose of this work is to determine a combustion model to accurately simulate the high temperature flow of an oxyacetylene torch. The flow conditions around a sample material can then be used as boundary conditions when modeling TPS material response. Two separate combustion models with equilibrium chemistry were investigated using ANSYS Fluent™; the Eddy-Dissipation Model, and the Partially Premixed model.The results of this study are compared to existing experiments for validation.

Space Force Design Project, Emily Greene, Ashton Orosa, Julia Patek, Nathan Doty

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The objective of our research project is to develop a lab testbed composed of a curved surface to represent a spacecraft hull, a mobile robot equipped with repair tools, and a robotic arm equipped with a laser 3D scanner. This project is part of a larger grant to the University of Akron from Space Force and Air Research Labs. The lab testbed developed in this project will be used to assist in creating and testing a software and algorithm to inspect and repair spacecraft while in orbit. The project will involve researching spacecraft hulls to create an accurate simulation bed, …

Foundations For Finite-State Modelling Of A Two-Dimensional Airfoil That Reverses Direction, Jake Michael Oscar Welsh

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Current 3-D finite-state wake models are incapable of simulating a maneuver in which the sign of the free-stream velocity changes direction and the rotor enters its own wake -- as might occur in the case of a helicopter which ascends and then descends. It is the purpose of this work to create a 2-D finite-state wake model which is capable of handling changes in free-stream direction as a precursor to development of a 3-D model that can do the same.

The 2-D finite-state model used for reentry modifications is an existing model created by Peters, Johnson, and Karunamoorthy. By the …

Novel Thermal Coating For High-Speed Airplanes, Abinash Satapathy, Lakshay Battu, Liam Watson, Nazanin Rajabi

Symposium of Student Scholars

In comparison to various other materials, Carbon Fiber, specifically Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP), is pre-eminent amongst other materials for use on aeronautical systems. Due to its high specific strength (strength-to-weight ratio), CFRP is prominent for carrying heavy loads while maintaining a lightweight build. However, when influenced by heat resulting from air resistance, CFRP is known to undergo serious degradation that would significantly decrease the effectiveness of the polymers. To prevent this degradation and maintain the strength of the CFRP, thermal protective layers (TPLs) are designed to shield the CFRP from heat exposure. This research is focused on the examination …

Jcati Carbon Fiber Recycler: Oven Enclosure, Margarita Romero

All Undergraduate Projects

Central Washington University partners with Boeing and is funded by the Joint Center of Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI) to develop a mechanism that takes carbon fiber wing trimmings from Boeing that are resin coated and recycles carbon fiber. This is done by crushing the wing trimmings and then putting it into a 500°C oven to melt off the resin. This project focuses on the enclosure for the oven and making sure precautions are met such as having the outside surface be less than 45c through heat transfer analysis, argon fills enclosure in 13 minutes through fluid dynamics analysis, and 99% …

Carbon Fiber Recycling: Delamination System, Aaron Eastman

All Undergraduate Projects

The production of composite wings at Boeing causes carbon fiber waste and CWU Mechanical Engineering Technology students have been tasked in designing a carbon fiber recycling system. This project was brought forth and funded by the Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI). There are three subsystems that make up the carbon fiber recycling system, the delamination system, shredding system, and the oven. The purpose of this project was to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the delamination system of the carbon fiber recycling system. The old system reached approximately 30-40 percent delamination with one pass through the system, and …

Microscale Transverse Compression Modeling: A Comparative Study Of The Analytical Mac/Gmc Methods To Experimental Results, Emily Zeitunian

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Composite materials require a multi-scale approach to fully understand its behavior. At the micro level, material behavior analysis is conducted most often using numerical or analytical approaches. These models, however, require validation from experimental data to ensure material predictions are accurate. This study compares a semi-analytical micromechanical analysis tool, MAC/GMC, to experimental results of in-situ microscale transverse compression testing conducted at AFRL facilities. Effective properties, stress-strain curves, stress and strain fields, and damage predictions are compared with experimental outputs. Both generalized method of cells (GMC) and high-fidelity generalized method of cells (HFGMC) theories implemented within MAC/GMC show results that agree …

Cfd And Heat Transfer Analysis Of Rocket Cooling Techniques On An Aerospike Nozzle, Geoffrey Sullivan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years the development of rocket engines has been mainly focused on improving the engine cycle and creating new fuels. Rocket nozzle design has not been changed since the late 1960s. Recent needs for reliable and reusable rockets, as well as advancements in additive manufacturing, have brought new interest into the aerospike nozzle concept. This nozzle is a type of altitude adjusting nozzle that is up to 90% more efficient than bell nozzles at low altitudes and spends up to 30% less fuel. Since the nozzle body is submerged in the hot exhaust gasses it is difficult to keep …

Mechanical Interfacial Locking And Multiscale Modeling Of Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites For Structural Applications, Anmol Kothari

All Dissertations

The ever-growing pressure of reducing the adverse impact of transportation systems on environment has pushed industries towards fuel-efficient and sustainable solutions. While several approaches have been used to improve fuel efficiency, the light-weighting of structural components has proven broadly effective. In this regard, reinforced thermoplastic composites (RTPC), owing to their high recyclability, higher impact strength and fast cycle times, have become competitive candidates at an industrial scale. However, to implement RTPC toward large scale structural applications several challenges pertaining to material design and manufacturing effects need to be addressed. To this end, a computational study is carried out to address …

Complicating Factors In Hydraulic Jumps: The Effects Of Earth's Rotation, Muveno Pascoal Elias Mucaza

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Hydraulic jumps at the interface of stratified rotating fluids are studied. The flow is de- fined with continuous density and velocity profiles, with the velocity in each layer changing (upstream shear). The study is conducted in jumps defined by an imposed velocity transition, and jumps developing over a topography.

The numerical simulations conducted showed the qualitative structure of the flow changing in the cross-width direction, as well as the size and amount of turbulence of the jumps. Mixing in these jumps was shown to increase towards the side of the domain where the jumps were larger and more turbulent. The …

Bibliometric Analysis On Artificial Compressibility Method Based Cfd Simulations, Bhavna Hemraj Joshi Miss, Chandrakant R. Sonawane Dr, Priyambada Bada Praharaj Mrs, Anand Kumar Pandey Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This bibliometric analysis in this paper aims to study the quantitative progress done in the artificial compressibility (AC) method-based CFD simulation and analyze its potential in solving incompressible flow simulations in computational fluid dynamics smoothly. The sector of CFD is enhancing more and more maturely due to advancements in computing architecture, numerical methods, and simulation tools. There have been various attempts to solve the pressure-velocity coupling issue in the Navier-Stokes equation. The artificial compressibility method (ACM), as opposed to pressure-correction methods, solves the incompressible equation in a non-segregated manner. With the introduction of the ACM, the system of the equation …

Nasa Micro-G Next Challenge: Sample Container Dispensing Device, Kristin G. Kraybill-Voth, Kelsey L. Mickelson, Oscar D. Popravka

Mechanical Engineering

This Final Design Review (FDR) report outlines a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo senior design project developing a sample container dispensing device for NASA Johnson Space Center’s Micro-g NExT design challenge, a competition for university students. NASA aims to bring the first woman and next man to the moon through the Artemis missions beginning in 2024. The Micro-g NExT 2021 challenges focus on developing equipment which will support the Artemis mission, where Astronauts will conduct extensive geological sampling to further the scientific understanding of the moon. Our team designed, built, and tested a device that holds sample bags as they …

Data-Driven Tools Guided By First-Principles For Scale Modeling, Sadegh Poozesh

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

For decades, traditional scale-modeling techniques have been relying on first-principles models (FPMs). FPMs have been used to find non-dimensional numbers (PIs) and identify normalized underlying forces and energies behind the phenomenon in focus. The two main challenges with FPM-based PIs extraction are finding the relevant PIs and proper correlations between PIs. The emergence and surge of data-driven modeling (DDM) provide a new opportunity to leverage experimental data in model development across scales/plants. In this paper, first, the two mentioned issues in PIs development will be elaborated to reveal the gap, and second, a new insight into scale modeling and similarity …

Nebulizer-Based Systems To Improve Pharmaceutical Aerosol Delivery To The Lungs, Benjamin M. Spence

Theses and Dissertations

Combining vibrating mesh nebulizers with additional new technologies leads to substantial improvements in pharmaceutical aerosol delivery to the lungs across therapeutic administration methods. In this dissertation, streamlined components, aerosol administration synchronization, and/or Excipient Enhanced Growth (EEG) technologies were utilized to develop and test several novel devices and aerosol delivery systems. The first focus of this work was to improve the poor delivery efficiency, e.g., 3.6% of nominal dose (Dugernier et al. 2017), of aerosolized medication administration to adult human subjects concurrent with high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy, a form of continuous-flow non-invasive ventilation (NIV). The developed Low-Volume Mixer-Heater (LVMH) …

Structural Optimization Of Space Transit Vehicle Concept, Hercules, James Philip Rogers

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical Engineering

STRUCTURAL OPTIMIZATION OF SPACE TRANSIT VEHICLE CONCEPT, HERCULES:

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF STRUCTURAL OPTIONS

Hercules is a vehicle concept developed by NASA Langley's Vehicle Analysis Branch to satisfy the need for sustainable transit between Earth, the moon, and Mars. Hercules features unprecedented abort capabilities and mission flexibility to aid in NASA's Mars campaign. By utilizing modern software to perform structural analysis and optimization for a large selection of stiffened panel concepts, beam concepts, and materials trends in the structural optimization emerge. These trends will be invaluable for the design of future spacecraft needed to fulfill similar roles.

The structural optimization …

Design And Control Techniques Of The Open-Circuit Subsonic Wind Tunnel With Closed Testing Section, Jamshid Yakhshilikov, Jamshid Inoyatkhodjaev

Acta of Turin Polytechnic University in Tashkent

This paper will describe the design and control techniques of the open-circuit subsonic wind tunnel with closed testing section (WT) for study purpose. The goal is to design a WT that can be tested at a wind speed of 30 m/s, where the desired cross-sectional area of the test chamber is 0.5x0.5 m. The pressure drop inside the WT has been calculated in order to select one of the available axial fans from the manufacturer’s catalog, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was performed to check the result. In order to obtain a smooth airflow in the test section, a proportional …

Considerations For The Design Optimization Of Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Blades, Evan M. Gaertner

Doctoral Dissertations

Floating offshore wind turbines are an immature technology with relatively high costs and risk associated with deployment. Of the few floating wind turbine prototypes and demonstration projects deployed in real metocean conditions, all have used standard turbines design for onshore or offshore fixed bottom conditions. This neglects the unique unsteady aerodynamics brought on by floating support structure motion. While the floating platform has been designed and optimized for a given rotor, the global system is suboptimal due to the rotor operating in conditions outside of which it was design for. If the potential offered by floating wind turbines is to …

Vibration Isolation System, Bradley Y. Kwan, Bailey Groh, Max Wu, Nicole Yen

Mechanical Engineering

The Vibration Isolation System Senior Project is a collaborative group project between its sponsor, Maxar Technologies, and a team of students from Cal Poly - SLO to effectively design, manufacture, and test a structural assembly for satellites, isolating vibrations during launch and orbit conditions. After initial sponsor contact, requirements and needs were set which dictated deliverables for the senior project group. The group performed analyses to validate all design decisions, including a modified concept and design direction, selection of a prototype viscoelastic damping material, preliminary testing to validate design specifications, and detailed design and analysis toward a finalized design. Instead …

Miniaturized Ultraviolet Imager Phase Iii, Bradley D. Albright, Nicolas A. Armenta, Colin W. Harrop

Mechanical Engineering

This document details the work to date, June 9, 2020, done by the Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering senior project team, Miniaturized Ultraviolet Imager: Phase III (MUVI III), sponsored by the University of California, Berkeley – Space Sciences Laboratory (UCB SSL). MUVI III is the third senior project team of an ongoing design, MUVI: the prototype of a 2U sized CubeSat intended to capture aurora images in the ionosphere. The first team, MUVI I, finished development of the UV imager. The second team, MUVI II, designed the mirror mounting and deployable door mechanisms. The goal of MUVI phase III is to …

7-Dof Robotic Arm Xy-Plane Translational Stability, Christopher Dean Alkire

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Robotic arms are traditionally mounted to rigid structures as they perform tasks. As a result, the arm’s movement would not affect the position of its mount and its operational space that it is performing a task within would remain constant. If a robotic arm were to function in orbit, the motion of the arm would cause it to rotate and translate about its center of mass, which changes as the joints of the arm rotate.

The purpose of this thesis is to focus on the two-dimensional translational effects of an arm operating on a simulated zero-friction surface and provide a …

Generation Of Premix Laminar Flame Speed Library, Sai Prashanth Kumar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Laminar flame speed is an essential parameter in measuring turbulent premixed combustion applied in Spark ignition engines. Instead of using power-law correlations, which is valid only for particular ranges, the procedure for generating a premixed laminar flame speed library is defined using MTU – Master mechanism for a wide range of charge mixture conditions inside an engine combustion chamber: Temperature (300 – 700 K), Pressure (1 – 70 bar) and reactant mixture composition of equivalence ratio (0.4 – 2.0) Laminar flame speed library is generated for methane. The mechanism's performance was improved by adjusting the pre-exponential factor of the …

Peridynamic Approaches For Damage Prediction In Carbon Fiber And Carbon Nanotube Yarn Reinforced Polymer Composites, Forrest E. Baber

Theses and Dissertations

Aerospace structures are increasingly utilizing advanced composites because of their high specific modulus and specific strength. While the introduction of these material systems can dramatically decrease weight, they pose unique certification challenges, often requiring extensive experimental testing in each stage of the design cycle. The expensive and time-consuming nature of experimental testing necessitates the advancement of simulation methodologies to both aid in the certification process and assist in the exploration of the microstructure design space.

Peridynamic (PD) theory, originating from Sandia National Lab’s in the early 2000’s, is a nonlocal continuum-based method that reformulates the equation of motion into an …

Rocket Motor Nozzle, Corey Hillegass

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For this honors research and senior design project, the authors will research, analyze, and manufacture a rocket motor nozzle for the Akronauts rocket design team. This research and design project will improve how the rocket design team will decide and manufacture nozzles going forward. The impact of this improvement allows the rocket design team to take steps toward being self-sustaining by manufacturing student designed parts as opposed to commercially bought parts. This will not only be successful in increasing student impact on future designs, but also provides a technical challenge for the authors and will present as an impressive feat …