Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Martian Atmospheric Rover Simulation (M.A.R.S.), Matt Berard, Shelby Beddard, Alexander Brunette, Emma Conti, Collin Duke, Delaney Novak, Keelin Weaver

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Student Publications

While rovers have been used by various agencies to explore Mars, their travel is limited by terrain obstacles, which may prevent mission completion. Creating a vehicle equipped with both driving and flight capabilities would allow greater range of motion on extraterrestrial planets. Integrating the technology for both transportation modes into one rover allows for efficiency and advancements in technological and planetary research.

A Comparison Of Western And Eastern Soft Systems Approaches, John L. Anaya, John L. Anaya, John L. Anaya

Master's Theses

Soft System Approaches have been developed worldwide to help problem-solvers and decision-makers develop solutions to complex problems, such as aerospace systems. Soft System Approaches were designed to help lower the disorder of developing a complex system by increasing understanding of a situation. Four Soft System Approaches were investigated, two from the West and two from the East. Within the context of the paper, the West refers to thought patterns associated with thinkers and scientists in Europe and North America, and the East refers to those from and around China. The two from the West are Peter Checkland’s Soft Systems Methodology …

Going Airborne: Kent State's Pioneering Leap Into Integrated Advanced Air Mobility, Jason T. Lorenzon

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

This proposal centers on the development of a Concept of Operations in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Kent State University's College of Aeronautics and Engineering is poised to pioneer the integration of drones and electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) systems, bridging the gap between its campus and airport by transporting students and faculty the 3NM distance from campus to the airport and back by a UAV. Beyond a standard research initiative, this proposal signifies a groundbreaking effort to reshape the landscape of educational aeronautics and Advanced Air Mobility and Urban Air Mobility. Our overarching goal is to transcend conventional boundaries …

Experimental Analysis Of The Integrated High-Lift Propulsor, Robert W. Deters, Byron Ward, Shreyas Narsipur

Publications

Wind tunnel testing was conducted to evaluate the performance of the Integrated High Lift Propulsor (IHLP), a novel Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) system. The IHLP integrates traditional Krueger flap/slat elements with a Distributed Electric Propulsion design, enhancing high lift performance and cruise efficiency compared to conventional pylon-mounted DEP configurations. Starting from a baseline configuration determined from pretest Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses, a parametric study was performed to determine the influence on the aerodynamic characteristics (𝐶𝑙 , 𝐶𝑥, and 𝐶𝑚). The study involved variations in flap settings, slat angles, overlap, propeller tilt, and propeller position. The impact of Reynolds number, …

Integrated Organizational Machine Learning For Aviation Flight Data, Michael J. Pritchard Ph.D., Austin T. Walden Ph.D., Paul J. Thomas Ph.D.

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Increased availability of data and computing power has allowed organizations to apply machine learning techniques to various fleet monitoring activities. Additionally, our ability to acquire aircraft data has increased due to the miniaturization of small form factor computing machines. Aircraft data collection processes contain many data features in the form of multivariate time series (continuous, discrete, categorical, etc.) which can be used to train machine learning models. Yet, three major challenges still face many flight organizations: 1) integration and automation of data collection frameworks, 2) data cleanup and preparation, and 3) developing an embedded machine learning framework. Data cleanup and …

Materials Testing For Large Format 3d Printing, William Jenkins

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

An ABS Carbon Fiber blend was printed into single walled hexagons at a variety of settings on a Cincinnati BAAM large format 3D printer. These hexagons were then cut down into sheets and had tensile and flexural test samples cut out of them, in order for materials testing to be performed. Tensile strength, tensile strain, young’s modulus, flexural strength, deflection and elastic modulus were all determined. A desktop CNC machine and a planer were purchased for the manufacturing of these samples, and an efficient cutting procedure was designed and optimized. After all data collection concluded, this data was thoroughly analyzed, …

Short Strand Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polylactic Acid Filament For Additive Manufacturing, Dale Chenoweth, Lukas Seggi, Luke Phillips

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In this design project, the additive manufacturing filament of short strand carbon fiber (SSCF) reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) composite was developed. The micro-size, precision cut SSCFs were mixed with the PLA pellets through a melting homogenization process. Through this process the composite material block is cut and divided into pieces for ease of pelletizing. The material block pieces are then pelletized to be fed through the single screw extruder to develop the SSCF-PLA composite filament. The SSCF-PLA filaments were manufactured with a varying amount of SSCF ranging from 0.5% to 10% of the material block's weight. Development of a 1% …

Testing And Implementation Of Attitude Determination & Control System For Arksat-1 Cubesatellite, Cassandra Sands

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ARKSAT-1 is a CubeSatellite (CubeSat) developed at the University of Arkansas and launched to the International Space Station on SpaceX mission SPX-27 launching from Kennedy Space Center as part of the NASA’s 8th CubeSat Launch Initiative CSLI-8. ARKSAT-1’s payload features a high-powered LED, the Solid State Inflatable Balloon (SSIB) deorbiting system applicable to small satellites, and a series of InfraRed and Visible cameras. To point the LED or take images of desired observational targets, the spacecraft will need to be able to determine its orientation within its orbit, as well as rotate. This will be achieved through the use of …

Task Optimization Utilizing Digital Transformation Concepts - Automation Project Execution Via Agile Methodology, Anthony Steven Maiello

Theses and Dissertations

Task Optimization via the use of automated process improvements is becoming more widespread as more industries lean into the concepts surrounding digital transformation. This shift also necessitates a complementary adaptation in project management methodologies to support the rapid and ever-changing environment, requirements, and innovations. This thesis examines the effectiveness of Agile methodology in managing digital automation projects, with a specific focus placed on process improvements with systems engineering. It accomplished this by contrasting the original model, designed and derived utilizing traditional project management techniques, with the proposed model which is a direct result of the application of Agile project practices. …

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 …

Mechanical Design And Fabrication Of Rotating Test Stand For Supersonic Wind Tunnel, Suren I. Sanai, Sam Groom, Peter Kim, Nandeesh Hiremath

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

This research project focuses on the design and manufacturing of a rotating test stand for the Cal Poly Supersonic Wind Tunnel (SSWT). In order to establish essential design parameters, the project employs compressible flow isentropic relationships to calculate the Mach number within the test section and determine static pressures. This comprehensive effort integrates preliminary design and manufacturing processes, utilizing CAD designs and a range of machinery for component fabrication, while also highlighting initial testing of the rotating test stand's ability to withstand predicted aerodynamic loads. As part of the research's future work, rigorous structural stability testing and the implementation of …

Development Of User Interface And Testing Harness, Jacob Amezquita, William Albertini

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

No abstract provided.

Communicating The Need To Communicate - Lessons Learned From Failure Point To A Need For Systems Perspectives, Calvin J. Fong, Elizabeth Matranga, Dianne J. Deturris

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Failure investigation reports indicate that a systems perspective is needed to reduce failure in aerospace missions.

The failures occurred not because of a technical problem but because not enough communication was occurring.

Design And Implementation Of A Launching Method For Free To Oscillate Dynamic Stability Testing, Kristen M. Carey

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Magnetic Suspension and Balance Systems (MSBS) allow for static, forced oscillation and free to oscillate dynamic stability testing in a wind tunnel without the need for a physical support. The objectives of study are to assist in the application of the free to oscillate testing method in an MSBS to determine dynamic stability characteristics for various re-entry capsule designs.

This thesis discusses the development and testing of a launching method called the grabber for use in the MSBS Subsonic Wind Tunnel at NASA Langley Research Center. Aerodynamic tests were run to support the use of this method and compare the …

Crazyflie 2.1 Quadcopter Nonlinear System Identification, Nhat V. Nguyen, Hope Storro, John Plimpton

2023 Symposium

Quadcopters (quad) are used widely in many industries with crucial applications such as infrastructure inspection or package delivery. The Crazyflie 2.1 quad from Bitcraze provides an excellent platform for research and development. In this project, our goal is to perform system identification on the Crazyflie to propose a complete model. A gray box method is explored, which includes leveraging the parameters that are already known, to develop a set of equations. Through theory, simulations, and measurements, a complete quadcopter model is developed.

Distributed Control Of Servicing Satellite Fleet Using Horizon Simulation Framework, Scott Plantenga

Master's Theses

On-orbit satellite servicing is critical to maximizing space utilization and sustainability and is of growing interest for commercial, civil, and defense applications. Reliance on astronauts or anchored robotic arms for the servicing of next-generation large, complex space structures operating beyond Low Earth Orbit is impractical. Substantial literature has investigated the mission design and analysis of robotic servicing missions that utilize a single servicing satellite to approach and service a single target satellite. This motivates the present research to investigate a fleet of servicing satellites performing several operations for a large, central space structure.

This research leverages a distributed control approach, …

Refactoring Dependency Loading And Standardizing Factory Patterns In The Horizon Simulation Framework, Jack W. Kelly

Master's Theses

The Horizon Simulation Framework (HSF) is an open-source community driven mod- eling and simulation tool developed over 15 years by a lineage of Cal Poly graduate students. The tool excels in its flexibility to model an assortment of complex systems, with prebuilt modeling elements available for the simulation of space missions. A high-level simulation tool like HSF lends itself to an agile development cycle as system constraints can be quickly identified through day in the life simulation of the modeled system. The objective of the work presented in this thesis is to refactor the way in which several modeling elements …

A Systematic Study Into The Design And Utilization Of Burn Wire As A Means Of Tensioning And Releasing Spacecraft Mechanisms Through Applied Joule Heating, Chandler Dye

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The joule heating characteristics of Nichrome burn wires, often used as a thermal cutting device in mechanisms designed to fasten and release CubeSat deployables, are examined in the following thesis. Wires ranging from 0.125 inches to 2 inches long, and diameters of 30 Ga and 40 Ga, are investigated through analytical calculations and thermal simulations based on heat transfer due to joule heating, and through physical circuitry-based experiments. The temperature data is used to generate heating curves to predict the time it takes for Nichrome wires to fail under varying testing parameters. This research aims to catalog a series of …

Utilizing The System Engineering Trade Study Analysis Method To Analyze Patient Aeromedical Evacuation, Sara Shaghaghi, Jeremy M. Slagley, Michael E. Miller, Gaiven Varshney

Faculty Publications

The US Air Force has gone through many aeromedical patient isolation transport system designs. The first designs were developed in response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. The trade study analysis part of the system engineering design method was used to analyze the historic and current aeromedical patient contamination control transport systems. A trade study is a process that evaluates alternatives based upon various “-ilities”, such as reconfigurability, flexibility, durability, cost, and more, and performs a systematic analysis to aid designers in producing a ‘good’ design alternative given the large set of possible solutions. …

Spray Characterization Of An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle For Agricultural Spraying, Eray Önler, Hasan Berk Özyurt, Mehmet Şener, Sezen Arat, Bülent Eker, İlker Hüseyin Çelen

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Sustainability and higher efficiency in crop production are possible with the use of new technologies. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) brings many advantages, both in terms of monitoring agricultural areas and pesticide applications, and allows for early disease and damage detection as well as its application in areas without access to conventional sprayers. This study established parameters for spraying with clean water using a DJI Agras 14 MG-1P (RTK) UAV. Droplet distribution and droplet analyses were examined in the experiments carried out at different heights (1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 m) and flow rates (10, 15, 20, 25, and …

Optimal Gyroid Infill For Space Launch, Jose R. Lopez Cordell

Theses and Dissertations

This research characterizes the optimal gyroid infill design for the 1st frequency response of composite sandwich panels. Structural performance may be improved by designing the gyroid infill within the sandwich panel to have a 1st mode resonance frequency above typical launch vehicle vibrations. Ensuring a component generates a natural frequency response above a designed threshold is mandatory for space launch systems to prevent damage. The gyroid, a Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS), has the potential to provide close to isotropic stiffness in the principal axes with a minimal amount of material, making it an attractive choice for this application. This …

Microstrip Antenna Design Using Cst Optimized By Neural Network Algorithm, Hadeer. A Shoeab, Mohamed A.Mohamed, Marzouk El Said A, Ahmed. A. Kabeel

Mansoura Engineering Journal

In this paper, a general design procedure is suggested for the microstrip antennas using artificial neural networks and this is demonstrated using the rectangular patch geometry. The model was analyzed for 1733 data sets of input output parameters. 1300 samples for training and 433 samples for testing and 1500 epoch, learning rate from (0.003 to 0.005). Python was used to create and implement the ANN algorithm model. The mean error in detection of resonance frequencies (return loss peaks) was 0.144GHz on train set, and 0.116GHz on test set. The outputs of the radial basis function are optimized by varying the …

Missile Modeling And Simulation Of Nominal And Abnormal Scenarios Resulting From External Damage, James Manuel Floyd Iii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This thesis presents the development of a six-degree-of-freedom flight simulation environment for missiles and the application thereof to investigate the flight performance of missiles when exposed to external damage. The simulation environment was designed to provide a realistic representation of missile flight dynamics including aerodynamic effects, flight control systems, and self-guidance. The simulation environment was designed to be modular, expandable, and include realistic models of external damage to the missile body obtained by adversarial counteraction.

The primary objective of this research was to examine missile flight performance when subjected to unspecified external damage, including changes in trajectory, stability, and controllability, …

Assessing The Performance Of A Particle Swarm Optimization Mobility Algorithm In A Hybrid Wi-Fi/Lora Flying Ad Hoc Network, William David Paredes

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research on Flying Ad-Hoc Networks (FANETs) has increased due to the availability of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and the electronic components that control and connect them. Many applications, such as 3D mapping, construction inspection, or emergency response operations could benefit from an application and adaptation of swarm intelligence-based deployments of multiple UAVs. Such groups of cooperating UAVs, through the use of local rules, could be seen as network nodes establishing an ad-hoc network for communication purposes.

One FANET application is to provide communication coverage over an area where communication infrastructure is unavailable. A crucial part of a FANET implementation is …

Critical Space Infrastructure: A Complex System Governance Perspective, Adrian V. Gheorghe, James C. Pyne, Joseph Sisti, Charles B. Keating, Polinpapilinho F. Katina, William Edmonson

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper examines the applicability of Complex System Governance (CSG) to advance the Critical Space Infrastructure field (CSI). CSI encompasses space related hardware, workforce, environment, facilities, and businesses that are necessary for societal well-being. CSI is increasing in importance as more societal serving systems are becoming dependent on CSI to operate. Given this increasing dependence on CSI, societal sectors are increasingly at risk should something go wrong with CSI upon which they depend. CSI has been developing is a fragmented way and lacks coherent organization. CSG is focused on design, execution, and evolution of system functions that provide for communications, …

Strengthening Urban Resilience: Understanding The Interdependencies Of Outer Space And Strategic Planning For Sustainable Smart Environments, Ulpia-Elena Botezatu, Olga Bucovetchi, Adrian V. Gheorghe, Radu D. Stanciu

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The conventional approach to urban planning has predominantly focused on horizontal dimensions, disregarding the potential risks originating from outer space. This paper aims to initiate a discourse on the vertical dimension of cities, which is influenced by outer space, as an essential element of strategic urban planning. Through an examination of a highly disruptive incident in outer space involving a collision between the Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 satellites, this article elucidates the intricate interdependencies between urban areas and outer space infrastructure and services. Leveraging the principles of critical infrastructure protection, which bridge the urban and outer space domains, and …

On-Board Artificial Intelligence For Failure Detection And Safe Trajectory Generation, Eduardo Morillo

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The use of autonomous flight vehicles has recently increased due to their versatility and capability of carrying out different type of missions in a wide range of flight conditions. Adequate commanded trajectory generation and modification, as well as high-performance trajectory tracking control laws have been an essential focus of researchers given that integration into the National Air Space (NAS) is becoming a primary need. However, the operational safety of these systems can be easily affected if abnormal flight conditions are present, thereby compromising the nominal bounds of design of the system's flight envelop and trajectory following. This thesis focuses on …

Project Management And Systems Engineering Framework For Educational Cubesat Missions, Bailey Garrett

Master's Theses

The rising complexity of CubeSat missions and the unique challenges faced by educational CubeSat programs lead to high rates of mission failure. Implementing project management and systems engineering practices can alleviate these challenges and improve mission success rates for educational CubeSat developers. However, existing project management and systems engineering resources are too cumbersome and often assume the student has a base-level understanding of project management and systems engineering fundamentals. A new universal project management and systems engineering framework was created and tailored specifically to the needs of an educational CubeSat mission. The framework was designed to accommodate first-time CubeSat developers, …

Spacecraft Systems & Navigation, Christopher Vanacore

Student Works

This textbook is steered towards higher educational course entailed in Commercial Space Operations. This textbook will be covering in detail Orbital Satellites, and Spacecraft. These topics are discussed according to their application, design, and environment. The power system, shielding and communication systems are reviewed along with their missions, space, environment and limitations. Any vehicle, whether manned or unmanned, intended for space travel is a spacecraft. A spacecraft's required systems and equipment depend on the information it will acquire and the tasks it will perform. Although their levels of sophistication vary widely, they re all subject to the harsh conditions of …

Multi-Robot Symbolic Task And Motion Planning Leveraging Human Trust Models: Theory And Applications, Huanfei Zheng

All Dissertations

Multi-robot systems (MRS) can accomplish more complex tasks with two or more robots and have produced a broad set of applications. The presence of a human operator in an MRS can guarantee the safety of the task performing, but the human operators can be subject to heavier stress and cognitive workload in collaboration with the MRS than the single robot. It is significant for the MRS to have the provable correct task and motion planning solution for a complex task. That can reduce the human workload during supervising the task and improve the reliability of human-MRS collaboration. This dissertation relies …