Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Airframe And Systems Design, Analysis, And Testing Of The Horizon Morphing-Wing Aircraft, Sabrina A. Snow

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Morphing trailing edge technology can provide the ability to dynamically alter the twist distribution, and therefore lift distribution, of an aircraft during flight. There are certain optimal lift distributions which can be chosen to create proverse yawing effects and eliminate the need for vertical control surfaces. The purpose of this project is to support the design and testing of a morphing, crescent flying wing airframe which will be used to evaluate yaw control in an aircraft without vertical control surfaces. There are three main objectives of this project, which are to perform static and dynamic analysis on the crescent wing …

Thermal Barrier Coating For Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Composite Materials, Heejin Kim, Jungwon Kim, Juhyeong Lee, Min Wook Lee

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites are widely employed in lightweight and high performance applications including supercars, aero-vehicles, and space components. However, although carbon fibers are thermally stable, the low thermal endurance of the matrix materials remains a critical problem in terms of the performance of the material. In this study, we proposed a new, Al₂O₃-based thermal barrier coating (TBC) for the CFRP composites. The TBC comprised α-phase Al₂O₃ particles with a mean diameter of 9.27 μm. The strong adhesion between the TBC and the CFRP substrate was evaluated using a three point bending …

Comparison Of Theoretical And Multi-Fidelity Optimum Aerostructural Solutions For Wing Design, Jeffrey D. Taylor, Douglas F. Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

As contemporary aerostructural research for aircraft design trends toward high-fidelity computational methods, aerostructural solutions based on theory are often neglected or forgotten. In fact, in many modern aerostructural wing optimization studies, the elliptic lift distribution is used as a benchmark in place of theoretical aerostructural solutions with more appropriate constraints. In this paper, we review several theoretical aerostructural solutions that could be used as benchmark cases for wing design studies, and we compare them to high-fidelity solutions with similar constraints. Solutions are presented for studies with 1) constraints related to the wing integrated bending moment, 2) constraints related to the …

Lightning Arc Channel Effects On Surface Damage Development On A Prseus Composite Panel: An Experimental Study, Dounia Boushab, Pedram Gharghabi, Juhyeong Lee, Thomas E. Lacy Jr., Charles U. Pittman Jr., Michael S. Mazzola, Alexander Velicki

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Composite aircraft structures are vulnerable to lightning strike damage due to their relatively low electrical and thermal conductivities. A preceding work has investigated the lightning damage resistance of a carbon-epoxy Pultruded Rod Stitched Efficient Unitized Structure (PRSEUS) panel. The damage includes intense local damage (i.e., matrix decomposition/sublimation, fiber rupture, delamination) accompanied by widespread surface damage (i.e., distributed fiber rupture and tow splitting) further from the lightning attachment point. This study focuses on investigating the cause of the widespread surface damage. Two possible driving mechanisms are explored: i) magnetically-induced currents and ii) lightning arc-root/channel expansion. …

Navigation Performance Of Line/Plane Intersection Lidar Model In Conjunction With Opportunistic Feature Tracker, Michael R. Hansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

With NASA awarding numerous contracts to build commercial lunar payload spacecraft and human lunar landers, the need for high precision navigation has increased. Traditional inertial navigation alone is not sufficient to autonomously land a vehicle on hazardous lunar terrain. Terrain relative navigation (TRN) systems have been explored in previous research that exploit camera observations of known landmarks. Such approaches require the flight electronics to correctly match features of the observed landmarks to an onboard database, in the drastically varying lighting conditions of moon. This paper explores the performance of a TRN system that does not rely on apriori landmark identification, …

Exact And Approximate Relaxation Techniques For Computational Guidance, Sheril Avikkal Kunhippurayil

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The focus of this dissertation is in the development and application of relaxation techniques that enable efficient and real-time solution of complex computational guidance problems. Relaxations transform a non-convex constraint into a convex constraint and provides proof that the optimal solutions to the relaxed problem are optimal for the original problem. Unique contributions of this work include: 1) a relaxation technique for solving fixed final time problems between fixed points, 2) a performance analysis on the application of computational guidance for the Mars Ascent Vehicle, and 3) establishment of sufficient conditions for non-singularity of optimal control for problems on a …

3d-Printed Morphing Wings For Controlling Yaw On Flying-Wing Aircraft, Benjamin C. Moulton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The flaps on an airplane wing are used to control the aircraft during flight. These flaps traditionally have at most three articulation or hinge points. Recent studies have shown improved flap efficiency using a conformal flap, which deforms following a curved shape. Much of aircraft improvement comes through increasing its efficiency during flight. This efficiency is generally improved by decreasing the drag force on the aircraft. A potential solution to decrease drag is to remove additional lifting surfaces, such as the horizontal and vertical stabilizer ubiquitous on general aviation aircraft. These additional lifting surfaces are used to trim and control …

Attitude And Reflection Parameter Estimation Of Resident Space Objects Using Ground-Based Photometry, Arun J. Bernard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There are currently thousands of objects orbiting Earth, and this number is only going to increase. Larger number of satellites will require that operators have a greater knowledge of the state their assets. Electro-optical telescopes are currently being used to observe and track many of these objects. When using these telescopes to take images of satellites, they often appear as dots in the image. Depending on the surface properties of the satellite, and its orientation at a given time, the dots in the image can appear brighter or dimmer. Photometry measurements are a quantification of how bright the object appears. …

Development Of An Anisotropic Thermal Stress Model For A Low-Erosion Hybrid Rocket Nozzle System, Judson C. Stephens

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Hybrid rockets are rockets which employ a solid fuel grain with a liquid oxidizer. Hybrids have many promising potential applications, however they also have a few drawbacks. Of interest to this research is the increased rate of nozzle erosion inherent to hybrid rockets. In order to address this issue, a low-erosion nozzle is proposed and evaluated.

Passive Cavity Deflation After Water Entry Facilitated By A Vented Tube, Emma R. Fraley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

When an object enters water, a crater, or air cavity, can form around the object and remain attached as the object travels underwater. Cavities can be beneficial and reduce drag force but there may be times when the cavity needs to be removed. This research proposes a method to remove air cavities by letting air leave the cavity, deflating the cavity similar to how a balloon is deflated. To provide air a path to leave the cavity, a tube with vent holes is attached to the object. The vent holes are located near the object, where the air cavity forms, …

Computational Fluid Dynamics Benchmark Validation Experiment Of Plenum-To-Plenum Flow Through Vertical Heated Parallel Channels, Austin W. Parker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The next generation of nuclear power plants will have higher efficiency and improved safety, among other benefits; one attractive option is the high temperature gas reactor. An ability to predict the physics that occur within the reactor under normal conditions and accident scenarios is necessary before it receives regulatory licensing for use. The flow through a high temperature gas reactor involves complex interactions of heat transfer, fluids, and solids.

One method for simulating complex fluid dynamics is called Computational Fluid Dynamics. These simulations have already been used to predict the complex fluid flows found in high temperature gas reactors. Predicting …

Sonic Boom Loudness Reduction Through Localized Supersonic Aircraft Equivalent-Area Changes, Troy A. Abraham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The NASA University Leadership Initiative (ULI) titled “Adaptive Aerostructures for Revolutionary Civil Supersonic Transportation” looks to study the feasibility of distributed structural adaptivity on a supersonic aircraft for maintaining acceptable en-route sonic boom loudness during overland flight. The ULI includes a team of industry and university partners that are working together to develop and implement the systems necessary to accomplish this goal.

The Utah State University Aerolab is a member of this ULI team and has been tasked with developing and using low-fidelity supersonic aerodynamic and sonic boom predictions tools to rapidly study the effects of localized geometry changes on …

Sensitivity And Estimation Of Aerodynamic, Propulsion, And Inertial Parameters For Rudderless Aircraft Using Simulation, Jaden W. Thurgood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A technique known as system identification is often used in aircraft design and testing to understand and validate the mathematical parameters that describe the aircrafts stability and handling characteristics. System identification can be thought of as the inverse of simulation. In the world of system identification, we have a physical system that we seek to understand in more detail by monitoring the system with an array of sensors. In short, we conduct tests of an aircraft while recording the inputs and response outputs. Then we take the input and output data and run it through an algorithm that seeks to …

Low-Fidelity Method For Rapid Aerostructural Optimisation And Design-Space Exploration Of Planar Wings, Jeffrey D. Taylor, Doug F. Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

During early phases of wing design, analytic and low-fidelity methods are often used to identify promising design concepts. In many cases, solutions obtained using these methods provide intuition about the design space that is not easily obtained using higher-fidelity methods. This is especially true for aerostructural design. However, many analytic and low-fidelity aerostructural solutions are limited in application to wings with specific planforms and weight distributions. Here, a numerical method for minimising induced drag with structural constraints is presented that uses approximations that apply to unswept planar wings with arbitrary planforms and weight distributions. The method is applied to the …

Aircraft Input Files For Pylot And Machupx, Jaden Thurgood

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This data was used in an attempt at system identification for rudderless aircraft using simulation.

Sensitivity And Estimation Of Flying-Wing Aerodynamic, Propulsion, And Inertial Parameters Using Simulation, Jaden Thurgood, Douglas F. Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

This paper explores the difficulties of aircraft system identification, specifically parameter estimation, for a rudderless aircraft. A white box method is used in conjunction with a nonlinear six degree-of-freedom aerodynamic model for the equations of motion in order to estimate 33 parameters that govern the aerodynamic, inertial, and propulsion forces within the mathematical model. The analysis is conducted in the time-domain of system identification. Additionally, all the parameters are estimated using a single flight rather than a series of shorter flights dedicated to estimating specific sets of parameters as is typically done. A final flight plan is developed with a …

Characterization Of The Common Research Model Wing For Low-Fidelity Aerostructural Analysis, Jeffrey D. Taylor, Douglas F. Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

A characterization of the Common Research Model (CRM) wing for low-fidelity aerostructural optimization is presented. The geometric and structural properties are based on the CAD geometries and finite-element models for the CRM wing and the undeflected Common Research Model Wing (uCRM). Three approximations are presented for the elastic axis from previously-published studies on wing boxes similar to the uCRM, and approximations of the flexural and torsional rigidity are presented from a previously-published study using the uCRM wing. The characterization presented in this paper is intended to be used within low-fidelity aerostructural analysis tools to facilitate rapid design optimization and exploratory …

Comparison Of Theoretical And High-Fidelity Aerostructural Solutions, Jeffrey D. Taylor, Douglas F. Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

As contemporary aerostructural research in aircraft design trends toward high-fidelity computational methods, aerostructural solutions based on theory are often neglected or forgotten. In fact, in many modern aerostructural wing optimization studies, the elliptic lift distribution is used as a benchmark in place of theoretical aerostructural solutions with more appropriate constraints. In this paper, we review several theoretical aerostructural solutions that could be used as benchmark cases for wing design studies, and we compare them to high-fidelity solutions with similar constraints. Solutions are presented for studies with 1) constraints related to the wing integrated bending moment, 2) constraints related to the …