Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Mechanical Engineering Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Rayleigh Flow Of Two-Phase Nitrous Oxide As A Hybrid Rocket Nozzle Coolant, Lauren May Nelson Sep 2009

Rayleigh Flow Of Two-Phase Nitrous Oxide As A Hybrid Rocket Nozzle Coolant, Lauren May Nelson

Master's Theses

The Mechanical Engineering Department at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo currently maintains a lab-scale hybrid rocket motor for which nitrous oxide is utilized as the oxidizer in the combustion system. Because of its availability, the same two-phase (gas and liquid) nitrous oxide that is used in the combustion system is also routed around the throat of the hybrid rocket’s converging-diverging nozzle as a coolant. While this coolant system has proven effective empirically in previous tests, the physics behind the flow of the two-phase mixture is largely unexplained. This thesis provides a method for predicting some of its …


A System For Measuring The Lift And Drag Forces Of A Spinning Golf Ball Held Fixed Within A Wind Tunnel, Ryan R. Miller Feb 2009

A System For Measuring The Lift And Drag Forces Of A Spinning Golf Ball Held Fixed Within A Wind Tunnel, Ryan R. Miller

Master's Theses

A system was designed, built and tested in order to test the aerodynamic properties of a standard golf ball in a wind tunnel manufactured by ELD, Inc. model 406(B). The system consists of a rotating shaft, on which the golf ball is attached, connected to a two-axis force transducer. Additionally, an automated data acquisition system was built for enhanced precision of measurements. Data for wind speeds up to 160 ft/s and rotational speeds up to 8,600 rpm were obtained and analyzed. The purpose of the designed apparatus was to allow for studies to better understand the lift and drag coefficients …


A Drag Estimate For Concept-Stage Ship Design Optimization, Douglas Read Jan 2009

A Drag Estimate For Concept-Stage Ship Design Optimization, Douglas Read

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the initial phases of ship design, the naval architect would like to have as much information as possible about the design space. This information not only helps determine a good set of initial characteristics, it allows for informed design changes when reacting to evolving requirements. One of the most difficult performance measures to evaluate is the ship wave drag. This estimate is important in an optimization, because wetted surface and wave drag must be balanced. Multi-parameter optimization algorithms exist, but need a very fast and inexpensive fitness evaluation for them to be effective. Even though linear theory does capture …