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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 …


An Experiment On Integrated Thermal Management Using Metallic Foam, Derek M. Geiger May 2009

An Experiment On Integrated Thermal Management Using Metallic Foam, Derek M. Geiger

Master's Theses

This report details an approach to using metal foam heat exchangers inside an integrated thermal management system on a variable cycle engine. The propulsion system of interest is a variable cycle engine with an auxiliary, variable flow rate fan. The feasibility of utilizing an open-celled metallic foam heat exchanger in the ducting between the constant and variable-fans on this variable cycle engine to cool the avionics was explored using an experimental approach. Two heat exchangers, 6.3 inch width by 6.3 inch length by 0.5 inch thickness, were constructed from 20 and 40 pores per inch (PPI) metal foam and tested. …


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 …