Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Development, Analysis, And Optimization Of A Swirl-Promoting Mean Flow Solution For Solid Rocket Motors, Andrew Steven Fist

Masters Theses

This work demonstrates and analyses a new flow candidate for describing the internal gaseous motion in simulated rocket motors. The fundamental features of this solution include the conservation of key system properties also incorporated in the classic Taylor-Culick (TC) system (i.e. inviscid, axisymmetric, steady and rotational properties), while allowing for the development of a swirling velocity component. The work compares the new solution to the development and formulation of the classic TC system, ultimately identifying that both the new and classic solutions are special cases of the Bragg-Hawthorne equation. Following this development, the text then explores the development of energy-optimized …

Investigation Of Langmuir Probes In Non-Maxwellian Plasma Using Particle-In-Cell (Pic) Modeling, Densu Aktas Lister

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the development of a capability for simulating the plasma dynamics of Langmuir probes (LP) in complex plasmas where the velocity distributions are non-equilibrium and the electron energy spectrum is non-Maxwellian with respect to laboratory and space experiments. The results of this investigation are interpreted to give recommendations for design and use of LPs. This work is conducted using computational techniques to create the exact plasma conditions of the experimental testing environments. The investigations address the following topics:

• development of a technique to model non-Maxwellian physics,
• modification of a baseline-technique and optimization of it for this application,
• creation …

Improving Ventricular Catheter Design Through Computational Fluid Dynamics, Sofy Hefets Weisenberg

Masters Theses

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunts are fully implantable medical devices that are used to treat patients suffering from conditions characterized by elevated intracranial pressure, such as hydrocephalus. In cases of shunt failure or malfunction, patients are often required to endure one or more revision surgeries to replace all or part of the shunt. One of the primary causes of CSF shunt failure is obstruction of the ventricular catheter, a component of the shunt system implanted directly into the brain's ventricular system. This work aims to improve the design of ventricular catheters in order to reduce the incidence of catheter obstruction and …