Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

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 …

Sealion Cubesat Mission Architecture Using Model Based Systems Engineering With A Docs As Code Approach, Kevin Yi-Tzu Chiu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

CubeSats are a growing population within the space industry. Every year, universities launch numerous amounts of CubeSats due to their inexpensive cost of development, launch, and deployment. However, this comes with numerous challenges. As the number of university-CubeSats grow, so too do the numbers that fail. With development teams consisting mainly of students with little to no training, proper and yet easy to use tools or methods should be implemented to help ensure mission success. Especially in the critical stages of planning before and during development, a technical approach to quickly track life cycle development of a CubeSat is needed. …

2023 Spring Graduate Recognition Program, Propulsion Research Center, Robert Frederick

PRC Graduate Recognition

This program includes the graduate recognition program for spring 2023. Includes photographs, upcoming events, recent publications, and student profiles.

Accident Investigation On In-Flight Loss Of Control Due To Configuration Change On Piper Arrow, Basilio Caruso

Theses and Dissertations

Between 2012 and 2021, NTSB has identified over 2200 accidents due to loss of control. The majority of which happened while flying in the pattern. The most challenging phase of a flight is the take-off and landing. During these phases, the pilot initiates a change of configuration of the airplane by lowering or retracting the flaps. Lowering the flaps slows down the plane and increases the lift of the wing but also changes the longitudinal free response of the aircraft. The pitch changes of the plane require the pilot to promptly compensate to keep straight and level flight and avoid …

Flight Test Evaluation Of The B-1b Lancer For The Heavy Bomber Mission, Robert William Gates

Theses and Dissertations

Copyright held by author

Smartphone Video Guidance Sensor In High-Altitude Uav Precision Landing, Joao Leonardo Silva Cotta

Theses and Dissertations

The Smartphone Video Guidance Sensor (SVGS) is an emerging technology developed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center that uses a vision-based approach to accurately estimate the six-state position and orientation vectors of an illuminated target of known dimensions with respect to a coordinate frame fixed to the camera. SVGS is a software-based sensor that can be deployed using a host platform’s resources (CPU and camera) for proximity operations and formation flight of drones or spacecraft. The SVGS output is calculated based on photogrammetric analysis of the light blobs in each image; its accuracy in linear and angular motion at different …

Electrochemical Investigation Of Copperzirconium Based Metallic Glass Cu₅₁Zr₃₀Hf₁₄Ag₅, Tamim Mohammad Ahmad

Theses

This thesis is concerned with the electrochemical investigation of the copper-zirconium

based metallic glass Cu₅₁Zr₃₀Hf₁₄Ag₅. Studying the corrosion behavior of the novel melt-spun metallic glass ribbons contributes to further research on the possibility of building future bio-implants. The objectives of this thesis are to synthesize the metallic glass ribbons which are free from cytotoxic elements using melt spinning technique, verify their amorphous nature using X-ray diffraction method, study the corrosion behavior using Potentiodynamic polarization and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy in different acidic, neutral and basic solutions, and finally examine the surface morphology of …

Heat Transfer In Microchannel Compact Heat Exchanger, Mohammed Al-Khateri

Theses

This study aims to investigate heat transfer in a miniaturized channel heat exchanger and effectiveness for given real-life design. The main objective of the study is to develop and build a high-performance heat exchanger for thermal management in automotive application using typical radiator manufacturing techniques. This research uses experimental and model-based investigation. It conceptualizes the Miniaturized Channel Heat Exchangers (MCHX) model-based study for demonstrating the design of miniaturized channel heat exchangers, manufacture, and study the heat exchanger effectiveness by validating the developed mathematical model experimentally. The proposed design of the MCHX is to use extruded tubes containing miniaturized channels as …

Mathematical Modeling: Finite Element Analysis And Computations Arising In Fluid Dynamics And Biological Applications, Jorge Reyes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

It is often the case when attempting to capture real word phenomena that the resulting mathematical model is too difficult and even not feasible to be solved analytically. As a result, a computational approach is required and there exists many different methods to numerically solve models described by systems of partial differential equations. The Finite Element Method is one of them and it was pursued herein.This dissertation focuses on the finite element analysis and corresponding numerical computations of several different models. The first part consists of a study on two different fluid flow models: the main governing model of fluid …

Simulating Condensation In The Theory Of Classical Nucleation, David Vallet

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The scope of this thesis is to numerically investigate condensation that occurs in transonic and supersonic flows. Condensation shocks are a phenomenon that occurs within converging-diverging nozzles. There are many applications forconverging-diverging nozzles, such as thermovapour compressors (TVC), which are largely used for desalination. As water resources become more precious within the western United States there is a need to develop cost effective solutions for cleaning water. Steam generator power stations are another application where enhanced simulations and accuracy of design could improve efficiency and save on carbon emissions. Traditionally, numerical designs of transonic flows have been conducted with either …

A Study To Determine Performance Characteristics Of The Mississippi Cowling - Piper Archer Vs. Piper Warrior, Zilvinas Visockas

Theses and Dissertations

Today, aviation is one of the most technologically advanced and innovative sectors in the world. With fast-depleting natural resources, increasing environmental pollution, and continuous growth in fuel cost, efficiency has become industry’s top priority. Engineers are making gradual improvements that offer overall increase in aircraft’s performance. Drag is critical factor in aviation as it directly impacts aircraft’s fuel efficiency, range, and speed. During the design phase, engineers invest significant effort and expense in attempting to minimize the drag profile by implementing aerodynamic shapes and constantly reducing component weights. One of the real-life examples of such engineering attempts is Piper Archer, …

Climb Performance Testing Of The Pa-28-180 Utilizing Saw-Tooth Method And Level Acceleration Method, Paige Elizabeth Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis details the test methods, data reduction methods, and flight data analysis conducted in the climb performance evaluation of the PA-28-180 “Piper Arrow.” The main objective of this thesis was to quantitatively compare the climb performance requirements detailed in the former regulation, CAR 3.85a to the current regulation, 14 CFR 23.2120, utilizing Saw-Tooth steady climb method conducted at various airspeeds. The report also evaluates the Level Acceleration method at reciprocating headings, and qualitatively assesses the usefulness of testing multiple headings on a general aviation aircraft at multiple altitudes. The Saw-Tooth Climb and Level Acceleration flights were conducted on January …

Modeling Of Turbulent Flow In Pipe Systems With Compound Bends, Stella Smithe

Theses and Dissertations

A practical CFD k-epsilon realizable model is applied to four pipe systems with various 90° bend configurations to examine velocity profile evolution and total pressure losses within the pipe systems. The pipe systems compared are a configuration with a single 90° L-bend, as well as three additional pipe configurations composed of dual 90° bends, all with total length x/D=16.7. The dual bend configurations studied are: a 180° turning U-bend, a 0° total turning S-bend, and a dual 90° out-of-plane, compound C-bend. The CFD model was benchmarked against experimental data from a straight pipe and a pipe configuration with a single …

Rendezvous And Proximity Operations In Cis-Lunar Space, Khalid Jebari

Theses and Dissertations

As interest in Moon exploration grows and efforts to establish an orbiting outpost intensify, accurate modeling of spacecraft dynamics in cis-lunar space is becoming increasingly important. Contrary to satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) where it takes around 5 ms to communicate back and forth with a ground station, in the Moon’s orbit it can take up to 2.4 seconds to do so. This delay in communication can make the difference between a successful docking and a catastrophic collision for a remotely controlled satellite. Moreover, due to the unstable nature of trajectories in cis-lunar space, it is necessary to design …

Trajectory Energy Management For Ectol: Examination Of Battery Discharge Under Two Flight Profiles, Denner Campos Cunha

Theses and Dissertations

The expanding industry of electric airplanes presents a significant regulatory challenge for aviation authorities worldwide. The first step towards achieving a precise Trajectory Energy Management (TEM) is to understand how the powertrain behaves during the operation. Therefore, this work examined the battery performance of an eCTOL, the Pipistrel Velis Electro, under two different prescribed flight profiles and take-off weights. Flight 1, a destination trip profile, was conducted with a gross weight of 1146 lbs and a constant power setting of 22 kW during the cruise segment, while Flight 2, a local training flight profile, was conducted with a gross weight …

Characterizing Energy Dissipation Of Shallow-Water Wave Breaking In A Storm Surge, Hunter Boswell, Guirong Grace Yan, Wouter Mostert

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

While understanding breaking waves is crucial for the development of parametrizations used in ocean wave modeling for both deep and shallow water, the complete process of wave breaking is not well understood. Here we present direct numerical simulations of two-dimensional solitary waves that shoal and break on a uniform beach in shallow water, with the presence of storm surge represented by an inshore region. The storm surge depth, beach slope, and wave amplitude are varied to study the dependence of energy dissipation in the breaker on wave and bathymetric parameters. We classify wave breaker types and find a separation between …

Fusion Bonding Behavior Of 3d Printed Pa6/Cf Composites Via Post Fabrication Compaction, Gonzalo Fernandez Mediavilla

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Additive manufacturing (AM) is becoming a robust production technology for aerospace, healthcare, and construction industries among others. Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) is one of the methods most used to 3D print products. FDM has limitation due to interlayer adhesion and restriction imposed by the printing direction. Specially with AM composites, as reinforced nylon PA6 with short fibers, parts show more strength along the direction of the filament due to the alignment of the carbon fibers, but weaker in other directions. The proposed method to solve this issue is to print parts separately and join them together by fusion bonding. PA6/CF …

Determining Performance Characteristics From The Mississippi Cowling - Piper Warrior Vs. Piper Archer, Soufiane Ait Yahia

Theses and Dissertations

Today, Piper is one of the most used aircraft in the general aviation sector. The history of Piper Aircraft has been the subject of numerous books and research projects with over 80 years of aviation industry leadership. For aviation fanatics, the Cherokee is synonymous with Piper Aircraft Corporation. The Piper PA-28 Cherokee is a family of two-seat or four-seat light aircraft built for air taxi, flight training, and personal use. The original Piper Cherokees PA-28- 150 and PA-28-160 received their type certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration back in 1960 and the series remains in production to this day. Multiple …

The Effect Of Biodiesel Blend Composition On Jet Aircraft Airframe Fuel System Components & Materials, Elise Aurora Medhus

Theses and Dissertations

In the aviation industry, biodiesel is a clean-burning alternative to petroleum-based jet fuel and has been shown to reduce particle emissions from aircraft engines. This thesis studies the impact of biodiesel on aircraft airframe fuel system components & materials with corrosion-resistant surface treatments. The goal is to identify areas for optimization to increase the use of higher blends in jet aircraft engines to further reduce emissions. The work performed involved testing the corrosion resistance of several aluminum samples, steel samples, and non-metallic materials in numerous biodiesel blends ranging from B05 to B100. The testing method used was the Assessment of …

Study Of Different Heat Treatments And Aging Conditions For Observing Microstructures And Mechanical Properties Of Lpbf Fabricated F357 Alloy, Victor Adrian Medrano Balderas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Aluminum F357 is a widely used material for casting in the aerospace and additive manufacturing industry. Heat treatments are commonly applied to some aluminum alloys to modify their properties. With a further study on the aging and performance of the F357 with 3D printing technology, several industries benefit from this; military, automotive, and aerospace are some examples because of the numerous components cast in service. This work presents the mechanical properties of F357 specimens fabricated with EOS technology and subjected to heat treatments. Heat treatment conditions were applied to tensile specimens and tested. Furthermore, the specimens were subjected to artificial …