Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Classification Of Electrical Current Used In Electroplastic Forming, Tyler Grimm

All Dissertations

Electrically assisted manufacturing (EAM) is the direct application of an electric current to a workpiece during manufacturing. This advanced manufacturing process has been shown to produce anomalous effects which extend beyond the current state of modeling of thermal influences. These purported non-thermal effects have collectively been termed electroplastic effects (EPEs).

While there is a distinct difference in results between steady-state (ideal DC) testing and pulsed current testing, the very definition of these two EAM methods has not been well established. A "long" pulse may be considered DC current; a "short" pulse may produce electroplastic effects; and even "steady-state" current shapes …

Low-Erosion Nozzle Materials For Long-Duration Hybrid Rocket Burns, Russell S. Babb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Hybrid rocket systems, which employ a solid fuel grain and a liquid oxidizer, are a low-cost and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional rocket systems. However, hybrid rockets suffer from an increased nozzle throat erosion rate, which impacts motor performance and reliability. To address this issue several materials and low-erosion nozzle configurations were tested. The results of the testing campaign produced a nozzle that reduce the throat erosion rate five-fold.

Augmented State Linear Covariance Applications For Nonlinear Missile Engagements, Jeffrey Scott Clawson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Sustained actuator saturation is a common occurrence for missile engagements. The saturation nonlinearity creates some difficulty for high-fidelity linear analysis methods. This dissertation investigates three methods of modeling actuator saturation in an advanced linear analysis. The linear covariance tools from this dissertation run extremely fast and provide several advantages over other linear missile engagement analysis methods. First, a simulation is developed and validated for a target engagement scenario without actuator saturation. Next, saturations are introduced to the problem, along with the first analysis method: statistical linear covariance analysis. This method combines the augmented state linear covariance framework with the statistical …

Aerodynamic Implications Of A Bio‐Inspired Rotating Empennage Design For Control Of A Fighter Aircraft, Christian R. Bolander

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation presents an analysis of the aerodynamics for an aircraft using a novel, bio-inspired control system. The control system is a rotating tail, that is inspired by the way in which birds use their tail to control their flight. An aerodynamic model for a baseline aircraft and a bio-inspired variant are created by referencing well-known relationships for the aerodynamics of flight, which are then used to analyze the available flight envelope at which each aircraft can reach two different equilibrium states. An analysis of the total aerodynamic control authority of each aircraft is also included along with a preliminary …

High Efficiency Angles-Only Space-Based Approaches For Geosynchronous Orbit Catalog Maintenance With Sparse Information, Louis M. Tonc

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The thesis of this dissertation proposes a novel filter algorithm to improve tracking and catalog maintenance of uncooperative satellites and other Resident Space Objects (RSOs) in Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit (GEO). Tracking can be supported by space-based tracking from observer satellites (OBSs). Practical limitations can lead to long time gaps between measurement updates when tracking RSOs from an OBS, which may induce a loss of fidelity or divergence of the estimation algorithm. The Extended Kalman filter (EKF) is commonly used for tracking RSOs but it diverges as a consequence of nonlinearity in the dynamics and nonlinearity in the optical measurements from …

Solar Sailing Adaptive Control Using Integral Concurrent Learning For Solar Flux Estimation, Luis Mendoza Zambrano

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

In the interest of exploiting natural forces for propellant-less spacecraft missions, this thesis proposes an adaptive control strategy to account for unknown parameters in the dynamic modeling of a reflectivity-controlled solar sail spacecraft. A Lyapunov-based control law along with integral concurrent learning is suggested to accomplish and prove global exponential tracking of the estimated parameters and states of interest, without satisfying the common persistence of excitation condition, which in most nonlinear systems cannot be guaranteed a priori. This involves estimating the solar flux or irradiance from the Sun to account for uncertainty and variation over time in this value. To …

Superfly Amphibian, Devonte Andrews, Ahmed Hamza, Kwesi Onumah, Eva Sanchez

Senior Design Project For Engineers

Following a Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) mission profile, this seaplane is designed to carry 19 passengers and 1 flight crew with a range of 200 nautical miles. The seaplane is equipped with two turbo-prop engines and is economically comparable to current seaplanes in terms of servicing and operating expenses. The aircraft is capable of operating in remote locations with limited infrastructure due to its STOL abilities, allowing for increased access to difficult-to-reach areas. The seaplane's design incorporates modern materials and technologies to enhance efficiency, safety, and comfort for passengers and crew. The aircraft's versatility and cost-effectiveness make it an …

Servo Mounting Device And Collective Control System Design For The Forward Flight Aero Test Stand, Aaron Jones

NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium

The majority of the ten-week internship was spent designing a servo mounting device, and a collective control system for the Forward Flight Aero Test (FFAT) stand. The servo mounting device uses four threaded standoffs along with a top plate, held together with screws, that raises the servos above the protruding threaded rods and screws. The collective control system is a rectangular block that attaches the swashplate to the servo arms connected to the servo motor. This control rod is used to translate the rotation from the servo arm into collective control for the blade angle. The control rod has two …

An Introductory Investigation Of Dust Devils On Mars: Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling, Alexios Nicolas Philippou, Kakkattukuzhy M. Issac

NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium

This report investigates the flow characteristics of tornado like vortices which can be used to describe an array of axisymmetric rotating vertical columns of fluid such as dust devils, steam devils and tornadoes. These vortices have been recreated within vortex chambers in research facilities, but in focus of this report the investigation is conducted through numerical simulations using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software package provided by ANSYS. By varying the main governing nondimensional parameter of swirl ratio through the computational domain’s boundary conditions, different flow characteristics appear which confirm theories presented in previous papers. This enables the research conducted …

Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project: April 2023 Status Report, Jill Schmidt

NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium

This report details the progress of the Missouri S&T Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project as of April 2023 and the future work the team will complete throughout the remainder of 2023 and 2024. This project began in January 2023, and students have been completing preliminary training activities, so they are prepared to begin assembling and testing the eclipse payloads during summer 2023. Throughout the summer, all team members will be actively engaged in this research project and participating in outreach events related to high altitude ballooning.

Modeling And Simulation Of An Electrostatic Lunar Particle Sieve, Aaron Berkhoff

NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium

The following research was conducted to develop a kinetic particle model, which simulates an electromagnetic sieve used for in-situ material utilization on the lunar surface. A code package was developed to simulate an electromagnetic sieve that uses electrodes to transport fine particles within a cylindrical device. Specifically, this research generates an initial working model for the sieve and tests different electrode configurations. The simulation models different electric fields generated by electrodes, kinetic particle dynamics, and lunar particle distribution. During the case study, which investigates different electrode configurations, it was determined that electrodes oriented such that electrodes located above and below …

High Pressure Injection Process For Ceramic Composites, Samuel Weiler

NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium

Ceramic materials are valued for good heat resistance and corrosion resistance. Due to these benefits, they are widely used in the aviation, automotive, medical, construction, and other industries. Ceramic materials are also both hard and brittle, qualities that are not ideal in many applications. To reduce brittleness, and other undesirable characteristics of ceramics, engineers have turned to composites to increase the mechanical properties of these materials. By adding composite particles or fibers, these characteristics can be improved. Constructing ceramic composites is not without its challenges, however. Current processes are prone to high porosity, high shrinkage, and poor accuracy of parts. …

Performance Evaluation Of Additively Manufactured Carbon/Peek Composites, Matik S. Heskin

NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium

Carbon/PEEK composites have a broad range of applications due to their combinations of superior creep properties and excellent strength to weight ratios. Like all fiber-based composites they are limited geometrically by their required manufacturing processes. Additively manufactured (AM) materials overcome this issue and can be formed into incredibly complex shapes. By combining these two fields, a material limited in application by geometry can have its shortcomings supported with AM processes.

AM carbon/PEEK composites have already been created but this relatively new material still needs property characterization. Therefore, the objective of this work will be to evaluate the structural performance of …

From Land Grant To Space Grant, Mohammad Dehghani

NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Injection Molded Abs Using Conventional Steel And Novel Composite-Based Additively Manufactured Mold Plates, John Mitchell

NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium

Polymer injection molding processes have been used for over 100 years to create high-volume parts quickly and efficiently. Injection molding uses mold plates that are traditionally made of very hard tool steels, such as P20 steel, which is extremely heavy and has very long lead times to build new molds. In this study, composite-based additive manufacturing (CBAM) was used to create mold plates using long-fiber carbon fiber and polyether ether ketone (PEEK). These mold plates were installed in an injection molding machine, and rectangular flat plates were produced using Lustran 348 acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Tensile testing was performed on …

Multi-Disciplinary Analysis Surrogate Based On Twin-Generator Generative Adversarial Networks For Electric Drone, Samuel Sisk

NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium

Multi-Disciplinary Analysis and Optimization (MDAO) plays an important role in the future of aviation, especially relating to Urban Air Mobility (UAM). MDAO for UAM effectively quantifies and maximizes system performance and safety while minimizing cost or consumption. Electric drone takeoff trajectory design aims to minimize energy consumption while fulfilling acceleration and other constraints to keep passengers comfortable. Conventional simulation-based MDAO is computationally expensive due to repeatedly evaluating physics-based models while naïvely constructing machine learning predictive models, also known as surrogate models, do not scale well with large-scale problems due to the “curse of dimensionality”. A twin-generator generative adversarial networks (Twin-GAN) …

Progress In Optimization Of Electrostatic Sieve Concept For Transport Of Lunar Regolith Using A Genetic Algorithm, Easton Ingram

NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium

A method for optimizing electrostatic dust transport systems using a genetic algorithm is in development. Applications to electrostatic sieving are discussed for use on the lunar surface. This simulation will allow for rapid development, testing, and optimization of electrostatic particle transport designs with large search spaces. Current progress and ongoing work for the simulation is reviewed.

Lunar In-Situ Aluminum Production Through Molten Salt Electrolysis (Lisap-Mse), Jacob Ortega, Jeffrey D. Smith, Fateme Rezaei, David Bayless, William P. Schonberg, Daniel S. Stutts, Daoru Frank Han

NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium

The goal of Artemis is to establish a sustained presence on the Moon. To achieve so, numerous resources are necessary. The Moon contains several essential elements needed to sustain human presence. Most of those elements are trapped in the form of minerals. To refine those minerals into useful materials, reduction methods are needed. Most reduction methods on Earth require large amounts of mass and power which is unrealistic for early stages of building a lunar base. To solve this problem, we are developing a concept of Lunar In-Situ Aluminum Production through Molten Salt Electrolysis (LISAP-MSE).

The LISAP-MSE project, if successful, …

Supersonic Wind Tunnel Improvement For Advanced Laser-Based Non-Intrusive Diagnostics, Joshua Gary

NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium

This work presents an approach to the design, and theoretical application, of a new test section for the Missouri S&T Supersonic Wind Tunnel to be used with advanced laserbased non-intrusive diagnostics. Supersonic wind tunnel test sections present multiple challenges. They need to ensure proper flow by avoiding jet-flow interactions and ensuring started conditions; they need to withstand large pressure loads in the case of tunnel unstart; they need to provide easy optical access for advanced diagnostics; they need to be modular and adaptable for different experiments. This work presents detailed analytical and numerical analyses of the mechanical loads. Based on …

Effects Of Tempering Temperature On Gas Turbine Fan Cases, Seth Utter

Honors Scholar Theses

The project aimed to investigate the effects of tempering temperature on metals used for gas turbine engine fan cases as a major relevant concern is containing blades in during blade-out events. There are three ways to accomplish this: using a thicker metal, incorporating different materials into the case, or heat treating the metal. This project focused on the third solution: reviewing the impact toughness and hardness of fractured samples and their equivalent ductile-to-brittle transition shear faces. Given its availability, 1045 steel, as opposed to aerospace grade metals, was used for in-house testing. The data obtained from these experiments were then …