Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Efficacy, Durability And Design Of A Bucket Wheel Excavator For Icy Lunar Regolith, Austin Lohsandt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research project focused on the design and testing of a prototype bucket wheel excavator developed for NASA's Break the Ice Lunar Challenge, which sought innovative ideas for lunar excavation. Several attempts have been made by other universities and private industries to create systems that can successfully excavate simulated frozen regolith, however, few have been successful. The chosen excavation technology employed a bucket wheel concept inspired by large open-pit mining machines, modified to incorporate grinding nubs for pulverizing lunar simulant material. The goals included proving the viability of a bucket wheel excavator for lunar excavation, exploring grinding nubs, conducting durability …

Air Traffic Management Principles: A Case Study On How To Create A Sustainable System, Eva Maleviti

Publications

BEYOND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

• Emissions, SAF, CORSIA, Design
• Economic growth and development
• Sustainability should go beyond environment
• Non-technology approaches for sustainability and Net-Zero targets
• What about social sustainability and people?

In the total share of aviation emissions (1GT CO2) 3% is 3Mt CO2. Small share but very significant contribution.

Fostering Safer Evacuations Aboard Commercial Aircraft: A Problem-Solution Analysis, George Skinner

Student Works

This problem-solution analysis analyzes factors impeding safe and orderly evacuations for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Although rarely used, evacuation procedures are critical for keeping passengers safe during emergency situations. However, there are flaws in these procedures and many factors exist which make aircraft evacuations slow and dangerous. During a situation in which time is of the essence, these impediments can make the difference between an incident and a fatal accident. This report focuses on data gathered through full-scale evacuation simulations and analyzes shortcomings and strengths in three accidents. This information is then compared to current procedures and regulations that …

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

Student Works

In the interest of exploiting natural forces for propellant-less spacecraft missions, this investigation 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 …

Experimental Validation Of Inertia Parameters And Attitude Estimation Of Uncooperative Space Targets Using Solid State Lidar, Alessia Nocerino, Roberto Opromolla, Giancarmine Fasano, Michele Grassi, Spencer John, Hancheol Cho, Riccardo Bevilacqua

Student Works

This paper presents an experimental activity aimed at assessing performance of techniques for inertia and attitude parameters estimation of an uncooperative but known space target. The adopted experimental set-up includes a scaled-down 3D printed satellite mock-up, a spherical air bearing and a low-cost solid-state LIDAR. The experimental facility also comprises a motion capture system to obtain a benchmark of the pose (position and attitude) parameters and an ad-hoc designed passive balancing system to keep the centre of mass as close as possible to the centre of rotation. The LIDAR-based 3D point clouds, collected while the target rotates on the spherical …

Distributed Optimization For Rank-Constrained Semidefinite Programs, Chaoying Pei, Sixiong You, Chuangchuang Sun, Ran Dai

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This letter develops a distributed optimization framework for solving the rank-constrained semidefinite programs (RCSPs). Since the rank constraint is non-convex and discontinuous, solving an optimization problem with rank constraints is NP-hard and notoriously time-consuming, especially for large-scale RCSPs. In the proposed approach, by decomposing an unknown matrix into a set of submatrices with much smaller sizes, the rank constraint on the original matrix is equivalently transformed into a set of constraints on the decomposed submatrices. The distributed framework allows parallel computation of subproblems while requiring coordination among them to satisfy the coupled constraints. As the scale of every subproblem solved …

Convolutional-Neural-Network-Based Des-Level Aerodynamic Flow Field Generation From Urans Data, John P. Romano, Oktay Baysal, Alec C. Brodeur

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The present paper culminates several investigations into the use of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) as a post-processing step to improve the accuracy of unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) simulations for subsonic flows over airfoils at low angles of attack. Time-averaged detached eddy simulation (DES)-generated flow fields serve as the target data for creating and training CNN models. CNN post-processing generates flow-field data comparable to DES resolution, but after using only URANS-level resources and properly training CNN models. This document outlines the underlying theory and progress toward the goal of improving URANS simulations by looking at flow predictions for a class of …

Flight Software Development For A University-Class Microsatellite Mission, Yumeka Nagano

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this research is to present the software development process used by the Command and Data Handling (C&DH) subsystem as a part of a microsatellite mission underway at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. The mission's objective is to evaluate the performance of an innovative cold gas propulsion system for use in formation flying applications and the incorporation of a stereoscopic imaging sensor used to measure the satellite pair's relative position and velocity vectors in real time. C&DH uses a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B as the flight computer running a Linux environment, and the flight code …

Implementing Effective University - Level Small Satellite Assembly, Integration, And Testing Procedures, Tyler Patrick Hoover

Masters Theses

"As applications for satellite assets grow within government and commercial spheres, demand for aerospace engineers and related technicians has pushed universities to develop graduates with relevant knowledge in the field. As such, universities began to grow university satellite programs to give members hands-on experience and a background of working on satellite systems before entering the workforce.

The M-SAT team at Missouri University of Science and Technology, along with contributions and assistance from the Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA, are progressing their first satellite mission through assembly, integration, and testing (AIT) development. This document serves to give a background into …

Numerical Study Of The Time-Periodic Electroosmotic Flow Of Viscoelastic Fluid Through A Short Constriction Microchannel, Jianyu Ji, Shizhi Qian, Armani Marie Parker, Xiaoyu Zhang

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Electroosmotic flow (EOF) is of utmost significance due to its numerous practical uses in controlling flow at micro/nanoscales. In the present study, the time-periodic EOF of a viscoelastic fluid is statistically analyzed using a short 10:1 constriction microfluidic channel joining two reservoirs on either side. The flow is modeled using the Oldroyd-B (OB) model and the Poisson-Boltzmann model. The EOF of a highly concentrated polyacrylamide (PAA) aqueous solution is investigated under the combined effects of an alternating current (AC) electric field and a direct current (DC) electric field. Power-law degradation is visible in the energy spectra of the velocity fluctuations …

A Numerical Analysis Of Shock Angles From Inward Turning Axisymmetric Flows, William L. Hilal

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Detonation-based propulsion systems are known for their high efficiency and energy release when compared to deflagrative systems, making them an ideal candidate in hypersonic propulsion applications. One such engine is the Oblique Detonation Wave (ODW) engine, which has a similar architecture to traditional scramjets but shortens the combustor and isolator to an anchored ODW after fuel injection.

Previous research has focused on using a two-dimensional wedge to induce an ODW while limiting total losses through the combustor. In this configuration, a two-dimensional wedge-based architecture entails a rectangular duct, limiting potential inlet design and increasing overall skin friction. However, an inward-turning …

An Optimization Study Of Small-Scale Propeller Blade, Fahad M. Nabid

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This research paper aims to investigate the optimization of smaller propeller blades to achieve maximum efficiency by studying the effect of the twist angle on reducing drag, increasing thrust, and preventing rapid wear on the blade. Inefficient propellers consume a significant amount of energy, particularly during low-speed flights. The low Reynolds number regime challenges aviation engineers to design propellers with the highest possible efficiency to minimize energy losses. The primary objective of this thesis is to optimize smaller propeller blade shapes to enable them to produce maximum efficiency. The advanced ratio of a propeller blade heavily influences the blade's performance …

Hypersonic Scramjet Inlet Development For Variable Mach Number Flows, Zachary P. White

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Hypersonic propulsion has become an increasingly important research field over the past fifty years, and subsequent interest in propulsion systems utilizing supersonic combustion has emerged. Air-breathing engines are desirable for such applications as hypersonic flight vehicles would not need to carry an oxidizer. Therefore, hypersonic air-breathing propulsion systems require an inlet with high mass capture and compressive efficiency. The present work seeks to outline the development and validation of a novel design tool for producing air inlet designs for hypersonic vehicles at variable flight conditions. A Busemann inlet was chosen for its high compressive efficiency, geometric flexibility, and existing experimental …

The Development Of Computational Models For Melting-Solidification Applications Using The Volume-Of-Fluid Method, Brendon Cavainolo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Fluids-related issues in the Aerospace industry are often multiphase in scope. Numerical modeling, such as computational fluid dynamics, is used to describe these problems, as they are difficult or impossible to describe analytically. This research uses computational fluid dynamics to describe multiphase problems related to melting-solidification and particle impingement. Firstly, a numerical model was established that uses the Volume-of-Fluid method to resolve a melting/solidifying particle. This model was verified against experiments and simplified analytical models, and a mesh independence study was done to ensure the results were independent of the mesh sizing. Next, the model was applied to two separate …

A Computational Fluid Dynamic Analysis Of Oxyacetylene Combustion Flow For Use In Material Response Boundary Conditions, Craig Meade

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Oxyacetylene torches are used in the aerospace industry and research to test thermal protection system materials (TPS) due to their high flame temperatures and high heat flux capabilities. The purpose of this work is to determine a combustion model to accurately simulate the high temperature flow of an oxyacetylene torch. The flow conditions around a sample material can then be used as boundary conditions when modeling TPS material response. Two separate combustion models with equilibrium chemistry were investigated using ANSYS Fluent™; the Eddy-Dissipation Model, and the Partially Premixed model.The results of this study are compared to existing experiments for validation.

Stratospheric Glider Measurements Of Atmospheric Parameters, Anisa Haghighi

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

In June 2021 a series of high altitude flights were conducted in Spaceport America, NM, using a balloon launched Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) to assess its capability to conduct measurements of various atmospheric properties and study turbulence in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. This UAS descends using an automated flight trajectory. The instruments aboard included a NASA-developed infrasonic microphone to evaluate its remote turbulence detection capabilities and a five-hole probe capable of measuring the in situ wind vector. Also on board were temperature, humidity and wind profile sensors. This document focuses on the atmospheric properties measured at high altitudes, the …

Impact Of Spallation And Internal Radiation On Fibrous Ablative Materials, Raghava Sai Chaitanya Davuluri

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Space vehicles are equipped with Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) that encounter high heat rates and protect the payload while entering a planetary atmosphere. For most missions that interest NASA, ablative materials are used as TPS. These materials undergo several mass and energy transfer mechanisms to absorb intense heat. The size and construction of the TPS are based on the composition of the planetary atmosphere and the impact of various ablative mechanisms on the flow field and the material. Therefore, it is essential to quantify the rates of different ablative phenomena to model TPS accurately. In this work, the impact of …

Precision Meteorological Prediction Employing A Data-Driven, Adaptive, Real-Time (Dart) Approach, Sujit Sinha

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The objective of this research is to improve precision meteorological prediction, benefiting both uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) operations by avoiding hazardous flight conditions and tracking contaminant or toxic clouds caused by incidents, accidents, or fires. The operational concept is to collect meteorological observations from instruments mounted on a swarm of UAVs, telemeter the data to a weather simulation model, revise the predicted solution by adapting the flow field to the observations, and then transmit the updated forecast to appropriate personnel as well as to the guidance system of UAVs for repositioning to the next set of most beneficial measurements. While …

Detonability Of A Rotating Detonation Combustor Seeded With Carbon/Hydrocarbon Particles At Fringe Operating Conditions, Matthew Hopwood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The Rotating Detonation Combustor (RDC) has, in recent years, been a subject of great interest in the pressure-gain combustion research community. Researchers have been investigating the RDC as a potential improvement over current combustors in today's turbomachinery-based power generation systems. With the theoretical efficiency boost that detonations provide over deflagrating combustors, RDCs have the promise to be a next step in fuel/cost savings in the power generation industry. One mode of research to push an RDCs capabilities is the potential use of combustible carbon/hydrocarbon solid particles in addition to liquid or gaseous fuels. These particles are a source of high …

Heat Release And Flame Scale Effects On Turbulence Dynamics In Confined Premixed Flows, Max Fortin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

As industry transitions to a net-zero carbon future, turbulent premixed combustion will remain an integral process for power generating gas turbines and are also desired for aviation engines due to their ability to minimize pollutant emissions. However, accurately predicting the behavior of a turbulent reacting flow field remains a challenge. To better understand the dynamics of premixed reacting flows, this study experimentally investigates the evolution of turbulence in a high-speed bluff-body combustor. The combustor is operated across a range of equivalence ratios from 0.7-1 to quantify the role of heat release and flame scales on the evolution of turbulence as …