Engineering Commons^™

Studies Of Multiphase Distribution And Flow In Bubble/ Slurry Bubble Columns With /Without Internals And Advanced Sustainable Construction Materials Using Sophisticated Measurement Techniques, Omar Farid

Doctoral Dissertations

"Bubble/slurry bubble columns have been widely studied and employed as multiphase flow reactors with and without vertical heat-exchanging tubes. In order to understand more deeply the effect of the dense internals on the hydrodynamics of bubble/slurry bubble column, systematic experiments were performed to visualize and quantify using the radioactive particle tracking (RPT) technique. A new methodology for implementing the radioactive particle tracking (RPT) technique has been developed to investigate the effect of the dense internals on the hydrodynamics of the bubble/slurry column reactor. Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) simulation has been implemented to simulate the system to generate a large number …

Smart Manufacturing—Theories, Methods, And Applications, Zhuming Bi, Lida Xu, Puren Ouyang

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) Smart manufacturing (SM) distinguishes itself from other system paradigms by introducing ‘smartness’ as a measure to a manufacturing system; however, researchers in different domains have different expectations of system smartness from their own perspectives. In this Special Issue (SI), SM refers to a system paradigm where digital technologies are deployed to enhance system smartness by (1) empowering physical resources in production, (2) utilizing virtual and dynamic assets over the internet to expand system capabilities, (3) supporting data-driven decision making at all domains and levels of businesses, or (4) reconfiguring systems to adapt changes and uncertainties in dynamic environments. …

Characterization Of Fatigue Strength Of Additively Manufactured Ti-6al-4v With Recoater Blade Interference Flaws And Residual Stresses Towards An Enhanced Fatigue Substantiation Methodology For Aerospace Structures Applications, Joshua Manyara Mochache

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This research characterized the fatigue strength of additively manufactured (AM) Ti-6Al-4V, through fatigue and static tests conducted using specimens with and without recoater blade interference flaws (RBIF), and thus further enhanced the fatigue substantiation methodology for AM parts by using combined fatigue strength knock-down-factors (KDF) developed from this study. Qualification and certification (Q&C) of metallic AM parts, through acceptable methods for fatigue and damage tolerance (F&DT) substantiation, is an area where significant gaps still exist. While progress has been made in design as well as materials and process standardization, Q&C of additively manufactured metallic structural parts, especially those in civil …

Aerodynamics And Vibrations Of A Helicopter Rotor Blade, Mohammad Khairul Habib Pulok

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The nature of the aerodynamic environment surrounding a helicopter causes a significant amount of vibration to its whole body. Among different sources of vibrations, the aerodynamic loading on the main rotor blade is the major contributor. Therefore, analyzing a rotor blade's vibration characteristics and aerodynamic behavior becomes essential. The vortex characteristics and the wake surrounding a helicopter rotor blade play an important role because they affect the aerodynamic behavior of the rotor blade. An advanced mathematical and computational model of rotor wake and blade vortex gives a better understanding of the helicopter rotor dynamics. This study develops computational models of …

Enhancements To Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Rockets, Kimberly Gonzalez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nuclear thermal rocket propulsion has been proposed as a highly efficient technology for space vehicles traveling from earth orbit to the moon, Mars, and other locations in the solar system. With twice the performance of a chemical rocket, nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) uses the thrust produced by heating hydrogen gas within a thermal nuclear reactor where the exhaust is then passed through a de Laval nozzle to produce supersonic flow. NTP engines were the subject ofthe NERVA experiments at the Nevada Test Site in the 1970’s, and they produced a specific impulse of up to 900 seconds which is almost …

Predicting The Impact Of Utility Lighting Rebate Programs On Promoting Industrial Energy Efficiency: A Machine Learning Approach, Phillip Shook, Jun-Ki Choi

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Implementation costs are a major factor in manufacturers' decisions to invest in energy-efficient technologies. Emerging technologies in lighting systems, however, typically require small investment costs and offer short, simple payback periods, due, in part, to federal, state, and utility incentive programs. Recently, however, certain state and federal mandates have reduced the support for and efficacy of electricity utility incentivizing programs. To determine the impact of such support programs, this study examined historical data regarding lighting retrofit savings, implementation costs, and utility rebates gathered from 13 years of industrial energy audits by a U.S. Department of Energy Industrial Assessment Center in …

Oxygen Compatibility For Aerospace Materials, Jazmin Abril Arellano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The use of oxygen for aerospace applications is bonded to the history of American rocketry. The first liquid powered rocket engine used gaseous oxygen to pressurize both gasoline as fuel and liquid oxygen as oxidizer. Research and development about oxygen compatibility with aerospace materials has been continuously performed. However, no universal test has been developed to determine the oxygen compatibility of all materials yet. A review about oxygen properties, ignition mechanisms and their unique characteristic elements in addition to metals and nonmetals commonly used in oxygen systems and materials prohibited in oxygen applications can be found in this document. The …

Characterization Of 3d Printed Parts Containing Integrated Functionality Via Ultrasonically Embedded Wires, David Abraham Sepulveda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Material extrusion additive manufacturing has been widely adopted because it offers freedom of design, which allows complex geometry fabrication, and rapid prototyping. Interest in producing components with integrated functionality allowed forms of hybrid manufacturing to be developed such as the Multi3D system. This system produces parts with embedded components by combining additive, subtractive, soldering, dispensing, and embedding techniques. However, this involves pausing the printing process (which takes place in a controlled environment) and exposing it to ambient temperature where embedding takes places. In this research, the effect of embedding parts with 24 AWG copper for improved functionality was quantified mechanically. …

Trade Study Analysis Of The Janus Moon Lander Vehicle, Omar Vazquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Liquid Oxygen (LOX) and Liquid Methane (LCH4) has become a propellant combination of interest in the recent years, especially for leading aerospace companies with the sight set on mars such as SpaceX and Blue Origin in their heavy thrust engines (the Raptor and BE-4 respectively) since methane can be more stable than hydrogen, can be stored at more manageable temperatures and can be produced locally, at mars, using in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) [1].The Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research (cSETR) has developed a 500 lbf throttleable (4:1) thrust chamber (CROME) using the aforementioned propellant combination with the intention of …

Development Of New Space Systems Architecture In Sysml Using Model-Based Pattern Language, Bhushan Lohar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

This manuscript presents an approach to the application of the Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and Model-Based Systems Architecting (MBSA) principles to develop a Model-Based Pattern Language (MBPL). It takes considerable time for systems engineers and mission architects to develop a new system from scratch, particularly new space-based systems derived from the existing space system architectures. The use of a pattern language which is a holistic view of reusable logical model artifacts, can improve the process.

The main benefit of the pattern language is to reduce the time and validation required to generate a new space-based system architecture; this approach will …

Fully Kinetic Particle-In-Cell Simulations Of Plasma-Surface-Dust Interactions For Lunar Exploration, Jianxun Zhao

Doctoral Dissertations

"The studies involving lunar surface explorations have drawn attentions in recent years. A better understanding of possible potential hazards to astronauts and electronic equipment has become a necessity for future lunar explorations. The lunar surface, lacking an atmosphere and global magnetic field therefore directly exposed to solar radiation and solar wind plasma, is electrically charged by the bombardment of solar wind plasma and emission/collection of photoelectrons. Additionally, lunar dust grains can also get charged and levitated from the surface under the influence of the electric field as well as gravity within the plasma sheath. Since the plasma sheath formed near …

Controller Platform Design And Demonstration For An Electric Aircraft Propulsion Driv, Rosten Sweeting

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the growth in the aerospace industry there has been a trend to optimize the performance of an aircraft by reducing fuel consumption and operational cost. Recent advancements in the field of power electronics have pushed towards the concepts of hybrid electric aircraft also known as more electrical aircrafts. In this work, a custom controller board for an electric aircraft propulsion drive was designed to drive a permanent magnet synchronous motor. Design of the controller board required knowledge of the topology selection and power module selections. Simulations of the system were performed using MATLAB/Simulink to analyze the overall performance of …

Foundations For Finite-State Modelling Of A Two-Dimensional Airfoil That Reverses Direction, Jake Michael Oscar Welsh

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Current 3-D finite-state wake models are incapable of simulating a maneuver in which the sign of the free-stream velocity changes direction and the rotor enters its own wake -- as might occur in the case of a helicopter which ascends and then descends. It is the purpose of this work to create a 2-D finite-state wake model which is capable of handling changes in free-stream direction as a precursor to development of a 3-D model that can do the same.

The 2-D finite-state model used for reentry modifications is an existing model created by Peters, Johnson, and Karunamoorthy. By the …

Fabrication And Testing Of Catalyst-Infused Filament For 3d Printing Of Ignition-Augmented Hybrid Rocket Fuels, Kurt C. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis describes and addresses the need for reliable ignition in small satellite hybrid propulsion systems using higher density oxidizers. It describes methods of creating custom 3D printing ABS plastic based filaments that contain small amounts of catalysts. These catalysts lead to a more reliable and energy-efficient ignition of a hybrid rocked propulsion system using catalyst-infused ABS and nitrous oxide and oxygen blend called Nytrox, commonly known as ”laughing gas.” The ”laughing gas” has a higher density and can therefore provide more ”miles per gallon” in a hybrid propulsion system on a small satellite when compared to gaseous oxygen (GOX). …

Control Mapping Methodology For Tailless Morphing-Wing Aircraft, Zachary S. Montgomery

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Advanced aircraft designs tend to have several control surfaces or devices that affect the flight of the aircraft. It is difficult or even impossible for a pilot to directly control each of these devices and fly the aircraft well. Therefore, a control mapping logic is needed to take typical pilot commands and map them to what the control devices should do to achieve the pilot’s commands. This work presents a methodology for determining this control mapping logic using two different approaches. The first uses a theoretical approach based on lifting-line theory, while the second leverages computational methods. The methodology consists …

Ground Station Eat, Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Ground Components

Two primary subsystems

•Ground Station(s)

•  May be your own or commercial
• Includes radio(s), antenna(s), rotor, etc.
• Heavily intertwined with satellite communications system
• Influences link budget

•Ground data system

• Your command, control, and telemetry interface
• Operator facing tools
• Front end processor
• Includes computer(s), networking equipment, displays, software tools, etc.
• Directly links to your ground station via network

•Additional ground subsystems could include:

• Payload ground (i.e. optical ground terminal)
• Space comm networks (i.e. Iridium)

Aiaa Design Build Fly Humanitarian Uav, Michael Finigian, Kyle Abbas, David Fryer, Kyle Bartholomew, Jacob Kaufman, William Ryan, Tyler Kwapniowski, Adam Witusik

Discovery Day - Prescott

Every year AIAA issues a challenge to any undergraduate universities willing to meet it: to build an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to mission and product characteristics. This year the UAVs are to carry two different payloads in four missions with varying objectives, take-off distances, flight times and flight distances. The two payloads are large plunger syringes and mock vaccine vial packages. The Embry-Riddle Prescott team has decided that the best way to approach these competitions is to split responsibilities evenly between four integrated product teams (IPTs); Aerodynamics, Structures, Propulsion and Missions. In the early stages of the design process, …

Reconnaissance And Documentation (Rad), Cayli Farias, Terra Gordon, Sharik Joseph, Julia Kjenstad, Michael Lauber, Dakota Ross, Logan Hill, Dominick Uzzardo, Richard Harold

Discovery Day - Prescott

The Reconnaissance and Documentation (RAD) mission aims to utilize a Low Earth Orbit satellite using machine learning enabled image recognition and optical remote sensing to observe countries currently experiencing Stage Nine of the United Nations’ Ten Stages of Genocide. The primary objective of the RAD satellite, Leza, is to observe high-risk countries at adequate spatial and temporal resolutions to capture evidence of genocide. The secondary objective of Leza is to process images on-board, so flagged images serving as evidence may be distributed to proper authorities, the United Nations, and mainstream media outlets as soon as possible. Using remote sensing to …

Eaglenautics: Sae Aero West Design Competition Team, Steven Booth, Jessica Millard, Celin Rawther

Discovery Day - Prescott

Eaglenautics is an engineering club affiliated with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Every year, Eaglenautics participates in the SAE Aero West Design Competition. This competition challenges teams to design a competitive R/C scale aircraft from the ground up. Eaglenautics tackles this challenge by using a modified design-build-fly (DBF) process by adding a simulation step after the design step. Simulation software allows for a faster convergence to a design before the build process starts. Eaglenautics utilizes simulation programs like XFLR5 and OpenVSP to aid with the design of the aircraft to save time building multiple aircraft iterations. This process is especially helpful for …

Space Debris Characterization Using Machine Learning Methods, Anson Biggs, Ana Bader-Elenes

Discovery Day - Prescott

Orbital debris is a form of pollution that is growing at an exponential pace and puts current and future space infrastructure at risk. Satellites are critical to military, commercial, and civil operations. Unfortunately, the space they occupy is increasingly becoming more crowded and dangerous, potentially leading to a cascade event that could turn orbit around the Earth into an unusable wasteland for decades proper mitigation is not introduced. Unfortunately, existing models employed by NASA rely on a dataset created from 2D images and are missing many crucial features required for correctly modeling the space debris environment. Our approach uses highresolution …

Team Keryx: Project Lifelink, Robert Belz-Templeman, Evan Hefflin, Jessica Millard, Ariana Anderson, Jacob Hindmarsh, Corey Washburn

Discovery Day - Prescott

First responders such as wildland firefighters, search and rescue crews, and disaster relief workers often operate in cellular-service-denied environments. This lack of long-range communication channels greatly inhibits the spread of vital information. Project LifeLink is Team Keryx’s capstone project designed to solve this issue as well as meeting the course goals of AE 420/421. The course goals for AE 420/421 are to utilize the skills and knowledge obtained in prior classes to design, develop, build, and test an aircraft tailored to a specific challenge. The students will work together in an organized structure and process to prepare them for industry …

Proposal To Augment U.S. Army Lsa And Uars, Cameron Beard

Discovery Day - Prescott

The U.S. Army currently has a gap in its aerial reconnaissance capabilities, with the OH-58D Kiowa completing its phase transition to the AH-64E. Since the Army has done away with its rotary-wing scout aircraft, it currently relies on the AH-64E attack helicopter (an aircraft not designed for such a role), in tandem with UAS RQ- 7Bs and MQ-1C Grey Eagle. These aircraft use the MUM-T (Manned-Unmanned Teaming) system, which allows AH-64E pilots to control the camera and weaponry of the drones while both aircraft are in flight. The draw back to this system lies in two categories; 1) the inability …

Tip Driven Rotor System, Kevin Allyas

Discovery Day - Prescott

The Tip-Driven Rotor System (TDRS) Project is a product designed for KRyanCreative, LLC (KRC), as the basis of a Levitated Annular Rotor System (LARS) for commercial and tactical military vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles. Conceptually, this design will greatly increase power density and lift capacity over conventional shaft-centric helicopters. The design also enables variable rotational velocity control that can greatly expand the VTOL flight envelope. The LARS innovatively leverages electromagnetism and superconductive levitation in the transfer of energy from vehicle source to aerodynamic lifting surface. The benefits of LARS include: the reduction of wing tip vortices due to a …

Impact Of Ultrathin Coating Layer On Lithium-Ion Intercalation Into Particles For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Yufang He, Hiep Pham, Xinhua Liang, Jonghyun Park

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ultrathin film coatings on battery materials via atomic layer deposition (ALD) have been demonstrated as an efficient technology for battery performance enhancement. However, the fundamental understanding on lithium intercalation into active materials through the interface between the coating and active materials is unclear, which makes it difficult to optimize ALD coating strategies. Further, like most active materials, a coating layer can undergo volume change during the intercalation process, which can produce detrimental structural changes and mechanical failure of the layer. In this work, first-principles calculations are conducted to reveal the behavior of a coating layer on an active material particle …

The Business Of Moving A Library, Gabriele Hysong

Midwest Business Librarian Summit (MBLS)

No abstract provided.

Proper Orthogonal Decomposition Of Reynolds And Dispersive Stresses In Turbulent Boundary Layers Over Multi-Scale Rough Patches, Catherine Virginia Spivey

Dissertations and Theses

Multi-scale rough patches are present in topologies such as urban canopies (cities) and natural landscapes (forests, ocean floors). The flow over such canopies is three-dimensional, with turbulent structures known as secondary flows present in the boundary layer due to the difference in rough surface heterogeneities. Three dimensional instantaneous velocities are analyzed within the roughness sublayer over three generations of multi-scale rough patches at nine vertical planes using particle image velocimetry obtained experimentally. The secondary structures present in the flow are identified in the form of Reynolds and dispersive fluctuations. Proper orthogonal decomposition is employed to characterize the imprint of the …

Incorporation Of Trajectory Behaviors In The Vicinities Of Different Planetary Moons Using Finite-Time Lyapunov Exponent Maps, David Canales Garcia, Kathleen C. Howell, Elena Fantino

PanaSoMM

There is an increasing interest in future space missions devoted to the exploration of key moons in the Solar system. These many different missions may involve libration point orbits as well as trajectories that satisfy different endgames in the vicinities of the moons. To this end, an efficient design strategy to produce low-energy transfers between the vicinities of adjacent moons of a planetary system is introduced that leverages the dynamics in these multi-body systems. Such a design strategy is denoted as the moon-to-moon analytical transfer (MMAT) method. It consists of a general methodology for transfer design between the vicinities of …

Ci Asteroid Regolith As An In Situ Plant Growth Medium For Space Crop Production, Steven J. Russell, Sherry Fieber-Beyer, Kathryn A. Yurkonis

Biology Faculty Publications

Human expansion into the solar system is currently at the forefront of space research. For our astronauts to survive, they will need to be fed a healthy and nutritious diet on a consistent basis. Right now, our current method of feeding astronauts consists of resupplied prepackaged food from Earth, which is unsustainable for long-term missions. Using planetary resources via in situ resource utilization to grow crops is the next step toward sustainability in space. Asteroids are an abundant space resource and should not be overlooked when considering crewed missions. In particular, the primordial CI carbonaceous asteroids are of interest because …

A Comparative Study On Representativeness And Stochastic Efficacy Of Miniature Tensile Specimen Testing, Sreekar Karnati, Sriram Praneeth Isanaka, Yunlu Zhang, Frank W. Liou, Jason L. Schulthess

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this article, a miniature dog bone tensile coupon design was tested against the existing ASTM standard specimen design. Specimens were prepared from commercially sourced austenitic stainless steel 304 alloy, and a defect-ridden additively manufactured 304L alloy was studied. By utilizing a tensile specimen design that is 1/230th volume of the smallest ASTM E8-04 (2016), Standard Test Methods for Tension Testing of Metallic Materials, dog bone specimen, coupled to a digital image correlation (DIC) setup, case studies were performed to compare tensile property measurements and strain field evolution. Whereas yield strength measurements were observed to be similar, post-yield, the ultimate …

Structural Health Monitoring Of Fatigue Cracks For Steel Bridges With Wireless Large-Area Strain Sensors, Sdiq Anwar Taher, Jian Li, Jong-Hyun Jeong, Simon Laflamme, Hongki Jo, Caroline Bennett, William N. Collins, Austin Downey

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a field implementation of the structural health monitoring (SHM) of fatigue cracks for steel bridge structures. Steel bridges experience fatigue cracks under repetitive traffic loading, which pose great threats to their structural integrity and can lead to catastrophic failures. Currently, accurate and reliable fatigue crack monitoring for the safety assessment of bridges is still a difficult task. On the other hand, wireless smart sensors have achieved great success in global SHM by enabling long-term modal identifications of civil structures. However, long-term field monitoring of localized damage such as fatigue cracks has been limited due to the lack …