Engineering Commons^™

Stabilized Cargo Relay Aircraft For Precision Payload Yielding, Dato A. Tabidze, Michael Conely, Ben Courtney

Senior Design Project For Engineers

As military missions become more complicated, warfighters need more capable drones to use across diverse scenarios. The same also applies to civilian applications, like infrastructure inspection, package delivery, and disaster response. Current multirotor drones, also known as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), provide simplicity, affordability, and ease of operation; however, their primary limitation is their low payload-to-weight ratio, which typically falls at 1:1 or less. The DARPA Lift Challenge aims to shatter the heavy lift bottleneck, seeking novel drone designs that can carry payloads more than four times their weight, which would revolutionize the way we use drones across all sectors. …

Hybird Vtol Gust Load Alleviation Uav, Ryan Birch, Mouhamadou Diop, Sebastian J. Flores, Alan Alan Rubio-Saavedra

Senior Design Project For Engineers

Here's a 250-word abstract:

Abstract

This paper presents the conceptual and preliminary design of a sub-500g hybrid vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with an active gust load alleviation (GLA) system. The aircraft combines passive twist wingtip (PTWT) devices with an inertial measurement unit (IMU)-based adaptive feedforward control architecture to reduce peak wing-root bending moments by 30–40% relative to an unmitigated baseline configuration.

The propulsion system employs a twin tilt-rotor plus rear pusher arrangement within an 80g mass budget, enabling clean sensor inflow while supporting both hover and efficient cruise flight at 12–13 m/s. Electronic …

Lunar Manufacturing Systems And The Role Of Additive Recycling Technologies, Camille A. Newman

Honors Theses

Renewed international interest in sustained lunar exploration has created a growing demand for technologies to support long-duration space exploration. Part of the recent Artemis missions and the Moon to Mars initiative is to improve key mission capabilities and fill critical gaps necessary to sustain lunar habitation. Waste management, recycling systems, and manufacturing systems have been identified as critical technologies that need further development before a sustained mission is possible. This thesis explores the feasibility of an additive manufacturing and recycling system designed to process plastic waste generated during extended lunar habitation. Initial research focused on existing manufacturing and recycling technologies …

Leveraging Information Theory And Ecological Network Analysis To Monitor Communication Networks In A Student Aerospace Team, Christine Sessions

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Effective communication is a critical component of successful collaboration in group projects and team settings. However, systematically tracking and analyzing team communications can be challenging, especially in complex, multi-member teams such as those found in the aerospace industry. This paper explores an information-theoretic approach that leverages encoding techniques and graph theory to analyze communication networks within a university’s multi-year, student-led cubesat design project (Project COMET). By utilizing Shannon Entropy as a measure of information flow, encoding communication patterns, and analyzing Ecological Network Analysis parameters, this research aims to understand how an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student project team evolves over the …

Aerodynamic And Acoustic Modeling For Evtol Rotor Noise Prediction, Daniella Bezuidenhout, Anastasios S. Lyrintzis, Vladimir V. Golubev

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This thesis presents the development and validation of a methodology for predicting total acoustic emissions from a one-fifth scale electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) rotor in both hover and edgewise flight conditions. The approach couples sectional two-dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (2D-RANS) airfoil simulations with rotor loading predictions from the Comprehensive Hierarchical Aeromechanics Rotorcraft Model (CHARM), tonal noise calculations using the acoustic solver PSU-WOPWOP, and broadband noise predictions from the UCD-QuietFly framework. Boundary-layer inputs traditionally obtained from the viscous-inviscid solver, XFOIL, were replaced with higher-fidelity 2D-RANS results from OpenFOAM to better capture low-Reynolds-number flow physics, including laminar-turbulent transition and laminar separation …

Adaptive Control Combined With Integral Concurrent Learning For Trajectory Tracking Near Asteroids, Alvaro Diaz Rodrigo

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Close-proximity operations in the vicinity of Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) are essential for scientific studies and possible future planetary-defense missions. Unlike motion around large celestial bodies, spacecraft dynamics near small, rotating asteroids are dominated by weak, highly irregular gravity fields. While full characterization of an asteroid’s shape enables high-fidelity gravitational modeling, such information is typically unavailable in realistic mission scenarios, and in-situ exploration is often required. As a result, the forces acting on the spacecraft cannot be modeled accurately in advance, leading to significant uncertainty in the equations of motion and challenging guidance and control strategies. To address these challenges, the …

Contributions To Ship-Airwake-Rotor Coupling Characterization Using Controlled Forcing, Guillermo Mazzilli

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Shipboard helicopter operations occur within a highly unsteady environment referred to as the dynamic interface (DI), encompassing the coupled effects of the ship airwake, rotor wake, flight dynamics, and pilot response. A central aspect of the DI is the aerodynamic interaction between the ship airwake and the rotor wake, which degrades handling qualities and increases pilot workload, yet the underlying mechanisms governing ship-rotor coupling remain insufficiently understood. The ship-rotor aerodynamic coupling was examined using two canonical ship geometries, the NATO-GD and SFS2, together with a controlled experimental framework, the airflow-and-blade-frequency (ABF) system, which independently varied wake momentum flux and unsteady …

An Alternative To Armageddon: O.P. Weyland And The Development Of Tactical Air Power, Paul Wells

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Theorists and advocates of air power argued that aircraft, not ground forces, would become the dominant platform for victory in war. They promoted the concept of strategic bombing, using aircraft to bypass ground forces and directly attack a nation's industrial capacity to wage war, hoping to ensure quick victory and avoid a repeat of the prolonged slaughter in the trenches of WWI. In 1947, led by advocates of strategic bombing, the United States Air Force (USAF) became an independent and equal branch of the U.S. military. The USAF developed the Strategic Air Command (SAC) to meet the requirements of the …

Aircraft Fault Detection Via Weight And Bias Analysis Of A Custom First Neural Network Layer, George Harrison Chen

Theses and Dissertations

Fault detection in aircraft is traditionally handled through redundant hardware and comparison algorithms to detect failures. Alternatives like model-based residual generation and data-driven approaches such as supervised fault classification and unsupervised anomaly detection have been explored, but they suffer from practical limitations; model-based methods require accurate system models, and data-driven methods have large constraints on the data limiting scalability and adaptability. This work presents a purely data-driven neural network architecture featuring a custom first layer designed for real-time fault detection where the weights and biases of this layer are used to detect faults. The network requires zero supervision and complements …

Pilot Age And Accident Rates In General Aviation: Analysis And Recommendations, Jackson E. Jolley

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

General aviation accounts for approximately 94% of all civil aviation accidents in the United States, highlighting the need to examine how pilot characteristics and operational factors influence accident risk. With the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) projecting continued growth in the general aviation pilot population, this study examines the relationship between pilot age, flight experience, and accident risk to inform training and safety interventions. Using the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident records from 2008–2024, along with FAA pilot registration data, we analyze age-related trends in accident likelihood, risk, and phase-of-flight distributions in general aviation operations.

Results show an approximately exponential …

Turbulent Plenum Jet-Crossflow Validation Via Subgrid Scale Model Variation And Upstream Forcing Under Dynamic Hybrid Rans-Les, Cole W. Mccallum

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In modern gas turbine design, film cooling has become ubiquitous as a method for limiting heat transfer between high temperature gases post-combustion and the surface of downstream blades. This paper validates the use of various computational fluid dynamics techniques in recreating an experiment measuring adiabatic effectiveness over a surface downstream of a compound-angle N2 plenum jet incident on a turbulent-air boundary layer [1]. To do this, both RANS and Dynamic Hybrid RANS-LES (DHRL) methods are implemented and compared to previous research [2]. The latter method is then modified through implementation of a different subgrid scale (SGS) model and through addition …

Tau Beta Pi Engineering Mentorship Program, Tyler Black

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project is to design and implement a student-led engineering mentorship program directed by the members of the Utah Gamma Chapter of Tau Beta Pi on the Utah State University (USU) Logan campus. Retention data show that many undergraduate students who start engineering programs change their degree before graduation due to academic and social challenges that may be mitigated by the support of a peer mentor. The Tau Beta Pi Engineering Mentorship Program selects and trains upperclassman mentors to effectively mentor underclassman engineering students.

The design of the mentorship program is an application of backward design, where …

Analysis Of Oscillating Flow Over A 2-D Airfoil With Flow Reversal, Colter Couillard-Rodak

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Finite-state models are useful tools in modeling the aerodynamics of rotorcraft in flight simulators. 2-D and 3-D finite-state models have been developed and compared to closed form solutions, however these models are currently unable to handle situations where the freestream changes directions and the rotor re-enters its own wake. A 2-D finite state model was previously developed that includes a parameter that accounts for the change in free stream. This model, however, contains an inherent stability issue at the instant that the velocity changes direction.

The effects of this instability can be mitigated in certain flow conditions. A purely oscillatory …

Exit Topology Effects On Low-Mach Jet Impingement, Alejandro Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

Planar PIV characterizes a low‑Mach (M = 0.05) air jet impinging normally on a plate at fixed spacing H/D = 4.0. Four nozzles of equal hydraulic diameter (D = 50.8 mm) are compared: circular, rectangular (AR 3), diamond, and elliptical (AR 2); asymmetric exits are tested in major and minor orientations. Mean velocity, azimuthal vorticity, and turbulence kinetic energy reveal that exit topology strongly modulates the stagnation footprint and shear‑layer growth. The circular jet forms the canonical toroidal wall jet and a narrow stagnation core (dₛ = 0.9D). Orienting the rectangular major axis toward the plate elongates the core to …

2026 Spring Graduate Recognition Program, Propulsion Research Center, Robert Frederick

PRC Graduate Recognition

This program includes the graduate recognition program for spring 2026. Includes photographs, upcoming events, recent publications, and student profiles.

Measurements And Scaling Of Ion Propulsion Impulse During Driven Magnetic Reconnection, Fatima Ebrahimi, Nicholas A. O'Gorman, Kush Maheshwari, Jongsoo Yoo, Alexandre Sainterme, Hantao Ji

Faculty Publications

Impulse scaling during magnetic reconnection, the magnetic energy conversion to kinetic energy, via direct Mach probe measurements in Magnetic Reconnection Experiment is examined. Ion exhaust velocity and impulse scalings with reconnecting magnetic field during the push phase of driven reconnection are presented. The outflows and impulse measurements are compared with global MHD simulations. Both measurements and simulations reveal a favorable scaling, greater than linear, of impulse with reconnecting field. These scaling results establish that magnetic reconnection could be utilized for plasma propulsion.

A Machine Learning-Based Apogee Prediction Methodology For Experimental Student Rockets, Price Hamilton Drawdy

Senior Honors Theses

The ability to predict the maximum altitude of a rocket (apogee) in real-time is incredibly useful for collegiate-level competition rockets. This project creates a machine learning-based real-time apogee prediction methodology. Three model types were tested: linear regression, random forest, and a 3-layer multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural network. These models were trained on a large dataset of simulated flights. All models performed well on simulated test flights, with the linear regression model showing most promise for use on edge compute. More development and real-world testing are necessary to determine how applicable this method is for real-time operation. Nevertheless, this methodology provides …

Safe Control Design For Quadruped Locomotion In Unstructured Environments Using Linear Transfer Operators, Sriram Sundar Krishnamoorthy Shankara Narayanan

All Dissertations

Deploying quadruped robots in unstructured, obstacle-rich environments requires control and planning methods that remain safe and reliable despite complex terrain geometry, limited sensing, and inevitable modeling errors. This thesis develops operator-theoretic tools for safe control design of robotic systems using linear transfer operators, with a focus on quadruped locomotion in unstructured environments. The central goal is to develop a unified operator-theoretic framework for safe control design based on the Perron–Frobenius (P–F) and Koopman operators. In particular, the thesis leverages \emph{density functions} to develop safe navigation frameworks in the dual space of densities. In the operator-theoretic perspective, the P–F operator governs …

Relaxed Convex Approximation For Optimal Control In Cislunar Space, Jondavid K. Hertzel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis develops a method of optimal control for a spacecraft in the region between the Earth and the Moon known as cislunar space. The optimal control method is developed through a modern optimization technique called “convex relaxation” to achieve a formulation that can be reliably solved by numerical computation tools. The primary research objective is to evaluate the efficacy of this method in accommodating the physical thrust constraints of a spacecraft. This approach is tested in simulation with an unstable halo orbit around the Moon in the circular restricted three-body problem (CR3BP) model. The simulation incorporates realistic disruptions from …

Two Applications Of Lifting-Line Theory For The Design Of Efficient Aircraft, Amanda K. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Numerical lifting-line is a tool that can be used to evaluate the forces and moments of an aircraft wing. This method has limitations but it is beneficial in obtaining a large set of results with relatively little computational power. This research seeks to analyze two different flight scenarios through the use of two numerical lifting-line tools developed at the Utah State University AeroLab. The first scenario involves an aircraft in ground effect flight. When an aircraft flies close to the ground, a phenomenon called ground effect occurs where the lift is increased and the induced drag is decreased. Therefore, flying …

Numerical Investigation On Lightning Survivability And Residual Strength Of Scarf-Patched And Z-Pinned Cfrp Composites, Logan Hales

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are critical in aerospace applications yet remain vulnerable to lightning strikes due to orthotropic electrical conductivity and poor thermal resistance. Over the past decades, lightning-strike damage in pristine CFRP has been extensively investigated. However, the response of damaged and subsequently repaired laminates remains poorly understood, raising concerns about the structural integrity of repaired aircraft. This study aims to develop a sequentially coupled thermo-structural modeling framework to quantify how two common composite repair strategies (scarf patching and z-pinning), along with patch size, pin material, and configuration, influence lightning-induced damage and the residual flexural strength of …

Adaptive Artificial Potential Field Guidance And Control For Autonomous Docking With Uncooperative And Unknown Spacecraft, Steven Holmberg

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing demand for on-orbit servicing (OOS), active debris removal (ADR), and space domain awareness (SDA) missions has increased the need for autonomous spacecraft rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) with uncooperative and unknown targets. Traditional guidance and control methods are typically designed for cooperative systems with known geometry and state information. This work builds on previous research to develop and evaluate an artificial potential field (APF)-based control framework capable of autonomous operation with minimal prior target knowledge and applicability to both relatively static and tumbling spacecraft.

The proposed APF formulation incorporates established safety constructs from cooperative docking systems, including an …

Digital Twin–Oriented Certification Architecture For Advanced Air Mobility, Daniel Pleffken

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) systems introduce certification challenges associated with distributed propulsion, increasing software reliance, and tightly coupled architectures. These characteristics evolve within regulatory environments that are still adapting to emerging vehicle concepts. While digital engineering practices are increasingly adopted during system development, certification workflows remain largely document-centric, limiting lifecycle traceability and consistent reasoning about change impacts as designs and regulatory interpretations evolve. This paper proposes a Digital Twin–oriented certification architecture that integrates regulatory knowledge, system representations, Means of Compliance (MoCs), and verification artifacts within a unified model-based environment. The architecture is organized around four elements: regulatory structuring, Model-Based Systems …

Design And Development Of A Passive Dust Protection System For Lunar Docking Operations, Simon Thengvall

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Lunar docking systems face a unique set of environmental conditions that can create significant challenges for mechanical design. Among these, the abrasive nature of lunar regolith can impair the kinematic function of traditional terrestrial mechanisms as well as contaminate critical spacecraft components such as environmental seals, causing them to fail. For crew-rated docking systems, failure of these systems not only threatens mission success, but also crew safety, so dust protection is crucial for docking components. To address the concerns of regolith intrusion, the Simple External Attachment for Lunar Openings (SEALO) is developed as a key architecture for mechanism evaluation when …

Manned Exploration Of Satellites Of The Outer Planets: An Analysis Of Current Technologies And A Discussion Of Advancements Required, Joshua Carson Meador

Theses and Dissertations

The Solar System’s outer planets have many satellites, some of which are known to be the most likely places to find extraterrestrial life in our celestial backyard. Multiple scientific missions have been sent to glean information from these satellites, yet the possibility of a manned expedition has long been exclusive to science fiction stories. This paper intends to collect and analyze the current state of space travel technology to explore the feasibility of such a mission with modern technology and to discuss which future advancements should be the focal point for making such missions a reality. To begin, data on …

Range Extension Of Electric Propulsion General Aviation Aircraft Using Solar Technology, Mary Kathryn Shultz

Theses and Dissertations

Alternative propulsion technologies in aviation have been a long-time topic of interest as operators aim to bypass growing fuel prices and meet environmental sustainability requirements set globally. Research regarding alternative propulsion technologies is primarily centered around marginally improving efficiency of combustion systems or large-scale implementation of novel technologies. This research evaluates the feasibility of implementing solar-integrated propulsion for general aviation aircraft to extend range through a comparison of full-electric, hybrid solar, and internal combustion engine propulsion systems. This evaluation of existing technology by range analysis indicates that hybrid solar‑electric propulsion is viable primarily for short‑range training and recreational aircraft, rather …

The Pid-Based Three Quadcopter Uavs Formation Control Under External Disturbance, Vo Van An, Trinh Luong Mien

Makara Journal of Technology

This paper presents the design and evaluation of a formation control strategy for three quadcopter UAVs, based on a PID controller in a leader–follower structure, under the influence of external disturbances. Each UAV employs a six-degree of-freedom dynamic model and utilises a cascade PID control architecture, in which the inner control loop stabilises the attitude. In contrast, the outer control loop regulates position and maintains the formation. The PID parameters are tuned using the Ziegler–Nichols method to ensure simple implementation and low computational cost. The performance of the control system is evaluated through simulations in the MATLAB environment for two …

Analysis Toolkit For Potential Lunar Landing Zones, Jacobo Matallana

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Engineering Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Master of Science by Jacobo Matallana on April 24, 2026.

Saber – Stability Analysis Through Bipropellant Engine Research, S. Conley, R. Gaulin, E. Lucas, A. Ramirez, N. Reese, W. Reinkoester, J. Sadler, W. Tinelli, B. Varozza

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Student Publications

Stability Analysis through Bipropellant Engine Research (SABER) is a small-scale, compressed air and propane bipropellant rocket engine designed as the test subject of a combustion instability analysis. Through various static fires at varying combustion chamber lengths, the project demonstrates that less combustion instabilities are experienced at smaller characteristic lengths.

Automatic Determination Of Mechanical Properties From Molecular Dynamic Stress-Strain Curves Using Regression Fringe Response, Josh Kemppainen, Tristan Muzzy, Travis Wavrunek, Gregory Odegard

Michigan Tech Publications

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have become a powerful tool for studying polymers, designing new materials, and composites. Mechanical behavior in MD simulations are typically evaluated through stress-strain curves. However, MD-generated stress-strain curves are often obscured by thermal noise from atomic vibrations. This noise complicates the reliable derivation of mechanical properties and hinders objective and reproducible analysis. The noise in the stress-strain curves has been removed by using a Butterworth low-pass filter, enabling clearer interpretation of stress-strain data. Building on this, a novel analysis framework the Regression Fringe Response (RFR) is introduced to systematically determine the Young's modulus, yield strength, and …