Engineering Commons^™

Global-Local Method For Poroelasticity Problems With Localized Pressure Effects, Hemantha Kunwar

Math Department Colloquium Series

In many poroelasticity applications, pressure effects are confined to a small region, making it inefficient and possibly unnecessary to solve the full system across the entire domain. Instead, we propose to solve the poroelasticity problem locally, where pressure effects are significant, and use a simpler linear elasticity model elsewhere. This creates a coupled elasticity–poroelasticity problem with transmission conditions. To solve this coupled problem, we propose a new non-intrusive global–local algorithm that iteratively solves the elasticity problem in the entire (global) domain and the poroelasticity problem only in a local domain, ensuring proper transmission conditions across the interface. This approach, which …

Kinship Infrastructure Design: Evaluating Diversity And Resilience In Emergency Response Systems Through Agent-Based Modeling, Fayruz Maysha

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Traditional infrastructure systems are often designed for predictable scenarios, making them vulnerable to disruption when real-world conditions change unexpectedly. This research addresses that limitation by introducing Kinship Infrastructure Design (KID), a bioinspired framework based on the kinship coefficient (Φ). Adapted from studies of genetic relatedness in eusocial insects, the kinship coefficient (Φ) measures similarity and diversity among system components by calculating the degree to which their functional traits—encoded as a synthetic genome—match. This research investigates whether a system design can achieve a “Goldilocks Zone” of functional diversity where systems achieve optimal adaptability and coordination under uncertainty."

Rather than relying on …

Evaluating Kansai Airport's Ppp: Grounded Ambitions, Concession Of Financial, Geotechnical, And Climate Risk, Edmund Cho, Dimitrios V. Siskos

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

This study critically examines the Kansai Airports Group’s 44-year Public-Private Partnership (PPP) monopoly-type concession encompassing Kansai International (KIX), Osaka Itami (ITM), and Kobe (UKB) airports. The research uses financial analysis, Monte Carlo simulation, and NPV-at-risk modeling to evaluate how Japan’s fixed-term private monopoly model allocates financial, operational, and environmental risks. In 2015, there were significant developments in the promotion of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) Act. It was revised in 2015; as a result, it finds that the underestimated long-term maintenance liabilities, especially Kansai airport (KIX) foundation subsidence, and lacked flexibility to manage exogenous shocks like COVID-19 and Typhoon Jebi. …

A Human Factors Analysis And Classification System (Hfacs) Approach To Compare Cardiovascular, Orthopedics, Trauma Care, And Neurosurgery, Asfandyar Khan

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Background: Despite significant progress in patient safety, human error continues to occur at high rates in procedural settings. Traditional safety models tend to focus on retrospective incident analysis, often overlooking the systemic conditions that allow errors to occur. The Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) offers a proactive lens to understand how and where errors emerge and is useful for identifying active and latent failures.

Objective: To evaluate the utility and reliability of the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) in categorizing and comparing the pattern of frequencies (events) in cardiovascular, orthopedic, trauma care, and neurosurgical procedure.

Design, …

Thermal Management With Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Under Extreme Applications, Devon Hardy

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

A unique challenge in thermal system design is minimizing the power required to operate cooling systems while maintaining effective heat removal. Traditional cooling systems utilize single-phase fluids where the heat transfer mechanisms are well understood. To meet a variety of cooling demands, a range of technologies are available, including microchannel forced convection, jet impingement, porous media, nanofluids, pin fin arrays, and film cooling, each offering distinct advantages and limitations. While the performance of single- or two-phase cooling systems are generally predictable, in extreme thermal environments, new cooling solutions are needed to improve overall system efficiency and reliability.

Supercritical fluids, particularly …

Propeller Noise Prediction Of An Urban Air Mobility Vehicle In Urban Environment, Jie Hua

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicles operate in complex, unsteady aerodynamic environments where wake interactions, gust and turbulence significantly affect both performance and noise generation. Understanding these mechanisms is critical for developing quieter and more efficient eVTOL systems that meet future community noise and certification requirements. This dissertation focuses on the high-fidelity numerical investigation of propeller noise in three representative unsteady loading scenarios: (i) transition (tilt) flight, (ii) edgewise inflow, and (iii) wake–propeller interaction. Each case emphasizes different physical mechanisms that dominate noise generation in UAM operations. Hybrid turbulence-resolving approaches—Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) and Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (DDES)—are coupled with …

Numerical Study On Flow Separation And Performance Characteristics Of Slot Nozzle, Chase Charpentier

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The altitude compensating nozzle (ACN) is a type of rocket nozzle or engine that tries to minimize the negative effects of overexpansion at low altitudes. There are many forms of ACN's but most of them are heavier than traditional bell nozzles, alter the geometry of the nozzle, which requires extensive research into optimizing the new geometry, or require complex systems that can lead to structural, heating, or material problems. Out of the ACN's, the slot nozzle is a passive ACN that builds upon the bell nozzle and requires no additional weight or complex systems.

This slot nozzle is comprised of …

Sustainable Practices For Aircraft Decommissioning And Recycling In A Circular Aviation Economy, Eva Maleviti, Dimitra Papadaki

Publications

The aviation industry requires a series of actions that will transform its current status, aiming for sustainable operations. Aviation’s end-of-life stream is a pivotal lever for circularity, yet current dismantling and recycling practices leave significant value unrealized. Circular Economy could be considered as a transformational approach to the aviation industry and address its environmental and economic challenges, meeting sustainability principles. This study conducts a PRISMA-guided qualitative systematic review across academic and industry sources to synthesize regulations, technologies, and economics of aircraft decommissioning. It aims to quantify material recovery potential and environmental gains at the aircraft level and assess technology readiness …

Hybrid Stol Aircraft Designed For Short Urban Operations, Toby Emch

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Modern aircraft transportation requires security checkpoints, large terminals, and expansive runways to move people. However, what if we could place an airport anywhere, reducing land area, noise, and cost? Our design takes advantage of distributed electric propulsion powered by a hybrid engine to take off and land a STOL transport aircraft in a short distance. Our design process includes calculation of constraints, lift calculation using a blown lift takeoff, and verification of stability coefficients. Using a high-lift wing design, the aircraft supports a battery and fuel weight while keeping the required thrust low. It supports up to 7 passengers and …

Asteroid Mining: The Next Big Thing Or A Gimmick?, Aashman Gupta

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Asteroid mining, a sci-fi concept that is rapidly emerging as a potential cornerstone for humanity's expansion into space. This paper explores the economic, technological, and legal challenges of asteroid mining, by examining its feasibility, potential benefits, and other challenges that could hinder its development. Some argue that mining asteroids could provide essential resources and reduce dependency on Earth leading to sustainable space colonization, but critical challenges still remain. Through a review and rational comparison of recent advancements and setbacks, this paper presents an analysis of the potential of asteroid mining; findings suggest that while asteroid mining holds significant potential for …

Boeing 787 Freighter Conversion: Structural Redesign And Enhanced Cargo Operation, Darien Lopez

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

With the continued expansion of global supply chains, demand for airfreight is rapidly increasing. As older cargo aircraft approach the end of their service life, the Boeing 787 freighter variant emerges as an ideal candidate to address this growing market demand. To facilitate its conversion from passenger to freighter configuration, modifications included the addition of a cargo door and adjustments to the cabin floor, allowing for efficient cargo loading operations. The structural components, including stringers and longerons, were specifically sized and strategically positioned in both the cargo door section and throughout the rest of the fuselage to accommodate the anticipated …

A Hybrid Data Assimilation Approach For Parameter Estimation In Dynamical Systems, Xuejian Li

Math Department Colloquium Series

In this talk, we present a hybrid data assimilation (DA) method that integrates continuous data assimilation (CDA) with particle filtering to estimate parameters in dynamical systems. Parameter estimation in such systems is particularly challenging because it involves both determining the parameters and estimating the often high-dimensional physical state. To address this difficulty, we decouple the estimation of states and parameters by employing CDA for state estimation and particle filtering for parameter estimation, with information exchanged alternately between the two. This hybrid framework leverages the strengths of CDA in handling high-dimensional state estimation and the efficiency of particle filters in estimating …

Preparing Tomorrow’S Professionals: Industry-Informed Ai Integration, Brent A. Terwilliger Ph.D, John Faraca

Publications

As AI reshapes operations across aviation and aerospace, organizations are investing in ways to preserve data integrity, safeguard proprietary knowledge, and uphold critical professional competencies. This presentation shares emerging findings from a study that surveys and interviews industry professionals about their use of AI tools, their concerns about misuse, and the importance of secure, enterprise-controlled “walled garden” environments. The work explores how employers define appropriate, effective, and innovative AI adoption, particularly in roles requiring high-stakes decision-making, compliance, and technical acumen.

By analyzing organizational expectations around AI-related knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs), this research offers practical guidance for academic programs seeking …

Student Perspectives On Ai-Enabled Tools For Adaptive Learning, John Faraca

Publications

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly influencing the delivery of higher education, especially in aviation technical disciplines. From AI-assisted gimbals and video production tools to generative AI platforms, these technologies are helping learners to engage with course material, accomplish objectives, and connect academic concepts with professional applications. By offering pathways for personalization, streamlining resource access, and supporting interactive instruction, AI tools expand opportunities for effective learning. This work builds on a current collaborative research project with a faculty researcher to explore the student perspective in the active review and application of these tools to highlight their potential to improve usability, address …

The Science And Economics Of 3d-Printed Filament Recycling, Michael Domingo, Dane Freund, John Mcswiggin, Adam Meadows

Sustainability Conference

In recent years, 3D printing has grown rapidly, both in homes and commercially. This has led to increased demand for plastic filaments, many of which contribute to plastic waste. This project explores the potential of recycling household plastics into 3D printing filament, promoting sustainability and creating a circular economy. Materials like PLA, PETG, ABS, and polypropylene can be recycled or even composted. Existing research has shown that recycled filaments can maintain comparable tensile strength to their virgin counterparts, depending on the recycling process. Furthermore, implementing circular economy practices for plastics could save billions annually by mitigating pollution and reducing landfill …

Localized Nuclear Utility For Erau Environmental Improvement, Timothy Schroeder, Jacob Blanton, Christopher Anderson

Sustainability Conference

The reliance of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) on energy supplied by Florida Power & Light (FPL), which currently draws large amounts of power from fossil fuel sources, is continuously suboptimal both environmentally and financially. This study proposes assessing the feasibility of deploying a campus scale nuclear reactor tailored to ERAU’s power consumption profile. This serves as a path toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting dependence on external fossil fuel generation. The methods used are primarily literature review(s), and numerical analysis on comparable use cases. The literature reviews focused on design theory and yield of nuclear reactors on a …

Aura Aero, A Perspective On Sustainability And Resilience, Mattia Padulo

Sustainability Conference

Since its foundation, AURA AERO has committed to tackle aviation related environmental impacts, through an incremental industrial approach that has allowed the company to become the first fully fledged aircraft manufacturer among the new players in the field of Advanced Air Mobility. AURA AERO product policy has been gradually shaped to scale-up towards bigger, smarter, greener products, and is now enriched by unmanned technologies, as an adaptation to newer societal demands induced by the current geopolitical context. The presentation will give an update on the latest company and product developments, and particularly those related to the INTEGRAL E - the …

A Scoping Review Of Aviation Loss Of Control Inflight Research, Brian J. Roggow

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Loss of control – inflight (LOC-I) contributes to aircraft accidents at unacceptably high rates. Significant industry efforts and research have aimed to improve LOC-I prevention, detection, and recovery. This scoping review of literature systematically analyzed LOC-I literature between 2014 and 2024. The scoping review synthesized research findings and recommendations from 116 relevant articles. The research findings and recommendations were also categorized using the SHELL model to identify prevalent and understudied themes. Significant research has examined angle of attack indicators, integrated flight directors, automated LOC-I avoidance, detection, and recovery systems, as well as associated nonlinear aerodynamic modeling. Additionally, human performance shaping …

Regional Amphibious Aircraft Preliminary Design, Giovanna Ucles

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This project presents the preliminary design of a regional amphibious aircraft, aimed at servicing a variety of missions in areas with limited infrastructure. Currently, aircraft options for operations in challenging environments are limited, with most designs relying on float-like structures. This new design reintroduces the flying boat concept, offering reduced drag and improved operational efficiency. Two configurations are proposed: a 19-passenger version with a range of at least 350 nautical miles, and a 10-passenger version with a range of at least 980 nautical miles, both achieving a minimum cruise speed of 150 knots. Hand calculations were employed to assess key …

Invisible Aircraft In U.S. Airspace: Regulatory Gaps And Mid-Air Collision Risk For Part 121 Operators, Philip Vandette

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Scheduled air carrier aircraft operate at large and small commercial airports across the U.S. National Airspace System. These turbine-powered aircraft fly at high speeds during departure and approach, yet many commercial airports are not covered by regulations requiring general aviation aircraft to transmit their positions, and some remain exempt from existing requirements. This regulatory gap forces airline pilots to rely on see-and-avoid methods that are impractical at turbine aircraft speeds. This study conducts a quantitative exploratory analysis of three data sources, using a PRISMA-style flow diagram, to examine the frequency of near mid-air collisions involving airline and general aviation aircraft …

Insights On Ai-Supported Uncrewed And Autonomous Systems Education, Brent A. Terwilliger Ph. D, John Faraca

Publications

Artificial Intelligence (AI) related technology is reshaping the educational experience in programs focused on uncrewed and autonomous systems, aviation, robotics, and aerospace, with growing implications for workforce readiness and cross-sector innovation. Early survey data, capturing student, educator, and employer perspectives, reveals that AI-supported tools are notably changing student engagement, communication, and skills development. Initial indications underscores the importance of AI proficiency and technological familiarity in hiring and workforce development, particularly in technical and operational roles. Key areas of focus include the use of AI to strengthen outreach and interactivity; enrich instruction through intelligent simulations; inform curricular improvements using data analytics; …

Project Eggroll, Oriana Zhu

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Trainer aircraft present a unique fuel efficiency issue – the aircraft will almost never fly at its most efficient configuration simply due to the nature of pilot training. Taking this into account, Project Eggroll will be tackling this issue at the beginning of fuel consumption, rather than optimizing aerodynamics, and will be incorporating a hybrid propulsion system in a next-generation trainer aircraft to reduce fuel consumption, noise, and cost for consumer. After filtering through multiple potential configurations for the aircraft and powertrain, the ER-01 trainer aircraft’s final design has been refined to a high wing aircraft with an all-movable horizontal …

Internal Structural Design For Low-Cost Unmanned Fighter/Interceptor Aircraft, Andrew Zubyk

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Akriveia Aerospace is focused on the design of a high strength and efficient structure to accommodate the small size of Akriveia Aerospace’s Accipiter aircraft while ensuring the structure’s ability to sustain the required loadings. Emphasis is placed on wing spar, fuselage bulkhead, bulkhead-to-spar bracket, skin, and spar web sizing; as well as the fasteners used to join the structural components. The Accipiter was inspired based on historical and modern fighter/interceptor aircraft, such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Preliminary sizing was conducted using conventional evaluation techniques; future aims involve validation using Finite Element Analysis. Due to …

Hybrid-Electric Regional Passenger Aircraft: Emphasizing Environmentally Impactful Technology, Annabelle Stube

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The aviation industry has significant negative impacts on the environment through greenhouse gas emissions and noise pollution. As small passenger aircraft tend to have more emissions per passenger mile than larger aircraft, this project aims to design a new hybrid-electric propulsion aircraft to be an innovative environmentally conscious option for short-range, limited-passenger flights. The design process focuses on constraint analyses, high stability, emission and noise reduction, uniqueness and marketability, and utilizing upcoming propulsion systems. Several new propulsion system options were assessed to prioritize viability and power and minimize environmental impacts. The hybrid-electric propulsion system and 12-passenger capacity were decided to …

Wing Structure Design The Ramp-200, Nicholas Hillburn

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This project focuses on the design of the wing structure to increase fatigue resistance and lessen the shear force across the skin of the wings, while maintaining the structure’s stability and soundness. The designed wing structure will be optimized to account for the proposed weight and endurance of the aircraft. The overall wing shape and size was defined using preliminary design methods and optimized for efficiency at Mach 0.9. The main structures were sized using calculations that were programmed into MATLAB and supported by hand calculations. Finite element analysis was used to verify sizing, and the structures were assessed using …

Wing Structure Design For Yf-27 Shrike Homeland Defense Interceptor, Maurya Jandyala

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This project focuses on designing the wing structure of an interceptor aircraft to withstand sustained supersonic flight and provide sufficient fuel storage for extended operations. The aircraft and structure were designed according to the AIAA Homeland Defense Interceptor request for proposal (RFP). Sizing of structural components was performed utilizing hand calculations and an idealized shear box approach focused on maximum aircraft limit loads. Based on these preliminary calculations, different wing structural components such as spars, ribs, stringers, and attachment points were designed using computer aided design (CAD) software. Finite element analysis was used to verify results and structural integrity of …

Class Activity, Understanding And Applying Tolerances, Noemi Liberati

AI in Engineering

This assignment is designed to help EGR120 – Graphical Communication students understand, interpret, and apply dimensional tolerances in engineering drawings. It is structured into four main parts: Pre-assessment, AI-supported learning, application and calculation, and final reflection. In the Pre-assessment, students begin by reflecting on their initial understanding of dimensional tolerances and how parts fit together, which promotes critical thinking and activates prior knowledge. The AI-supported learning phase involves using tools like CoPilot or ChatGPT to explore and clarify key concepts such as tolerance, types of fit between mating components, nominal values, and real-world examples. This fosters responsible AI use as …

Perturbation Solution Of Air-Water Mixture For Jet Noise Reduction, Juan Felipe Uribe Cifuentes

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This work investigates passive jet-noise mitigation using externally positioned air–water curtains that attenuate radiated sound without altering the underlying jet dynamics. Two classes of multiphase media are examined: a gaseous carrier phase containing dispersed liquid droplets, and a liquid carrier phase containing entrained air bubbles. For both systems, suspended and dispersed regimes are represented through a generalized perturbation formulation derived from the volume-averaged multiphase equations, incorporating finite volume fractions, interphase momentum coupling, and slip between phases. Analytical and numerical solutions demonstrate that acoustic attenuation is primarily governed by dispersed-phase diameter, volume fraction, and excitation frequency, with additional sensitivity to phase-interaction …

A Study In Object Detection And Classification Performance By Sensing Modality For Autonomous Surface Vessels, Daniel Lane

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This research presents a quantitative performance comparison between light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and vision-based sensing for real-time maritime object detection on autonomous surface vessels. Using Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s (ERAU) Minion platform and 2024 Maritime RobotX Challenge data, this study evaluates the detection of six maritime object categories using two representative models. YOLOv8 provides a neural network vision-based method, and GB-CACHE provides a deterministic LiDAR-based method. Both models have been previously demonstrated to run in real time on uncrewed surface vessels (USVs). The evaluation methodology encompasses multi-sensor calibration, real-time performance analysis, and the introduction of a late-fusion strategy in the …

Meshless Discrete Velocity Boltzmann Model For Porous Media Flow, Amandine Maidenberg

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This dissertation explores the combination of two sophisticated techniques for addressing computational fluid dynamics: the discrete velocity Boltzmann equation (DVBE) and the localized collocation meshless model with upwinding (U-LCMM). The DVBE is a high-level model that describes the foundations of transport phenomena by addressing the microscale motions of particles themselves and the effect of their aggregate behaviors on continuum principles. This equation integrates multiple scales of phenomena; while it can be used for fluid flow at Navier-Stokes scales, it can also resolve fine features that can only be described at the molecular level. This type of model is necessary for …