Engineering Commons^™

A Design Flow For Additively Manufactured 3d Metasurface Antennas​, Justin Parkhurst

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Metasurface (MTS) antennas are complex arrays consisting of hundreds or thousands of individual elements that each exert their own influence on the performance of the antenna. Due to this, the process of designing and developing a MTS antenna can be intensive in terms of both the time to understand the how these antennas operate and time running calculations that achieve optimal performance. Through the use of automation for geometry creation in ANSYS HFSS, the work involved in making a MTS antenna can be greatly simplified. The overall objective of this thesis is to reduce the burden of constructing a MTS …

Wireless Coupled Feed Structure For Additively Manufactured Conformal Antennas, Blake Roberts

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Due to advancements in additive manufacturing, it is possible to create electromagnetic devices that can be conformally printed directly onto 3D surfaces using conductive inks and dielectric pastes. Instance, the traditional antenna radomes that had the purpose of protecting the antenna on its inside can now become the antenna itself. With the components on the surface of the structure, instead of inside if it, a direct feed line would require cutting through dielectric layers and creating a direct electrical connection, also called vertical interconnect access (VIA). Such interconnects are frequent sources of failures, especially in applications that are subject to …

Assessment Of Iso-Ahola’S Theory Of Tourism Motivation On Willingness To Fly As A Point-To-Point Suborbital Space Tourist, Brian T. Musselman

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Suborbital space tourism involves flight in an air vehicle to an altitude exceeding 100 kilometers (62 miles). This altitude is referred to as the Karman Line and the edge of space. Point-to-point space travel is transportation in an air vehicle where the vehicle flies around the earth in space to decrease the time to travel from one point on the earth’s surface to another point on the earth’s surface. The commercial space flight industry has a vision for point-to-point space travel.

The study aimed to assess the influence of the four dimensions of Iso-Ahola’s (1982) theory of tourism motivation on …

Defining Aviation “Skills” To Ensure Effective, Safe, And Efficient Evaluations: A Qualitative Study, Jorge L. D. Albelo Ph.D., Haydee M. Cuevas, Marisa Aguiar, Christopher Piccone, Karlene Petitt, Raquel Villagomez

Publications

The present qualitative case study strives to define the term skill within aviation, drawing from the cognitive psychology, organizational psychology, and training literature as well as input from subject matter experts in the aviation industry. A review of the published literature revealed no consensus for defining what constitutes a skill. While some definitions follow a task-based approach, others emphasize more cognitively based representations. Moreover, a formal, commonly accepted definition of the term skill within the aviation domain is lacking. The researchers employed a qualitative case study methodology to extract true descriptions from the subject matter experts to bound and expand …

Understanding Unsteady Corner Separation Within Wing-Body Junction Flows, Paul G. Winner

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Wing-body junction flows, formed at the interface between a wing and fuselage surface, are a complex, coupled, three-dimensional, turbulent flow field. This thesis focused on the unsteady corner separation that develops at the trailing edge of this wing-body junction under certain conditions. A NACA 0015 wing mounted on a flat plate at an angle of attack of 13°was used as the model junction flow field. The wing had an aspect ratio of 8 with a linear washout twist of 15°. The Reynolds number based on the wing chord was Re_c = 4.5 × 10⁵. Time-dependent stereoscopic particle …

Sme Coffee Hour: Human Factors: Dirty Dozennorms And Complacency, Linda Vee Weiland

Publications

Presentation about the relevance between communication, language, complacency and norms related to flight safety.

A Data Driven Modeling Approach For Store Distributed Load And Trajectory Prediction, Nicholas Peters

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The task of achieving successful store separation from aircraft and spacecraft has historically been and continues to be, a critical issue for the aerospace industry. Whether it be from store-on-store wake interactions, store-parent body interactions or free stream turbulence, a failed case of store separation poses a serious risk to aircraft operators. Cases of failed store separation do not simply imply missing an intended target, but also bring the risk of collision with, and destruction of, the parent body vehicle. Given this risk, numerous well-tested procedures have been developed to help analyze store separation within the safe confines of wind …

Hardware Security For Wireless Communications Systems Using Antenna-Based Radio Frequency Fingerprint Engineering, Noemi Miguelez Gomez

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The design and application of novel physical-layer security techniques have been increasing in the last decades as means to enhance the security that more traditional techniques provide to wireless communications systems. Well-known hardware security techniques, such as radio frequency fingerprinting, use unintended manufacturing process variations and unique hardware structures in the semiconductors for applications such as identification and classification of the source of different transmitted signals, and detection of hardware modifications. The uniqueness of the features that two different modules present, even maintaining the same design, can be used for modules characterization at a lower cost and complexity than other …

Advanced Manufacturing And Dielectric Material Characterization Techniques For High-Temperature Mm-Wave Antennas, Seng Loong Yu

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

As traditional monitoring data sensors in high temperature environments such as gas turbine engines and aerospace applications are being replaced by wireless equivalents in recent years, there is a need for low-cost, low-time, and low-infrastructure alternatives to further push the state of the art. In this work, two aspects of high temperature materials in the above context are explored: (a) the development of advanced manufacturing techniques for high temperature materials that is lowcost, low-time, and low-infrastructure, and (b) the development of material characterization techniques that can be integrated with the manufacturing processes of high temperature materials. Additive manufacturing has been …

Supporting The Discovery, Reuse, And Validation Of Cybersecurity Requirements At The Early Stages Of The Software Development Lifecycle, Jessica Antonia Steinmann

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The focus of this research is to develop an approach that enhances the elicitation and specification of reusable cybersecurity requirements. Cybersecurity has become a global concern as cyber-attacks are projected to cost damages totaling more than $10.5 trillion dollars by 2025. Cybersecurity requirements are more challenging to elicit than other requirements because they are nonfunctional requirements that requires cybersecurity expertise and knowledge of the proposed system. The goal of this research is to generate cybersecurity requirements based on knowledge acquired from requirements elicitation and analysis activities, to provide cybersecurity specifications without requiring the specialized knowledge of a cybersecurity expert, and …

Girls In Aviation - Keynote Speaker, Sarah Nilsson

Publications

Girls in Aviation Day (GIAD) Keynote address by Associate Professor of Applied Aviation Science Sarah Nilsson.

Height Information Aided 3d Real-Time Large-Scale Underground User Positioning, Houbing Song, Chengkai Tang, Cunle Zhang, Lingling Zhang, Yi Zhang

Publications

Due to the cost of inertial navigation and visual navigation equipment and lake of satellite navigation signals, they cannot be used in large‐scale underground mining environment. To solve this problem, this study proposes large‐scale underground 3D real‐time positioning method with seam height assistance. This method uses the ultrawide band positioning base station as the core and is combined with seam height information to build a factor graph confidence transfer model to realise3D positioning. The simulation results show that the proposed real‐time method is superior to the existing algorithms in positioning accuracy and can meet the needs of large‐scale underground users.

A Qualitative Descriptive Study On Re-Assessing The Mental Certification By Faa For Future Pilots, Kaung Z. Min

Student Works

Mental illness becomes one of the main problems that most pilots do not usually address. It is not because pilots do not have the courage or are open enough to talk with someone, but because the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) forces them to hide from mental depression. Most of the time, the pilots are not willing to declare such illnesses as they fear losing their job; simultaneously, the Federal Aviation Agencies across the world require pilots to be in peat health, including their mental condition, to operate the aircraft. While it can be said that the passengers’ and crews’ safety …

Rocket Measurements Of Electron Energy Spectra From Earth’S Photoelectron Production Layer, Glyn A. Collinson, Alex Glocer, Dennis Chornay, Robert Mitchell, Rob Pfaff, Tim Cameron, Et. Al.

Publications

Photoelectrons are crucial to atmospheric physics. They heat the atmosphere, strengthen 28 planetary ambipolar electric fields, and enhance the outflow of ions to space. However, 29 there exist only a handful of measurements of their energy spectrum near the peak of 30 photoproduction. We present calibrated energy spectra of pristine photoelectrons at their 31 source by a prototype Dual Electrostatic Analyzer (DESA) instrument flown on July 11 32 2021 aboard the Dynamo-2 sounding rocket (NASA № 36.357). Photopeaks arising from 33 30.4nm He-II spectral line were observed throughout the flight above 120km. DESA also 34 successfully resolved the rarely observed …

Comprehensive Review Of Heat Transfer Correlations Of Supercritical Co2 In Straight Tubes Near The Critical Point: A Historical Perspective, Nicholas C. Lopes, Yang Chao, Vinusha Dasarla, Neil P. Sullivan, Mark Ricklick, Sandra Boetcher

Publications

An exhaustive review was undertaken to assemble all available correlations for supercritical CO2 in straight, round tubes of any orientation with special attention paid to how the wildly varying fluid properties near the critical point are handled. The assemblage of correlations, and subsequent discussion, is presented from a historical perspective, starting from pioneering work on the topic in the 1950s to the modern day. Despite the growing sophistication of sCO2 heat transfer correlations, modern correlations are still only generally applicable over a relatively small range of operating conditions, and there has not been a substantial increase in predictive capabilities. Recently, …

Validated Question Bank For Assessing Pilot Knowledge Of Aviation Weather Appendix: Weather Product Interpretation Questions, Robert Thomas, Cassandra Dommingo, John Kleber, Jackie Mcsorely, Amber Cole, Thomas Guinn, Elizabeth Blickensderfer

General Aviation Weather Display Interpretation

This appendix supplements the Thomas et al. (2022) paper titled “Validated Question Bank for Assessing Pilot Knowledge of Aviation Weather ” which validates a set of weather product interpretation questions that can be used to measure a pilot’s understanding of weather. The assessment consists of 15 weather product interpretation topics which can be administered as a single 65-question survey or, as in the Thomas et al. (2022) study, two assessments of 33 and 32 questions each separated by topic. The set of 65 questions can be found in this appendix along with a table which demonstrates how to separate the …

Inspection Of Flexible Fillers In Post-Tensioned Bridges, Carley Gonzalez

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is currently pushing toward the use of flexible fillers (FF) in new post-tensioned (PT) bridges. Flexible fillers have several advantages compared to the currently used cementitious grouts (CG) and can offer longer-lasting structures by providing better corrosion protection and allowing for replaceable tendons, which reduces the overall maintenance costs over the structure’s lifespan. Due to these fillers being used in new bridges, FDOT needs effective nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods to employ in their biennial inspections. There are currently numerous NDE methods available to inspectors that have been used to identify defects in PT bridges …

Computational Models To Detect Radiation In Urban Environments: An Application Of Signal Processing Techniques And Neural Networks To Radiation Data Analysis, Jose Nicolas Gachancipa

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal

Radioactive sources, such as uranium-235, are nuclides that emit ionizing radiation, and which can be used to build nuclear weapons. In public areas, the presence of a radioactive nuclide can present a risk to the population, and therefore, it is imperative that threats are identified by radiological search and response teams in a timely and effective manner. In urban environments, such as densely populated cities, radioactive sources may be more difficult to detect, since background radiation produced by surrounding objects and structures (e.g., buildings, cars) can hinder the effective detection of unnatural radioactive material. This article presents a computational model …

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 …

Mybody Safety System, Diego Draguicevich, Nicholas Rodriguez

Discovery Day - Prescott

To any university, the safety of students, faculty, and staff when on campus is paramount. To enhance safety, many campuses have “safety stations” of some sort scattered throughout. However, campuses such as Embry-Riddle Prescott also have hiking trails nearby. Safety pillars on hiking trails would be prohibitively expensive to build and maintain, and would also be less useful due to a longer response time for security officers. The MyBody System seeks to resolve these issues by introducing a system which is affordable, self-enclosed, solar powered and easy to maintain. The system would achieve this via custom wireless speakers disguised as …

Thermal Analysis Of The Temperature Gradient Across Pintle Injector Face, Zoe Brand

Discovery Day - Prescott

Proper analysis of the temperature gradient across the pintle injector face is a complicated surface to acquire a reading from. Complications arise from the extreme temperatures seen on the combustion side mixed with the ambient temperatures seen on the fuel side of the injector. The orientation of temperature sensor placement is critical to mitigate hot spots and not disrupt the thermal flow through the injector face. The installment of the temperature sensors is also a critical issue since a new medium would need to be added to keep the sensor in place. The goal of this research is to figure …

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 …

Effects Of Equivalence Ratio During Shutdown Of A Rocket Engine On Hardware Longevity, Benjamin Black

Discovery Day - Prescott

During the shutdown or purge period after firing of a rocket engine it is critical to understand what equivalence ratios are desirable and implement a shutdown sequence so that the hardware is subjected to the lowest thermal and mechanical loading. Furthermore, it is essential that hazards to the test technicians caused by this method be minimized. The initial study was conducted into combustion mechanics, to understand how the reactants would ideally behave at varying equivalence ratios and in both pre-mixed and diffusion flame combustion. Using this foundation an analytical model for a Propane-Oxygen flame was created and tested using a …

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 …

Interactive Planetarium Project, Eric Babcock, Cody Park, Johann Van Hilst

Discovery Day - Prescott

The Interactive Planetarium Project will design and build the software framework for connectivity between the Digistar 6 planetarium projection software and the smartphones of all audience members in the Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium. The goal of this project is to make planetarium shows more participatory, add a feature to our planetarium shows that many other universities do not yet have, and create a framework for future students and faculty to build from. To demonstrate our technology, we will make a real-time competitive trivia game able to support 60 concurrent users (number of expected audience members in the planetarium).

The …

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 …

Tensile Testing Of 3d Printed Tpu Samples For Pediatric Biomaterial Applications, Sheridan C. Perry, Rodriguez M. Rafael, Victor Huayamave, Bryan M. Gonzalez, Kim Dae-Won, Zachary R. Nadeau

PanaSoMM

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has, in recent years, become one of the most widespread and preferred prototyping methods. The most popular additive manufacturing method is Fused Deposition Modeling. FDM’s popularity is primarily attributed to its 3 major strengths of rapid prototyping, variability in material choice, and subject specific nature. The medical industry is one of the larger industries that has benefited from 3D printing especially in the terms of medical trainers. Unfortunately, most medical trainers that are developed (either being 3d printed or through traditional manufacturing processes) are poor substitutes for the human body. This can be attributed to either a …