Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Autonomous Solid-State Radiation Detector For Safety Of Aerospace Systems, Levi Davies, Biswajit Ray

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.

An Enhanced Operational Definition Of Dielectric Breakdown For Dc Voltage Step-Up Tests, Allen Andersen, Jr Dennison

Journal Articles

The imprecise definition of breakdown in the ASTM D3755-14 standard can misidentify breakdown. If the recommended test circuit current sensing element threshold is set too high, breakdown may occur undetected. Conversely, false positives may result from designating a low current threshold. An operational definition of breakdown much less sensitive to these pitfalls is outlined herein. This enhanced definition of breakdown is based on the average rate of change of the leakage current with increasing voltage, rather than a simple current threshold, avoiding ambiguous association with anomalies in current traces. For tests that continuously monitor leakage current, breakdown can be detected …

Computational Methods For Nonlinear Systems Analysis With Applications In Mathematics And Engineering, Geoffrey Kenneth Rose

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An investigation into current methods and new approaches for solving systems of nonlinear equations was performed. Nontraditional methods for implementing arc-length type solvers were developed in search of a more robust capability for solving general systems of nonlinear algebraic equations. Processes for construction of parameterized curves representing the many possible solutions to systems of equations versus finding single or point solutions were established. A procedure based on these methods was then developed to identify static equilibrium states for solutions to multi-body-dynamic systems. This methodology provided for a pictorial of the overall solution to a given system, which demonstrated the possibility …

The Capabilities Of The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-16 (Goes-16), Brandon M. Kane

Student Works

This report investigates the capability of the new Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-16 (GOES-16) satellite to display 16 channels of the electromagnetic spectrum, to produce images at a higher resolution at increased intervals, and to detect and display lightning. This report also discusses the main instrumentation aboard the new geostationary satellite and how it aids in creating accurate data collection, which in turn, produces quicker weather forecasts and warnings. The 16 different channels produced by the Advanced Baseline Imager aboard the new satellite are analyzed in detail as to the functions and wavelengths on which the channels operate. The image resolution …

Using P-Band Signals Of Opportunity Radio Waves For Root Zone Soil Moisture Remote Sensing, Phillip H. Lipinski, Benjamin R. Nold, James L. Garrison

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Retrieval of Root Zone Soil Moisture (RZSM) is important for understanding the carbon cycle for use in climate change research as well as meteorology, hydrology, and precision agriculture studies. A current method of remote sensing, GNSS-R uses GPS signals to measure soil moisture content and vegetation biomass, but it is limited to 3-5 cm of soil penetration depth. Signals of Opportunity (SoOp) has emerged as an extension of GNSS-R remote sensing using communication signals. P-band communication signals (370 MHz) will be studied as an improved method of remote sensing of RZSM. P-band offers numerous advantages over GNSS-R, including stronger signal …

Hazard Assessment Of Meteoroid Impact For The Design Of Lunar Habitats, Herta Paola Montoya, Shirley Dyke, Julio A. Ramirez, Antonio Bobet, H. Jay Melosh, Daniel Gomez

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The design of self-sustaining lunar habitats is a challenge primarily due to the Moon’s lack of atmospheric protection and hazardous environment. To assure safe habitats that will lead to further lunar and space exploration, it is necessary to assess the different hazards faced on the Moon such as meteoroid impacts, extreme temperatures, and radiation. In particular, meteoroids pose a risk to lunar structures due to their high frequency of occurrence and hypervelocity impact. Continuous meteoroid impacts can harm structural elements and vital equipment compromising the well-being of lunar inhabitants. This study is focused on the hazard conceptualization and quantification of …

A Mathematical Model And Numerical Simulations Of Redox Electrochemical Systems With Mhd And Natural Convection, Kakkattukuzhy M. Isaac, Fangping Yuan

Collaborative Research: Actively Controllable Microfluidics with Film-Confined Redox-Magnetohydrodynamics -- Video and Data

A comprehensive mathematical model for redox electrochemical systems with magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and natural convection are presented. The model is based on density changes in isothermal systems that accompany redox reaction at the electrode due to supporting electrolyte ions migrating into and out of the diffusion layer to satisfy electroneutrality. Numerical simulations have been performed for an axisymmetric, milli-electrode electrochemical cell with gravity directed along the axis in both directions to investigate the effect of the electrode orientation with respect to gravity. Results show that natural convection is significant in both cases, with the maximum velocity being an order of magnitude …

Creating An Experimental Learning And Research Driven Spacesuit Lab For Erau, Ryan L. Kobrick, Erik Seedhouse

Publications

This paper evaluates key functional data parameters that must be considered for suborbital spaceflight participants wearing pressurized suits for intravehicular activity (IVA). Data parameters of an analog spacesuit worn in an analog flight environment were obtained from 40 civilian participants using the Suborbital Space Flight Simulator (SSFS) at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) while donning Final Frontier Design’s (FFD) fully pressurized third-generation spacesuit as part of their training for Project PoSSUM (the Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere Project). The physiological data collected included: blood pressure, electrocardiograms, heart rate, grip strength, and skin temperature. These parameters were measured using a …

Improved Ballistic Wind Prediction Using Projectile Tracking Data, William Arthur Kenney

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The United States Air Force AC-130 gunships have been in operation since the Vietnam War and have seen frequent use during recent conflicts. They are able to employ gun weapon systems from above a target in a way that maximizes possible time on target. When firing, the gun operators must deal with miss distances caused by winds acting on the projectile in flight. Operators currently perform a “tweak” to predict a ballistic wind affecting fired rounds which is then used in the fire-control to correct for the real winds and bring shots onto target. This correction, a single-point wind prediction, …

Natural Convection In Redox Electrochemistry: Model, Simulation And Experiments, Fangping Yuan, Kakkattukuzhy M. Isaac

Collaborative Research: Actively Controllable Microfluidics with Film-Confined Redox-Magnetohydrodynamics -- Video and Data

No abstract provided.

Stereoscopic 3-D Presentation For Air Traffic Control Digital Radar Displays, Jason G. Russi, Brent T. Langhals, Michael E. Miller, Eric L. Heft

AFIT Patents

An apparatus and method of presenting air traffic data to an air traffic controller are provided. Air traffic data including a two dimensional spatial location and altitude for a plurality of aircraft is received. A disparity value is determined based on the altitude for each aircraft of the plurality of aircraft. Left and right eye images are generated of the plurality of aircraft where at least one of the left and right eye images is based on the determined disparity value. The left and right eye images are simultaneously displayed to the air traffic controller on a display. The simultaneously …

Literature Review: Biomimetic And Conventional Aircraft Wing Tips, Naseeb Ahmed Siddiqui, Waqar Asrar, Erwin Sulaeman

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

This paper is an attempt to summarize the effect of wing tip devices employed by birds, as well as aeronautical engineers in the past to improve the performance characteristics of aircraft. The focus is on reduction of the induced drag or drag due to lift also known as inviscid drag. This paper will provide an insight on both biomimetic and conventional wing tip approaches to reduce the induced drag. Prior analysis and experiments on the aerodynamics of airplane performance due to both these separate studies have been discussed. The needs of the industry and their past inventions have been described …

P26. Global Exponential Stabilization On So(3), Soulaimane Berkane

Western Research Forum

Global Exponential Stabilization on SO(3)

Multi-Stage Axial Compressor With Counter-Rotation, Vinod Gehlot, Magdy S. Attia, Divyam Garg

Publications

A multi-stage axial compressor incorporating a counter-rotational movement is provided with a series of rotors mounted along and driven by a driveshaft, and a geared counter-rotating outer casing. A planetary gear system is assembled along a static casing, which can be assembled as a forward or aft casing for the compressor. The bearings of the planetary gear system typically will be aligned concentrically with a center rotor drum assembly mounted along the single driveshaft. The counter-rotating drum assembly will be assembled over the rotor drum assembly and will be engaged by the forward and aft casings so as to provide …

The Gettysburg Economic Review, Volume 10, Spring 2017

Gettysburg Economic Review

No abstract provided.

Autonomous Quadrotor Collision Avoidance And Destination Seeking In A Gps-Denied Environment, Thomas C. Kirven

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

This thesis presents a real-time autonomous guidance and control method for a quadrotor in a GPS-denied environment. The quadrotor autonomously seeks a destination while it avoids obstacles whose shape and position are initially unknown. We implement the obstacle avoidance and destination seeking methods using off-the-shelf sensors, including a vision-sensing camera. The vision-sensing camera detects the positions of points on the surface of obstacles. We use this obstacle position data and a potential-field method to generate velocity commands. We present a backstepping controller that uses the velocity commands to generate the quadrotor's control inputs. In indoor experiments, we demonstrate that the …

Long And Short-Range Air Navigation On Spherical Earth, Nihad E. Daidzic

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Global range air navigation implies non-stop flight between any two airports on Earth. Such effort would require airplanes with the operational air range of at least 12,500 NM which is about 40-60% longer than anything existing in commercial air transport today. Air transportation economy requires flying shortest distance, which in the case of spherical Earth are Orthodrome arcs. Rhumb-line navigation has little practical use in long-range flights, but has been presented for historical reasons and for comparison. Database of about 50 major international airports from every corner of the world has been designed and used in testing and route validation. …

Influence Of Magnetic Nanoparticles And Magnetic Stress On An Ionic Liquid Electrospray Source, Kurt Joseph Terhune

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Two electrospray sources were developed to operate on an ionic liquid ferrofluid; one source was a pressure‑fed capillary electrospray source and the other was a novel electrospray source which used a magnetically‑induced instability to produce a peak from which an electric field could extract electrospray. Multiple characteristics of electrospray operation were examined for both sources using faraday plates/cups, a quartz crystal microbalance, a retarding potential analyzer, and a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The ILFF electrosprays for a capillary source were shown to operate in a mixed ion/droplet regime. The mass flow of the electrospray beam was primarily transported by larger particles …

Building Miniature-Sized Ion Thruster Using Split Ring Resonator (Srr), Toyofumi Yamaguchi

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

The Experimental Determination Of The Moment Of Inertia Of A Model Airplane, Michael Koken

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The objective of this project is to suggest that the moment of inertia for irregular shaped objects can easily be determined experimentally. The objects considered in this experiment were a solid wooden block and a model airplane. To ensure that the method and configuration is sufficient a wooden block with known moments of inertia was first tested, and the results from the experiment were compared to the known and accepted values. For this particular experiment, the periods were determined by timing how long 10 oscillations lasted for 10 different trials, and then taking the average of those 10 trials to …

Intercomparison Of Modis And Viirs Fire Products In Khanty-Mansiysk Russia: Implications For Characterizing Gas Flaring From Space, Ambrish Sharma, Jun Wang, Elizabeth M. Lennartson

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Gas flaring is commonly used by industrial plants for processing oil and natural gases in the atmosphere, and hence is an important anthropogenic source for various pollutants including CO₂, CO, and aerosols. This study evaluates the feasibility of using satellite data to characterize gas flaring from space by focusing on the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug in Russia, a region that is well known for its dominant gas flaring activities. Multiple satellite-based thermal anomaly data products at night are intercompared and analyzed, including MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) Terra level 2 Thermal Anomalies product (MOD14), MODIS Aqua level 2 Thermal …

Variable Structure Feedback Control With Application To Spacecraft With Small Thrust Propulsion Systems, Samuel J. Kitchen-Mckinley

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Small spacecrafts requiring small propulsion systems are becoming more popular for low Earth orbit. It is important for these research satellites to have accurate guidance and control systems. Small propulsion systems will also be beneficial for multiple small spacecrafts used future exploration expeditions beyond low Earth orbit. These small spacecrafts benefit from the simplicity of low thrust cold gas propulsion systems. Additionally, large spacecrafts using low thrust, high specific impulse propellants for main propulsion systems, such as ion engines, allow longer and more flexible missions, including Earth orbiting spacecraft and interplanetary spacecraft.

In order to extend the life of future …

Quantifying The Characteristic Length Of A Combustor For An Ionic Liquid Monopropellant Thruster, Kimberly Marie Hogge

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Ionic liquid monopropellants are currently being researched as a promising alternative to hydrazine in propulsion systems. This report presents a flame study that delineates the flame length of the expected decomposition products from an ionic liquid monopropellant. Through these studies, the characteristic length of a combustion chamber will be defined through calculations and empirical correlations. There is limited information on designing a propulsion system for an ionic liquid monopropellant. Therefore, defining the magnitude for an effective characteristic length serves as beneficial in designing a propulsion system for an ionic liquid monopropellant thruster.

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite- R Series (Goes-R) 2016, Paige N. Dixon

Student Works

This is a report on the first NOAA GOES-R satellite, launched on November 19th, 2016. This report will cover some of the details of the GOES-R project, as well as discuss the collaborations that made the project possible. This document will also detail some of the new satellite’s capabilities including geostationary lightning detection, and space weather monitoring, and will focus on real-world application of such technology. Additionally, this report will list some of the current and projected GOES-R products, and the potential benefits if testing proves successful.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Is Key To Better Flying Aircraft, Nihad E. Daidzic

Aviation Department Publications

No abstract provided.

Gravity-Assist Trajectories To Venus, Mars, And The Ice Giants: Mission Design With Human And Robotic Applications, Kyle M. Hughes

Open Access Dissertations

Gravity-assist trajectories to Uranus and Neptune are found (with the allowance of impulsive maneuvers using chemical propulsion) for launch dates ranging from 2024 to 2038 for Uranus and 2020 to 2070 for Neptune. Solutions are found using a patched conic model with analytical ephemeris via the Satellite Tour Design Program (STOUR), originally developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Delivered payload mass is computed for all solutions for select launch vehicles, and attractive solutions are identified as those that deliver a specified amount of payload mass into orbit at the target body in minimum time. The best cases for each …

Commercial Space Situational Awareness (Ssa) Capabilities And Their Benefits For Civilian Space Traffic Management (Stm), Mark A. Skinner

Space Traffic Management Conference

Paralleling (but lagging) satellite development, SSA, long the sole domain of sophisticated militaries, now includes commercial providers. These commercial capabilities, identified as beneficial to the sustainable use of outer space[1], have demonstrated technical sophistication sufficient to positively contribute to the mitigation of satellite interference and provide actionable SSA information. Utilizing small optical telescopes, these entities are able to determine the orbits of objects in the geosynchronous orbit (GSO) to sizes as small as 1 m², with measured positional uncertainties of 10s of meters, on the order of the size of a modern communications satellite. These techniques …

Designing An Anti-Coincidence Shielding System For The Alfred Project, Active Luminescence For X-Ray Emission Detection (Alfred) Team, Francis Wessling

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.

Multi-Dome Forming Of A Ti–Al–Mn Alloy, Sergey Aksenov, Aleksey Kolesnikov, Ivan Zakhariev

The 8th International Conference on Physical and Numerical Simulation of Materials Processing

No abstract provided.

Natural Convection And Forced Convection Model Based On Electroneutrality And Migration In Redox Mhd Systems, Fangping Yuan, Kakkattukuzhy M. Isaac

Collaborative Research: Actively Controllable Microfluidics with Film-Confined Redox-Magnetohydrodynamics -- Video and Data

No abstract provided.