Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Increasing The Density Value Of Composite Propellant Ap/Htpb/Al For Rocket Performance Using The Sphere Packing Model, Muhammad Iqbal Alfikri, Bayu Prianto, Ariadne Lakshmidevi Juwono

Makara Journal of Science

This research employs the sphere packing volume (SPV) model to optimize the density of composite propellants thereby enhancing rocket performance. We systematically varied the diameters of spherical ammonium perchlorate (AP) particles (50 and 400 µm) and aluminum powder (Al) particles (10 and 30 µm). These particles were incorporated at an ideal AP:Al ratio of 4:1 into a matrix of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene and toluene diisocyanate. By adjusting the AP ratio for each Al particle size and considering theoretical and tap densities, we precisely calculated the SPV value for each composition. The composition with the highest SPV value yielded remarkable results. This …

Developing Field And Spaceflight Microscopy, Nikki Johnston

Dissertations and Theses

Designing for spaceflight favors the reduction of unnecessary features and cost-cutting, whether thisbe computation, hardware, or procedure. Resources are spent toward fortification and mission success over convenience. Such design goals paired with the relatively smaller budgets of academia lead us to do as much as we can in-house and use open-source as much as we can without compromising mission success. We also believe that thoroughly testing technology in extreme environments on earth is necessary for the success of a flight instrument. We focus on microscopy for life detection. I have spent my time here learning methods of hand-building microscopes to …

M.O.D.U.S. Modular Optical Design Using Specular Film, Mario Gutierrez, Robert Thibodeau, Emma Show, Desiree Robinson, Lingyuan Meng, Sean Martin, Conner Beeson

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

High-quality parabolic mirrors, which are vital components in reflecting telescopes, are typically bulky, costly, and highly fragile. This experiment explores the feasibility of using specular Class B Mylar as an unconventional, lightweight, and cost-effective alternative. This approach could enable new telescope designs by greatly reducing weight and manufacturing expenses, while also opening options for potential adaptability.   This approach involves using Mylar, a flexible, reflective style of plastic. The mylar is formed into a concave mirror by stretching a sheet over a chamber and depressurizing one side to force the sheet into the necessary curved shape. Multiple designs are being created …

String-Of-Pearls Measurements Of Supersonic Plasma Jets Using Magnetospheric Multiscale Satellites, Amelia Koth

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

High-energy supersonic plasma jets form when the solar wind, which is a flow of charged particles from the Sun, slows down as it encounters Earth’s magnetic shield. Occasionally, the solar wind remains at supersonic speeds as it enters this region. This forms plasma jets that propagate toward Earth; these jets can carry strong magnetic fields, drive magnetic reconnection, and potentially initiate substorms that lead to auroral activity.   Previously studied plasma jets occurred when the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) points southward. In contrast, this study focuses on northward IMF conditions, which are less understood, yet still capable of producing supersonic jets. …

Extending The Essentially Entropic Lattice Boltzmann Method To Three-Dimensional Turbulent Flows, Michael Derderian

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The Entropic Lattice Boltzmann Method (EELBM) has demonstrated strong numerical stability and accuracy for two-dimensional simulations, particularly at higher resolutions where the entropic formulation introduces only minimal stabilizing turbulent viscosity and eventually converges to the Lattice Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook (LBGK) formulation. This built-in stabilization can be interpreted as an implicit large-eddy simulation (LES) model, allowing EELBM to capture complex turbulent behavior without requiring explicit subgrid-scale closures. While these advantages have been thoroughly validated in 2D, understanding how the entropic constraint regulates dissipation in three dimensions is essential for assessing EELBM’s suitability for practical, turbulence-dominated applications. This work focuses on the development and …

Multi-Dimensional Particle-In-Cell With Monte Carlo Collisions (Pic-Mcc) Simulation For Visualizing Plasma Flow And Secondary Ionization In Constricted-Anode Geometries, Parth Thakar

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Constricted-anode plasma sources generate locally intensified electric fields that enhance ionization near the anode, making them valuable in propulsion and laboratory plasma systems. However, the narrow geometry produces complex charge accumulation and secondary ionization effects that remain difficult to measure experimentally. To address this challenge, our research develops and applies a multi-dimensional Particle-in-Cell with Monte Carlo Collisions (PIC-MCC) simulation of a DC discharge in 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D configurations that model a constricted-anode device. PIC-MCC is a first-principles method that tracks electrons and ions individually while computing self-consistent electric fields and incorporating energy-dependent collision processes. This approach enables direct visualization …

Effect Of Anode Size On The Properties Of Constricted Hollow Anode Pulsed Plasma Source, Nirav Patel, Garret Seckinger

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

With the advent of ion thrusters, burns requiring large velocity changes can be performed with a fraction of the propellant required by traditional chemical rocket engines. However, current ion thrusters produce thrust in the order of millinewtons and thus cannot be viable for launching vehicles or burns requiring velocity changes in a small amount of time. Furthermore, current ion thrusters experience grid and component erosion, where the two grids at the termination of the nozzle slowly erode due to particle impact, and the hot electrodes degrade due to high thermal load. This limits the life of ion engines, which require …

Navier Stokes Pressure Drop Derivation, Brayden Benedetti, Gedaliah Dimbert, Jaden Turobiner

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Accurate prediction of pressure losses in propellant and fluid feed systems is essential for reliable design and operation of aerospace and industrial flow networks. This project presents a systematic derivation of a practical pressure drop calculator for a feed system using isopropyl alcohol, beginning from the fundamental conservation laws and culminating in an engineering-level computational model. Starting with the differential form of the Navier–Stokes equations for incompressible flow, the governing equations are simplified through a series of physically justified assumptions, including steady-state flow, negligible body forces, and fully developed internal flow within circular piping. The resulting momentum balance is reduced …

Application Of Navier Stokes In Cfd, Hayden Kerkhoff, Gavin Palmer, Garret Seckinger

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This project investigates the use of 2-Dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to analyze aerodynamic behavior, then compare data with the numerical solution of the Navier–Stokes equations run by MATLAB. By leveraging open‑source and possible industry CFD platforms—including OpenFOAM and commercial solvers such as ANSYS Fluent and Inventor Professional—the study evaluates how computational methods simulate, optimize, and predict key aerodynamic quantities such as lift, drag, stall angle, and Reynolds number.   The project focuses on modeling an airflow over specific parameters, such as different angles of attacks and ISA Atmospheric Conditions. Parametric variations in density, angle of attack, chord length, and temperature …

Motion With Air Resistance, Gauge Mccain, Jacob Bealefeld, Francesca Wise

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The motion of objects moving through air is influenced not only by gravity but also by air resistance, which affects the speed and acceleration of the object over time. This project examines the motion of a falling object by modeling it with an ordinary differential equation that accounts for both gravitational force and a resistive drag force proportional to velocity. Using Newton’s Second Law, a first-order differential equation is derived to describe how the velocity of the object changes as it falls. The solution of this equation demonstrates how the velocity increases initially and gradually approaches a constant value known …

Engineering Path Trajectories With Gravitational Fields, Eliane Dean, Aidan Hart, Isabel Noot, Nathan Browning, Valeria Villazon Fito

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This project explores how vector calculus concepts play a role in aerospace engineering though spacecraft trajectory design. In particular, the notion of vector fields is used to model the gravitational force, whose work done is expressed through line integrals. By taking the curl of the gravitational field and showing it is zero, the field is recognised as conservative, implying that the work done by gravity is path independent. This property is conceptually linked to gravitational potential energy and the principle of energy conservation. The results are then applied to spacecraft motion, where engineers use energy-base methods to determine efficient trajectories …

Simulations Of Phugoid Motion Of Jal 123, Dereth J J. Drake Scheuermann

Georgia Journal of Science

Airplanes rely on a balance between the four forces of flight: lift, weight, thrust, and drag. If these forces are balanced, the airplane will remain stable. However, if structurally or systematically compromised, the motion can rapidly become unstable. In the aviation industry, mistakes in repairs and aircraft design can lead to accidents causing the loss of life in some cases. In this article, we will be analyzing what happened 70 Japan Airlines flight 123 and how the flight’s motion deteriorated due to a defective repair. More specifically, we will discuss the aerodynamic effects of phugoid motion and how it developed …

Global Time-Resolved Measurements Of Inlet/Isolator Unstart Induced By Mass Injection, Andrew N. Bustard, Benjamin L. Bemis, Aaron Marques, Matthew J. Zahr, Thomas J. Juliano

Publications

The inner surface pressure of an axisymmetric inlet/isolator model was measured using anodized-aluminum pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) viewing through cast acrylic. Temperaturesensitive paint was utilized to correct for the PSP’s temperature sensitivity. The model was tested under Mach 5.7 flow at 𝑹𝒆 = 7.1 ×106 /m under conventional noise conditions. Transverse jet injection with jet-to-inlet mass-flow ratios up to 0.8 was used to induce unstart in the inlet/isolator. Background-oriented schlieren visualization of the inlet shocks was collected simultaneously with the PSP to determine when the inlet unstarted. Computational fluid dynamics results were used to determine off-wall flow structures and quantify approach …

Numerical Method For Strongly Variable-Density Flows At Low Mach Number: Flame-Sheet Regularisation And A Mass-Flux Immersed Boundary Method, Matheus P. Severino, Fernando F. Fachini, Elmer M. Gennaro, Daniel Rodríguez, Leandro F. Souza

Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Simulation with Applications

A low-Mach-number flow, in the laminar regime, has intrinsically two characteristic spatial scales for a given time scale, or two characteristic temporal scales for a given spatial scale, and these dual scales are very different due to the disparity between the flow and acoustic speed. Therefore, low-Mach-number flows impose mathematical and computational challenges in their description. Standard numerical methods for compressible flows, which are typically designed for problems with a single dominant spatial and temporal scale, require alternative approaches, such as preconditioning techniques or solvers tailored for low-Mach-number equations. The present work introduces a simplified fluid dynamics model for flows …

Atomistic Simulations Of Crystallographic Anisotropy And Defects In Shock Loading, Benjamin P. Helman, Andre Archer, Logan Nagy, Samuel C. Wagers, Douglas E. Spearot, Adib J. Samin

Faculty Publications

The impact of crystallographic orientation, select grain boundaries, and vacancies on the shock response of aluminum was investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. Shock loading in the [001], [011], and [111] directions was explored, revealing anisotropic behavior in shock speed, generated dislocation density, and melting. The Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL) in the [100], [110], and [111] directions were calculated as 18.7 GPa, 17.8 GPa, and 22.5 GPa, respectively. These results were found to be an order of magnitude larger than the uniaxial compressive yield strengths computed at high strain rate using an affine loading scheme. Metastable melting in the [011] and …

Boiling Flow Estimation For Aero-Optic Phase Screen Generation, Jeffrey W. Utley, Gregery T. Buzzard, Charles A. Bouman, Matthew R. Kemnetz

Faculty Publications

Aero-optic effects due to turbulence can reduce the effectiveness of transmitting light waves to a distant target. Methods to compensate for turbulence typically rely on realistic turbulence data, which can be generated by i) experiment, ii) high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD), iii) low-fidelity CFD, and iv) autoregressive methods. However, each of these methods has significant drawbacks, including monetary and/or computational expense, limited quantity, inaccurate statistics, and overall complexity. By contrast, the boiling flow algorithm is a simple, computationally efficient model that can generate atmospheric phase screen data with only a handful of parameters. However, boiling flow has not been widely …

Robust Real-Time Uav Target Tracking With Onboard Vision-Based Yaw Control, Rylan Malarchick, Jose Castelblanco, Enrique Amaya, Carmen Dimario, Graysen Brinkman, Chirag Kumar, Kiwon Yoon, Sajid Berhane

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal

Autonomous tracking of agile unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) presents significant challenges for real-time perception and control systems. This work presents AIRHOUND (Autonomous Intelligent Rotorcraft for Hostile Object Unified Navigation and Detection), a UAV platform implementing vision-based yaw tracking through a modular ROS2 software architecture. The system employs YOLOv8 object detection optimized with NVIDIA TensorRT for embedded deployment on an NVIDIA Jetson Orin companion computer. Detected targets are processed through a geometric tracking module that converts pixel coordinates to angular yaw errors using pinhole camera intrinsics, with a proportional controller generating rate-limited yaw commands. These commands are streamed to a PX4 …

Winddensity-Mbir: Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction For Wind Tunnel 3d Density Estimation, Karl J. Weisenburger, Gregery T. Buzzard, Charles A. Bouman, Matthew R. Kemnetz

Faculty Publications

Experimentalists often use wind tunnels to study aerodynamic turbulence, but most wind tunnel imaging techniques are limited in their ability to take non-invasive three-dimensional (3D) density measurements of turbulence. Wavefront tomography is a technique that uses multiple wavefront measurements from various viewing angles to non-invasively measure the 3D density field of a turbulent medium. Existing methods make strong assumptions, such as a spline basis representation, to address the ill-conditioned nature of this problem. We formulate this problem as a Bayesian, sparse-view tomographic reconstruction problem and develop a model-based iterative reconstruction algorithm for measuring the volumetric 3D density field inside a …

Improving The Reliability And Performance Of A Supersonic Indraft Tube Wind Tunnel, Christian J. Kaml

Master's Theses

Access to supersonic testing is increasing in demand, and wind tunnels remain one of the safest and most cost-effective methods for gathering high-speed flow data. Despite being more economical than alternative options, supersonic wind tunnel facilities often require substantial investment to construct, operate, and maintain.

The novel indraft tube tunnel architecture was conceived as a high-speed flow testbed that incorporates features of both Ludwieg tubes and indraft wind tunnels to maintain costs low enough to be accessible even to small universities. This design was first developed and tested in 2018 at California Polytechnic State University, featuring a cost per test …

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 …

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.

Numerical Study Of Nutrient Mixing In Trabecular Bone In Microgravity, Disuse And Normogravity, Sagar Gharti

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Mechanical loading is known to regulate bone remodeling by driving interstitial fluid flow which stimulates cells and drives nutrient transport within the trabecular network. In microgravity, the absence of mechanical stimulation or loading suppresses convective flow processes, causing diffusion-driven nutrient mixing and renewal, and accelerated bone loss. This thesis investigates how oscillation frequency and trabecular bone density jointly control nutrient mixing and wall shear stress within trabecular cavities.

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) framework is developed in STAR-CCM+ using a soft-cap oscillation model that mimics cyclic compression. Three idealized trabecular morphologies are simulated across different frequencies to represent microgravity or …

Uncertainty Quantification, Propagation & Conjunction Assessment In Orbital Mechanics Using Generalized Polynomial Chaos Expansion & 2-Dimensional Conjunction Plane Analysis Techniques, Monalisa Karim

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses

Uncertainties, that are inherent to dynamic models, can be associated with state initial conditions, force modelling errors, navigation and actuation errors. In system modelling stochastic differential equations are used to represent dynamic phenomena with uncertainties, for which the solutions are probability density functions of quantities of interest characterizing the realization of the stochastic processes. In Polynomial Chaos Expansion (PCE) propagation, these solutions are represented as weighted sums of multivariate spectral polynomials that are functions of the input random variables. Generalized polynomial chaos expansion (gPC) is an extension to the original homogenous PCE which projects the random solution onto a basis …

Computational Study Of Rotating Detonation Combustors, Aditya Balasubramaniam

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses

Rotating detonation combustors (RDCs) are pressure-gain combustion devices that sustain one or more continuously rotating detonation waves, offering potential thermodynamic and performance advantages over conventional deflagration-based systems. Their behavior depends strongly on combustor geometry and operating conditions. Understanding these effects is therefore essential for the design and optimization of practical RDCs. Accordingly, this thesis numerically investigates annular RDCs with two primary objectives: (1) to evaluate the effects of propellant mass flux and (2) to assess the influence of annular width on detonation-wave dynamics and combustor performance.

A finite-volume framework is used to solve the compressible reactive Euler equations with hydrogen–air …

High Intensity Ablation By Laser Filaments At Standoff Distances, Owen Thome

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The high-power densities delivered to a target material by a laser allow for melting and vaporization to occur, a process called laser ablation. At higher intensities, plasma formation occurs and more complex material removal mechanisms take place. As laser power increases, nonlinear effects occur during propagation. One such effect, Kerr self-focusing, leads to beam collapse and ionization, resulting in a channel of plasma and region of high intensity light referred to as a laser filament. Filaments carry intensities on the order of 10¹³ W/cm² to significant distances without the use of large-scale focusing optics. Laser filament ablation is …

Simulation Of Rocket Response To Electromagnetic Environments Using Finite Element Modeling, Eden Powers

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

The purpose of this project is to develop a rocket model in FEMAP with NX-Nastran to simulate how a rocket might respond when exposed to external electromagnetic conditions. A simplified model of the SpaceX Starship will be constructed and analyzed to explore how various electromagnetic conditions interact with the rocket’s materials and geometry.

Exploratory Study Of Semiconductor Nanomembranes In Em Applications, Grant D. Heileman

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Antenna systems are a cornerstone of modern technologies, playing an increasingly vital role in their advancement. As demand for compact, high-performance, and adaptable communication platforms grows reconfigurable antenna technologies are becoming essential. This research explores a novel front-end reconfigurable antenna system (FERAS) architecture that leverages the mechanical flexibility and photoconductive behavior of semiconductor nanomembrane (SNM) devices. By exploiting the emergent properties of ultra-thin silicon (Si) or gallium arsenide (GaAs) nanomaterials and optically exciting these samples using vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays, this study develops lightweight, low-cost, deployable antenna structures for satellite communications, remote sensing, GPS, and radar. Despite their significant …

Active Measurement Of A Micron-Order Gap Under High-Speed And High-Temperature Conditions, Andrew Becker

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The hypersonic regime poses numerous challenges that researchers face in the development of hypersonic flight vehicles. Due to their excellent thermomechanical properties, ultra-high-temperature ceramics (UHTCs) have risen as a promising solution to act as a protective barrier between the harsh environment and surface materials of these flight bodies. The mechanical operation of a portable hypersonic simulation device was developed in-house and tested at Argonne National Laboratories (ANL) to gather in-situ material response of prospective UHTC samples when exposed to a hypersonic regime. An edge detection-based algorithm was developed and used in LabVIEW to monitor the health and operation of the …

Electrical Characterization Of Germanium Tin Alloys And Devices For Space Reliability, Kevin K. Choe

Theses and Dissertations

GeSn (germanium tin) alloys are potentially well suited for near-mid infrared space optoelectronic applications. Alloys of GeSn have similar properties to group III-V and mercury-cadmium-telluride semiconductors and are compatible with cost-effective complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) manufacturing technology. Recent progress in non-equilibrium remote plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RPECVD) has enabled the crystalline growth of GeSn with Sn concentrations of up to 10% without Sn surface segregation. Several experimental studies in previous literature report CVD- or molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)-grown GeSn alloys achieving a direct bandgap with 6%-9% Sn content. This novel growth technique opens opportunities for a cost-effective, next-generation optical …

Advancing Real-World Implementation Of The Well Optimized Linear Finder (Wolf) High-Speed Atmospheric Turbulence Compensation Method, Timothy Evan Coon

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation advances the real-world implementation of the Well Optimized Linear Finder (WOLF) method for high-speed Atmospheric Turbulence Compensation (ATC). Atmospheric turbulence introduces phase aberrations into optical wavefronts and degrades image quality in terrestrial imaging systems. Traditional phase diversity methods are computationally intensive and poorly suited to real-time operation. The WOLF method addresses these limitations through a novel, point-wise formulation of the optical transfer function (OTF) as a structured autocorrelation of the generalized pupil function (GPF). This formulation enables the estimation of phase aberrations at individual spatial coordinates with distributed computational complexity.

The research begins by developing a MATLAB-based simulation …