Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

A Parametric Study Of Formation Flight Of A Wing Based On Prandtl's Bell-Shaped Lift Distribution, Kyle S. Lukacovic

Master's Theses

The bell-shaped lift distribution (BSLD) wing design methodology advanced by Ludwig Prandtl in 1932 was proposed as providing the minimum induced drag. This study used this method as the basis to analyze its characteristics in two wing formation flight. Of specific interest are the potential efficiency savings and the optimal positioning for formation flight. Additional comparison is made between BSLD wings and bird flight in formation.

This study utilized Computational Flow Dynamics (CFD) simulations on a geometric modeling of a BSLD wing, the Prandtl-D glider. The results were validated by modified equations published by Prandtl, by CFD modeling published by …

Initial Orbit Determination Error Analysis Of Low-Earth Orbit Rocket Body Debris And Feasibility Study For Debris Cataloguing From One Optical Facility, Kyle Stoker

Master's Theses

This paper is predicated on determining the effectiveness of angles-only initial orbit determination (IOD) methods when limited observational data is available for low-Earth orbit (LEO) rocket body debris. The analysis will be conducted with data obtained from Lockheed Martin Space’s Space Object Tracking (SpOT) facility, focusing on their observational data from 2018 that contains tracking of rocket body debris for less than one minute per overhead pass. After the IOD accuracies are better understood, a feasibility study will follow that investigates the possibility of cataloguing LEO orbital debris from a single optical observation facility with similar observational capabilities as that …

A Study Of The Design Of Adaptive Camber Winglets, Justin J. Rosescu

Master's Theses

A numerical study was conducted to determine the effect of changing the camber of a winglet on the efficiency of a wing in two distinct flight conditions. Camber was altered via a simple plain flap deflection in the winglet, which produced a constant camber change over the winglet span. Hinge points were located at 20%, 50% and 80% of the chord and the trailing edge was deflected between -5° and +5°. Analysis was performed using a combination of three-dimensional vortex lattice method and two-dimensional panel method to obtain aerodynamic forces for the entire wing, based on different winglet camber configurations. …

Pocket Rocket: A 1u+ Propulsion System Design To Enhance Cubesat Capabilities, James M. Harper

Master's Theses

The research presented provides an overview of a 1U+ form factor propulsion system design developed for the Cal Poly CubeSat Laboratory (CPCL). This design utilizes a Radiofrequency Electrothermal Thruster (RFET) called Pocket Rocket that can generate 9.30 m/s of delta-V with argon, and 20.2 ± 3 m/s of delta-V with xenon. Due to the demand for advanced mission capabilities in the CubeSat form factor, a need for micro-propulsion systems that can generate between 1 – 1500 m/s of delta-V are necessary.

By 2019, Pocket Rocket had been developed to a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5 and ground tested in …

Safran Seat Attachment System, Craig John Kimball, Tyler Bragg, Lynette Cox

Mechanical Engineering

This final design review (FDR) document outlines the senior design project being carried out by a team of mechanical engineering undergraduate students attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo for Safran Seats in Santa Maria, CA. The project originally was to design, build, and test a universal attachment to secure a widebody business class seat to seven aircraft models with different seat track geometry. The goal was to design, document, and create a finished product that fits design, weight, and manufacturing requirements, as well as passes static 9G FWD testing. Structural analysis, manufacturing analysis, FEA, and CAD assemblies will …

Miniaturized Ultraviolet Imager Phase Iii, Bradley D. Albright, Nicolas A. Armenta, Colin W. Harrop

Mechanical Engineering

This document details the work to date, June 9, 2020, done by the Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering senior project team, Miniaturized Ultraviolet Imager: Phase III (MUVI III), sponsored by the University of California, Berkeley – Space Sciences Laboratory (UCB SSL). MUVI III is the third senior project team of an ongoing design, MUVI: the prototype of a 2U sized CubeSat intended to capture aurora images in the ionosphere. The first team, MUVI I, finished development of the UV imager. The second team, MUVI II, designed the mirror mounting and deployable door mechanisms. The goal of MUVI phase III is to …

Conceptual Design Of A South Pole Carrier Pigeon Uav, Kendrick M. Dlima

Master's Theses

Currently, the South Pole has a large data problem. It is estimated that 1.2 TB of data is being produced every day, but less than 500 GB of that data is being uploaded via aging satellites to researchers in other parts of the world. This requires those at the South Pole to analyze the data and carefully select the parts to send, possibly missing out on vital scientific information. The South Pole Carrier Pigeon will look to bridge this data gap.

The Carrier Pigeon will be a small unmanned aerial vehicle that will carry a 30 TB solid-state hard drive …

Thermal Modeling And Testing Of The Blue Thermal Vacuum Chamber, Madeline R. Jensma

Master's Theses

The Blue Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVAC) located in the Space Environments Laboratory at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), may be used for thermal vacuum testing of test articles that fit with in the semi cylindrical test section that has a radius of approximately 18 cm and a length of 61 cm. The potential test articles include CubeSat systems and subsystem. The Blue TVAC can also be used for educational and research purposes. The goal of this thesis project is to develop a thermal model of the Blue TVAC to predict and analyze the thermal response of …

A Study Of The Standard Cirrus Wing Lift Distribution Versus Bell Shaped Lift Distribution, William H. Bergman

Master's Theses

This thesis discusses a comparison of the differences in aerodynamic performance of wings designed with elliptical and bell-shaped lift distributions. The method uses a Standard Cirrus sailplane wing with a lift distribution associated with the induced drag benefits of an elliptical distribution (span efficiency = 0.96) as the basis of comparison. The Standard Cirrus is a standard class sailplane with 15-meter wingspan that was designed by Schempp-Hirth in 1969. This sailplane wing was modeled and analyzed in XFLR5, then validated against existing wind tunnel airfoil data, and Standard Cirrus flight test data. The root bending moment of the baseline wing …

A Study Of The Utilization Of Panel Method For Low Aspect Ratio Wing Analysis, William Barton D. Newey

Master's Theses

This study demonstrates the applicability of using a modified application strategy of panel method to analyze low aspect ratio wings at preliminary design phases. Conventional panel methods fail to capture the leading edge vortex (LEV) that is shed by wings with low aspect ratios, typically below 2 depending on planform. This aerodynamic phenomenon contributes to a significant amount of the lift of these wings and the result is a drastic underestimation of the lift characteristics when analyzed by conventional panel method. To capture the effect of the leading edge vortex, a panel method code was used with an extended definition …

Three Axis Attitude Control System Design And Analysis Tool Development For The Cal Poly Cubesat Laboratory, Liam T. Bruno

Master's Theses

The Cal Poly CubeSat Laboratory (CPCL) is currently facing unprecedented engineering challenges—both technically and programmatically—due to the increasing cost and complexity of CubeSat flight missions. In responding to recent RFPs, the CPCL has been forced to find commercially available solutions to entire mission critical spacecraft subsystems such as propulsion and attitude determination & control, because currently no in-house options exist for consideration. The commercially available solutions for these subsystems are often extremely expensive and sometimes provide excessively good performance with respect to mission requirements. Furthermore, use of entire commercial subsystems detracts from the hands-on learning objectives of the CPCL by …

Lip Thrust Apparatus, Ian M. Wilson, Alvin K. Cheong

Mechanical Engineering

This document contains the background information, defined scope of work, preliminary design philosophy, conceptual design development, and final design choices along with its corresponding manufacturing and design verification plans. It also includes the preliminary testing and prototyping necessary in bringing our verification prototype to its final configuration for delivery. Finally, it includes the entire manufacturing process followed in creating the final project and the extensive testing performed to ensure it meets the defined engineering specifications. The aerodynamic phenomenon being analyzed and demonstrated in our final deliverable can be seen in a scenario where when a propeller is enclosed in a …

A System Architecture For Phased Development Of Remote Suas Operation, Eric Ashley

Master's Theses

Current airspace regulations require the remote pilot-in-command of an unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to maintain visual line of sight with the vehicle for situational awareness. The future of UAS will not have these constraints as technology improves and regulations are changed. An operational model for the future of UAS is proposed where a remote operator will monitor remote vehicles with the capability to intervene if needed. One challenge facing this future operational concept is the ability for a flight data system to effectively communicate flight status to the remote operator. A system architecture has been developed to facilitate the implementation …

Development Of An Analysis Tool And Weight Estimation Method For Aircraft Wing Structures, Kevin M. Barton

Master's Theses

The goal of this effort was to build an analysis tool for aircraft wings and incorporate it into a program that optimizes the wing structure for the lowest weight for the conceptual design phase. The analysis tool calculates the internal stresses in primary load carrying members using established analysis methods for semimonocoque beams. Via a Graphical User Interface (GUI) built in MATLAB, the user can define the structural layout and material properties of the load carrying members. The program requires a degenerate geometry model built with Vehicle Sketch Pad (OpenVSP) to define the outer mold line (OML) of the wing, …

Tumble Bot, Alena Beyer, Blake Gonzales, Jensen Severance, Liam Chaffey

Mechanical Engineering

Passive locomotion is the ability for an object to move from one place to another by the means of the environment. In nature species such as tumbleweed, fox tails, plankton, and man o’ war jellyfish rely on passive modes of transportation for survival and are able to cross vast distances with little to no expenditure of their own energy. This document seeks to explore the feasibility of building a machine relies on the energy of Mars’ environment to explore the Martian surface.

The “Tensegrity Tumbleweed Locomotion” (nicknamed Tumble Bot) senior project was sponsored by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The …

Performance Enhancement And Characterization Of An Electromagnetic Railgun, Paul M. Gilles

Master's Theses

Collision with orbital debris poses a serious threat to spacecraft and astronauts. Hypervelocity impacts resulting from collisions mean that objects with a mass less than 1g can cause mission-ending damage to spacecraft. A means of shielding spacecraft against collisions is necessary. A means of testing candidate shielding methods for their efficacy in mitigating hypervelocity impacts is therefore also necessary. Cal Poly’s Electromagnetic Railgun was designed with the goal of creating a laboratory system capable of simulating hypervelocity (≥ 3 km/s) impacts. Due to several factors, the system was not previously capable of high-velocity (≥ 1 km/s) tests. A deficient projectile …

Dynamic Pressure Sensing For The Flight Test Data System, Marc Y. Goupil

Master's Theses

This thesis describes the design, assembly, and test of the FTDS-K, a new device in the Boundary Layer Data System (BLDS) family of flight data acquisition systems. The FTDS-K provides high-frequency, high-gain data acquisition capability for up to two pressure sensors and an additional three low-frequency pressure sensors. Development of the FTDS-K was separated into a core module, specialized analog subsystem, and practical testing of the FTDS-K in a flow measurement mission. The core module combines an nRF52840-based microcontroller module, switching regulator, microSD card, real-time clock, temperature sensor, and trio of pressure sensors to provide the same capabilities as previous-generation …

Navigational Feasibility Of Flyby / Impact Missions To Interstellar Objects, Declan Moore Mages

Master's Theses

In October 2017, the first interstellar object, designated 1I/2017 U1 and more commonly referred to as Oumuamua, was detected passing through our solar system by the Pan-STARRS telescope, followed recently by the detection of 2I/Borisov in August 2019. These detections came much sooner than thought possible, and have redefined our understanding of the population of interstellar objects. With the construction of the next generation of powerful observatories, future detections are estimated to occur as frequently as two per year, and while there is significant scientific understanding to be gained from observing these objects remotely, a spacecraft sent to intercept one …

Modeling And Testing Powerplant Subsystems Of A Solar Uas, Luke J. Bughman

Master's Theses

In order to accurately conduct the preliminary and detailed design of solar powered Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of the systems involved. In particular, it is desirable to have mathematical models and analysis tools describing the energy income and expenditure of the vehicle. Solar energy income models may include available solar irradiance, photovoltaic array power output, and maximum power point tracker efficiency. Energy expenditure models include battery charging and discharging characteristics, propulsion system efficiency, and aerodynamic efficiency. In this thesis, a series of mathematical models were developed that characterize the performance of these …

Development Of A Tailored Flight Test Approach For Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Neil A. Wolfe

Master's Theses

This document contains the details of a study conducted to determine an effective performance flight test approach specifically for small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS). This was done by taking proven procedures and documentation from the FAA and the Air Force for manned aircraft and tailoring them specifically for use with sUAS flight test programs. A ‘sUAS Flight Testing Handbook’ was created from the proceedings to aid commercial organizations and recreational developers conducting sUAS research without access to flight test experience. A performance flight test program was conducted with the AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma sUAS using the developed approach to verify that …

Cubesat Astronomy Mission Modeling Using The Horizon Simulation Framework, Alexander W. Johnson

Master's Theses

The CubeSat Astronomy Network is a proposed system of multiple CubeSat spacecraft capable of performing follow-up observations of astronomical targets of interest. The system is intended to serve as a space-borne platform that can complement existing systems utilized for astronomical research by undergraduate and high school students. Much research and development work has been performed to develop model-based system engineering methodologies and products for CubeSat missions, including the Horizon Simulation Framework. The Horizon Simulation Framework enables the development of system models using the Extended Markup Language (XML), and its simulation program can generate system simulations over model-specified timespans. System requirements …

Investigation Of The Under-Body Flow Field Of A Prototype Long-Range Electric Vehicle, Matthew P. Nguyen

Master's Theses

This thesis presents changes to the design of the Prototype Vehicles Laboratory (PROVE Lab) Endurance Car, an electric car intended to break the Guinness World Record for the single-charge range of an electric vehicle. The design range is 1609.34 km, however at the design velocity of 104.6 kph, the drag is 196 N; which requires more battery capacity than the 100 kWh maximum of the baseline model. With a fixed frontal area, drag reduction can come from lowered velocity or reduced CD. CD reduction is attempted in four ways: side skirts between the fenders, a raised ride height, an elongated …

Experimental Investigation Into Utilizing Synthetic Jet Actuators To Suppress Bi-Modal Wake Behavior Behind An Ahmed Body, Daniel Jacob Baratta

Master's Theses

Testing done on the flat-back Ahmed Body and other bluff bodies has shown the existence of a bi-stable reflectional symmetry-breaking wake at Reynolds numbers ranging from 340 to 2.41 x 10⁶. Several methods of flow control, both active and passive, have been used to improve the efficiency of the Ahmed body but their effect on the bi-stable nature of the wake has not been investigated. This work details the experimental investigation done to determine if piezoelectrically driven synthetic jet actuators are capable of suppressing the bi-stable wake effects observed behind the Ahmed Body. The synthetic jets were designed …

A Comparison Of Crushing Parameters Of Graphite Composite Thin-Walled Cylinders Cured In Low And High Pressures, Trenton John Matson

Master's Theses

Out-of-Autoclave (OoA) processes for manufacturing aerospace-grade parts needs to be better understood to further the development and success of industries that are manufacturing reusable launch vehicles, military and commercial aircraft, and spacecraft. Overcoming the performance limitations associated with OoA, also known as low-pressure prepreg curing, methods (void count, energy absorption, etc.) will help decrease the costs associated with aerospace composite manufacturing and the negative environmental effects correlated with high-pressure composite curing methods. Experimental, theoretical, and numerical approaches are used to explore both low and high-pressure curing cycles and how the two different processes affect final cured parts. Quasi-static uniaxial compression …

Manipulating Fiber Orientation For The Reduction Of Warpage In Carbon Fiber Composite Sandwich Panels, Landon Burnley, Gabrielle Correia

Materials Engineering

Safran Cabin (Santa Maria, CA), previously known as Zodiac Aerospace, designs and manufactures interior cabin components for private and commercial aircraft. Carbon fiber face sheets have recently been incorporated in their overhead luggage bin assemblies which utilize a composite sandwich panel design, in order to provide additional stiffness to the previous glass fiber sandwich panels. Since the introduction of carbon fiber in these luggage bin panels, Safran has experienced an increase in warpage during manufacturing. When inspected by quality control, the panels are tested mimicking how they are installed in aircraft. If the panels do not meet specifications, the warped …

The Effects Of Atomic Oxygen On Patch Antenna Performance And Lifetime, Max J. Barta

Master's Theses

The space environment is a volatile and challenging place for satellites to survive in. For Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites, atomic oxygen (AO) is a constant corrosive effect that degrades the outer surface of satellites over long durations. Atomic oxygen exists in the atmosphere between 180 and 675 km and has a relatively high energy at 4.5 eV, which allows AO to break molecular bonds in materials on the surfaces of spacecraft. As the number and complexity of CubeSat missions increase, there is an increased risk that AO degradation on commercial off the shelf parts (COTS), such as antenna, could …

Design Principles And Preliminary Testing Of A Micropropulsion Electrospray Thruster Research Platform, Will Alan Mcgehee

Master's Theses

The need for micropropulsion solutions for spacecraft has been steadily increasing as scientific payloads require higher accuracy maneuvers and as the use of small form-factor spacecraft such as CubeSats becomes more common. Of the technologies used for this purpose, electrospray thrusters offer performance that make them an ideal choice. Electrosprays offer high accuracy impulse bits at low power and high efficiency, and have low volume requirements. Design choice reasoning and preliminary testing results are presented for two electrospray thruster designs. The first thruster, named the Demonstration thruster, is operated in atmospheric conditions and serves as a highly visible example of …

An Investigation Of The Anomalous Thrust Capabilities Of The Electromagnetic Drive, Hannah J. Simons

Physics

The Electromagnetic Drive (EMDrive) is a propellant-less engine concept hypothesized by aero- space engineer Roger Shawyer. Shawyer’s proposed thruster technology is grounded on the theory of electromagnetic resonant behavior exhibited by a radiofrequency cavity, though the source of any generated thrust is undetermined by current physical laws. NASA Eagleworks Laboratories at John- son Space Center conducted a vacuum test campaign to investigate previously reported anomalous thrust capabilities of such a closed radiofrequency cavity, using a low-thrust torsion pendulum. The team published positive, although small-scaled thrust results in 2017. Following NASA Eagleworks breakthrough result and operating under the assumption that the …

Redesign Of Cubesat For Beam Charging, Kuba Preis

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This paper is intended to be a study in the applications of the design freedom granted by additive manufacture in the design of a 1U CubeSat frame. The main loads experienced by a CubeSat are structural (during launch) and thermal (solar radiation). Beam charging is an emerging technology which involves charging a CubeSat using a laser beam. In this paper, a CubeSat frame was redesigned to account for the structural loads induced during launch and the thermal loads induced when beam charging. The thermal, weight, design, and structural requirements for a new CubeSat design were derived. The 1U CubeSat frame …

Colloid Thruster To Teach Advance Electric Propulsion Techniques To Post-Secondary Students, Alexander M. Powaser

Master's Theses

Colloid thrusters, and electrospray thrusters as a whole, have been around since the 1960s. When they were first developed, the high efficiency and fine thrust control was overshadowed by the high power requirement for such a low thrust that the system provides. This caused the technology to be put on hold for aerospace applications. Now, as small satellites are becoming more prevalent, there has been a resurgence in interest in electrospray thruster technology. The recent advancements in tech- nology allow electrospray thrusters to use significantly less power and occupy less volume than their predecessors. As electrospray technology continues to advance, …