Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Dynamic Thrust Testbed For Uav Electric Motors, Colin M. Flowers, Robert C. Johnson Jr., Carson P. Holt

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project seeks to bring new testing capability to the Zips Aero Design Team through the design, manufacture, integration, and testing of a dynamic thrust testbed for UAV electric motors. The project centers upon the revival and modification of a past prototype aircraft for use as a testbed for in-flight thrust measuring and recording. The team currently lacks the ability to test dynamic thrust under the operating conditions and flight speeds that are encountered in competition. Project technical areas include component and product design, electrical and electronics, and fluid mechanics, including the use of SolidWorks, MATLAB, and ArduPilot. Aside from …

Development And Integration Of A Liquid Rocket Propulsion System For A High-Power Rocket, Matthew A. Dipofi, Christina Griggy, Jonathan Armbrust, Jackson Frame

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of this project is to integrate the Stinger liquid rocket engine, a regeneratively cooled LOX/ethanol engine developed by the Akronauts Rocket Design Team, into the Copperhead launch vehicle. The objective is to design, build, and test a complete propulsion system including electronics, software, pressurization, tanks, and instrumentation capable of flight. A key innovation is the electronic pressure regulation system, which replaces mechanical regulators with servo-actuated valves running PID loops for precision and an extra degree of control.

The Stinger engine, under development since Fall 2023, has undergone nine hot-fire tests, with further testing planned to qualify the new …

Made On Mars: Design And Manufacturing Of Structural Polymer-Regolith Composites, Pailey M. Vitale

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Human exploration of Mars is constrained by harsh environmental conditions and the prohibitive cost of transporting materials from Earth. Long-term sustainability requires the local production of mechanical and structural components using resources available on Mars, thereby minimizing payload mass. This project investigates polymer–regolith composites derived from atmospheric CO₂ and mineral-rich regolith as a pathway toward in-situ manufacturing. These composites, when compatible with additive manufacturing, could replace imported plastics, enable on-demand fabrication, and support closed-loop recycling systems. The objective is to design and evaluate polymer–regolith composites that maintain mechanical integrity and environmental resistance under Martian conditions, including extreme temperature swings, radiation …

Active Altitude Control For High Powered Rockets, Henry Allen, Jason Secora, Charles Williams, Donavon Sanchez, Caleb Nedoma

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) is the premier collegiate high power rocketry competition in the world hosted by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA). The Akronauts Rocket Design team has been competing in IREC since 2015 and have won several awards. The main goal of IREC is to launch a rocket to a specified altitude of 10k, 30k, or 45k ft while carrying a payload and successfully recover with little to no damage.

The control of a typical high-powered rocket is purely passive; the center of pressure of the rocket must be behind the center of gravity with respect …

Design New Stage For Vacuum Pin On Disk, Miranda Boyd

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For my senior design project, I am redesigning the moving stage for the vacuum pin-on-disk test used in the Akron Engineering Tribology Lab. This system is used to evaluate bearings and lubricants for aerospace applications under controlled vacuum conditions. The current stage design limits flexibility when adjusting for different testing parameters, so my goal is to develop a new movable stage that allows for varying weights and loads to be applied accurately and safely. The redesigned stage will improve test efficiency, adaptability, and precision, ensuring the system can accommodate a wider range of experimental conditions and materials while maintaining compatibility …

Lunar Regolith Densometer, Liam Lee, Vincent Innocenzi

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Testing of extraterrestrial rovers is a growing concern as lunar exploration as an industry is becoming increasingly commercialized. Currently, the way rover testing is conducted is on a soil regolith which is already available. The structure of the soil, however, is harmful to humans and requires a full bunny suit and respirator to be worn during the conduction of the experiment. This limitation, along with the expensive price tag, prevents college university students and companies from establishing a rover test area in labs. The goal of the overall project is to create a safer testing environment by mimicking the soil-to-tire …

Breaking The Vapor Barrier And Scale: Revolutionizing Steel Quenching With Ultrasound Technology, Anthony O. Santos

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The quenching process is a fundamental heat treatment used to enhance material properties by heating steel to its austenitizing temperature and rapidly cooling it to form high-strength martensite. However, this process is often hindered by two surface barriers: the Leidenfrost effect (vapor blanket) and oxide scale. These cooling limitations restrict the use of steel in high-performance aerospace applications due to inconsistent material properties and unpredictable engineering properties. This research investigates the use of fully submersible, 50-watt 40 kHz ultrasound technology to improve cooling rates in a Jominy test [4]. Through numerical simulations and experimental validation, the study demonstrates that acoustic …

Large Telescope Mount For Long Exposure Photos, Payne M. Landis, Anna J. Gray

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

When viewing the stars through a telescope, it is common that the object you are viewing drifts out of view. Many amateur astronomers seek to capture long exposure images of the stars, planets, and galaxies with commercially available sky tracking telescope mounts. The complication is that these telescope mounts are both incredibly expensive and have low weight limits. These issues limit accessibility to these products based on the telescope. For each person, telescope parameters determine the amount of light and magnification that can be viewed, which then determines exposures time for adequate photo results. The options on the market for …

Optimization Of Post-Processing Methods For Additively Manufactured Metals, Julia R. Carano

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Ultrasonic Nanocrystal Surface Modification (UNSM) is a process used to change the surface hardness of flat-faced materials. It is a machining process using a high-powered laser and a blunt-tipped tool at high speeds which aims to improve the uniformity of the surface on most metals. By heating and pressing the surface of the workpiece, the grains of the material become less rounded and more cohesive on a microscopic level. This, ideally, results in a workpiece with improved material properties. The changes were previously observed through hardness testing.

Thermal Radiation Effects On Particles From Plasma Arc Radiation, Reece Davis, Joseph Mcgee

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Understanding the radiation heating and transport of both microparticles and nanoparticles is a phenomenon that is critical for both space and Earth sciences. In space, these particles are heated by plasma arcs within ionized space clouds or solar flares and can be present the path of deep space missions and orbital satellites. While on Earth, processes such as forest fires, nuclear fusion, and microchip manufacturing include the plasma arc heating of particles. These particles lay within the Mie Scattering Regime and Rayleigh Scattering Regime and emit radiation differently based on their diameter. New mathematical and computational modeling has been conducted …

Predictive Structural Modeling In Ansys And Destructive Testing For Composite Structures, Dylan Matthews, Grant Abraham, Andrew Raineri

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Composite structures are central to the performance and reliability of Zips Racing’s Formula SAE vehicles, yet the team currently relies on historical data and partially unvalidated assumptions when selecting carbon fiber layups. This project aims to establish a quantitative, experimentally validated framework for designing composite components through the integration of simulation modeling, physical fabrication, and destructive mechanical testing. Analytical laminate theory models developed in MATLAB and laminate simulations created in Ansys ACP will be used to predict stiffness, strength, and failure characteristics for a range of candidate layups. These predictions will be validated through controlled testing of fabricated composite coupons …

Automated Soil Resetting System For Extraterrestrial Regolith Simulation, Parker W. Brennan, Anthony C. Daniels

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project focuses on designing an automated soil resetting system for extraterrestrial regolith simulation. The system will prepare a regolith simulant testbed to a desired, repeatable density, enabling reliable wheel–terrain testing for planetary rover research. Manual soil preparation currently exposes testers to hazardous particulates and produces inconsistent results.

The proposed system will integrate mechanical and control elements to reset the soil bed safely and efficiently. A combination of raking and vibrational methods will be explored, with feedback sensors and automation to achieve target density control. The research will proceed through literature review, benchtop experimentation, prototype design, and full-scale testing over …

Qualitative Analysis Of Surface Modification On Wiffleball Aerodynamics, Cole Lanni

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project investigated how surface modifications to a Wiffleball affect its aerodynamic behavior, particularly its vertical and horizontal movement when thrown. The study tested the hypothesis that altering surface texture through cutting or sanding would influence airflow and pressure differentials, thereby changing the ball's movement. Six ball conditions: including unmodified, sanded, and various cut patterns were tested using a pitching machine in a controlled indoor environment. Each variation was pitched ten times, and movement was analyzed through measurements of contact points on posterboards and performing statistical testing, specifically ANOVA with Post Hoc analysis. Results indicated that surface modifications significantly increased …

Design Of An Active-Control Pressure Regulator For A Rocket, Seth Arkwright

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

An electronically actuated pressure-regulation valve and controller are necessary for maintaining pressure levels in a pressure-fed liquid-fueled rocket engine. Mechanical regulators are too heavy and have unacceptably high-pressure variation throughout the operation of a dynamic system like a rocket. Developing an electronic pressure regulator using a PID controller is a method by which a reliable, accurate, and lightweight flow regulator can be built for use on a rocket vehicle. This work will outline the development of flow simulations, PID controller, physical valve hardware, and initial testing.

Autonomous Landscape Exploration Rover Using Imaging Surface Navigation (Alexis), Noah Jones, Dominic Salupo

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The objective is to develop a small-form-factor rover prototype that can be used to prove out a novel traversal method for use on extraterrestrial surfaces. The novel traversal method being proposed is LIDAR/CV-enhanced navigation, provided by a detachable flight vehicle that can communicate with the rover. On planets with thin atmospheres, cold gas thrusters or similar may be needed, but for the scope of this project more traditional flight/propulsion methods will be used.

Smart Material Actuated Flap, James Lyons, Kristofer Johnson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The objective of this project is to develop and evaluate a smart material actuated aerodynamic control surface to determine the viability of these new systems as alternatives to conventional electromechanical and hydraulic systems. The research will begin with the selection of a control surface and actuator design. The concept will then be tailored to create an experimental model for the purposes of this project. Smart materials that suit the model requirements will be selected and procured. Next, the actuators will be shape trained and characterized to meet the model requirements. Then, a benchtop model will be produced for design verification, …

Hot Staging Module For Multistage Rockets, Nanami Whitman, Daniel Montano-Lobe

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Historically, the Akronauts Rocket Design Team builds and launches two-stage rockets that rely on black powder charges as a way of stage-separation. With a hot-staging module, the second stage is ignited while still connected to the first stage, and the thrust from the second stage induces separation. To prevent rotation of the sustainer during the booster stage, the sustainer motor and fins will be axially interlocked with the module in a similar manner to the Akronauts’ previous stage separation modules. This method would reduce the number of failure modes and reduce the number of components required for stage separation. This …

Vector Estimation For Continuous Tracking Of Observed Radio Signals (V.E.C.T.O.R.) Lunar Navigation System, Dimitry Melnikov, Evan Bartel, Andrew Burrier, Goran Gjorgievski

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

NASA's Artemis program requires precise navigation capabilities to establish the first sustained presence on the lunar surface. However, as launches bring necessary orbital infrastructure, the Artemis program will face a critical period during which reliable lunar navigation is not possible. To address this challenge, the V.E.C.T.O.R. system tracks assets, such as rovers and astronauts, as User Terminals relative to a pre-existing cell tower, or Base Station. To do so, the system leverages existing Base Station hardware to calculate the location of User Terminals in conjunction with existing communications infrastructure.

Mobile Robot Adhesion Methodology And Development Of An Automatous Robot Module, Lauren Baird, Zachariah Stone, Madison Lemons, Jonathon Moody

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Due to the increasing availability of space travel as not only a scientific exploration but a commercial exploration, there is a need for an onsite repair station that can be deployed in the event of aircraft maintenance, damage, or failure. We have been tasked with researching and creating a prototype of an automatous robot that can be attached to a spacecraft body, move along the surface while avoiding obstacles, scan for damage, 3D print a repair piece, and then make the repair, all without the need of direct human input. Our team, as will be discussed throughout, was tasked with …

Materials Testing For Large Format 3d Printing, William Jenkins

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

An ABS Carbon Fiber blend was printed into single walled hexagons at a variety of settings on a Cincinnati BAAM large format 3D printer. These hexagons were then cut down into sheets and had tensile and flexural test samples cut out of them, in order for materials testing to be performed. Tensile strength, tensile strain, young’s modulus, flexural strength, deflection and elastic modulus were all determined. A desktop CNC machine and a planer were purchased for the manufacturing of these samples, and an efficient cutting procedure was designed and optimized. After all data collection concluded, this data was thoroughly analyzed, …

Space Force - Inspection, Romualdo Cipro

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Our project deals with a common problem that is encountered with satellites in earth orbit or beyond. It is very common in space for there to be small collisions between satellites and foreign space debris, and it takes a lot of time and money to send a person out to repair the damage caused by the collision. Our goal is to develop a way to perform these repairs autonomously. We plan to develop a way to scan a satellite or spacecraft hull for damage using a robot and then repair the damage while still maintaining the material specifications required for …

Short Strand Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polylactic Acid Filament For Additive Manufacturing, Dale Chenoweth, Lukas Seggi, Luke Phillips

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In this design project, the additive manufacturing filament of short strand carbon fiber (SSCF) reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) composite was developed. The micro-size, precision cut SSCFs were mixed with the PLA pellets through a melting homogenization process. Through this process the composite material block is cut and divided into pieces for ease of pelletizing. The material block pieces are then pelletized to be fed through the single screw extruder to develop the SSCF-PLA composite filament. The SSCF-PLA filaments were manufactured with a varying amount of SSCF ranging from 0.5% to 10% of the material block's weight. Development of a 1% …

Inspection/Fault Detection Team, James Worrall

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Our project deals with a common problem that is encountered with satellites in earth orbit or beyond. It is very common in space for there to be small collisions between satellites and foreign space debris, and it takes a lot of time and money to send a person out to repair the damage caused by the collision. Our goal is to develop a way to perform these repairs autonomously. We plan to develop a way to scan a satellite or spacecraft hull for damage using a robot and then repair the damage while still maintaining the material specifications required for …

Space Force Spacecraft Hull Inspection: Creation Of A Process To Inspect, Compare, And Fault Detect On The Surface Of A Spacecraft Hull, Ethan Rainsburg

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Space Force Inspection design project aims to create a system for scanning the hull of a spacecraft, identifying any damage by cross-checking the new scan with a previous scan, and fixing any identified damage picked up by the scan. This project contains key objectives such as defining testable parameters for any given scanner, creating a repeatable process for comparing scans, and automating the process using open-source code and software. The ideal outcome for this project is to have the fully automated system implemented to a robot that is being designed and manufactured by a sister team. Some of the …

Uav To Carry Heavy Loads, Jacob Cannon, Robert Connor Downs, Anthony Orlando

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Our senior design project aims to develop an innovative Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) capable of carrying heavy payloads up to 50 lbs. This UAV will address the growing demand for efficient and autonomous cargo transportation, unlocking new possibilities in logistics and remote deliveries. The primary goal is to design, build, and test a robust UAV platform equipped with advanced propulsion systems, stabilizing mechanisms, and a secure payload attachment system. The heavy-lift UAV will be capable of transporting payloads in challenging environments, enhancing its versatility for various industries, including emergency response, disaster relief, and commercial logistics. For the extent of this …

Ambient Temperature Strength Degradation Of A Ceramic Matrix Composite Due To Solid Particle Erosion, Jonathan Clawson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Solid particle erosion (SPE) is an issue for aircraft exposed to hard, fine particles, such as sand or dust, that can be ingested into the engine at a high velocity without reaching their melting point, resulting in material removal. SPE can be attributed to the intake of particulate debris from the runway or from airborne particulates. The cumulative mass loss from SPE damage affects the structural integrity and performance of the engine; however, its effects on ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), that are being employed in the aerospace industry, are not well understood in literature. The limited SPE research studies that …

Systems Engineering In Zips Aero Design, Benjamin Kemal Sabic, Mathieu Kumiega

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This research project has the goal of implementing systems engineering in the Zips Aero Design team at the University of Akron at a general member level. The use of systems engineering techniques will be employed to keep every member on track throughout the competition season. The deliverables of this project are the PDR, CDR, AIAA DBF Proposal, AIAA Technical Design Report, the Prototype Aircraft, and the Competition Aircraft.

Design Of An Experimental Solid Rocket Motor, Johnathan Bettes, Andrew Fuller

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project utilizes mechanical and chemical principles to characterize propellant grains and to manufacture a custom nozzle to create experimental Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs) with a propellant called Angry Listerine. For the propellant grains, one major non-chemical factor that determines its thrust performance is the grain geometry, or the core of the grains for which hot gases flow through the propellant and out of the nozzle to further react with exposed chemical surfaces. The two kinds of grain geometries analyzed and tested in this report are called MoonBurner, an offset circular core, and Finocyl, a gear-shaped core. The nozzle for …

Propulsion Heat Analysis Nuclear Trajectory Optimization (Phantom), Ana Clecia Alves Almeida, Jonathan Davis, Ryan Dippolito

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Interplanetary Travel requirements necessitate the use of increasingly complex propulsion systems. Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) is a cutting-edge concept that holds immense potential for the future of space exploration. By utilizing nuclear fission to heat a propellant and generate thrust, NTP offers the potential for unprecedented efficiency, enabling faster interplanetary travel and extended mission capabilities. A nuclear thermal rocket engine is a type of propulsion system that utilizes the heat generated by a nuclear reactor to heat and expel a propellant, typically hydrogen, at high velocities to produce thrust. The engine consists of three main subsystems: the nuclear reactor, the …

Development Of A Regeneratively Cooled Liquid Rocket Engine, Dillon Petty, Nicole Zimmerli

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

An additively manufactured (AM) liquid rocket engine, consisting of an injector, combustion chamber, and nozzle, was designed and printed using state-of-the-art methods and materials. The parts were manufactured using laser powder bed fusion. Additive manufacturing allowed for complex geometries and features, such as printing manifolds onto the components with a reduced number of parts. Additive, regenerative cooling channels were designed into the chamber and nozzle to allow for long-duration steady-state operation.

The feed system for the engine was designed and built to allow for pressure-regulated and steady-state testing. Tanks for the fuel and oxidizer were designed and built for a …