Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Actuator Disk Theory For Compressible Flow, Htet Htet Nwe Oo

Master's Theses

Because compressibility effects arise in real applications of propellers and turbines, the Actuator Disk Theory or Froude’s Momentum Theory was established for compressible, subsonic flow using the three laws of conservation and isentropic thermodynamics. The compressible Actuator Disk Theory was established for the unducted (bare) and ducted cases in which the disk was treated as the only assembly within the flow stream in the bare case and enclosed by a duct having a constant cross-sectional area equal to the disk area in the ducted case. The primary motivation of the current thesis was to predict the ideal performance of a …

2017 Spring Graduate Recognition Program, Propulsion Research Center, Robert Frederick

PRC Graduate Recognition

This program includes the graduate recognition program for spring 2017. Includes photographs, upcoming events, recent publications, and student profiles.

Single Waypoint Zem/Zev Based Closed-Loop Controller Design For Rendezvous With A Rotating Target, Armando Alvarez Rolins

Theses and Dissertations

The research presented in this thesis addresses a very specific kind of autonomous rendezvous procedure between two spacecraft in close proximity, namely that in which the chaser object is attempting to dock at a location on a rotating target which is tracing a circle perpendicular to the axis of rotation. The approaches that have been mentioned in literature which focus on this specific condition make use of offline optimization algorithms to plot the trajectory of the chaser and use closed-loop control to follow that trajectory. This method is computationally demanding and does not allow for feedback in the desired boundary …

Evaluation Of Flux Correction On Three-Dimensional Strand Grids With An Overset Cartesian Grid, Dalon G. Work

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Simulations of fluid flows over complex geometries are typically solved using a solution technique known as the overset meshing method. The geometry is meshed using grid types appropriate to the local geometry in a patchwork fashion, rather than meshing the entire geometry with one type of mesh. The strand-Cartesian approach is a simplification of this process. While high-order accurate solvers on Cartesian grids are simple to implement, strand grids are usually restricted to second-order accuracy, resulting in poor quality solutions. Flux correction is a high-order accurate solution method, specifically designed for use on strand grids. The flux correction method on …

A Survey And Performance Analysis Of Orbit Propagators For Leo, Geo, And Highly Elliptical Orbits, Simon P. Shuster

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

On-orbit targeting, guidance, and navigation relies on state vector propagation algorithms that must strike a balance between accuracy and computational efficiency. To better understand this balance, the relative position accuracy and computational requirements of numerical and analytical propagation methods are analyzed for a variety of orbits. For numerical propagation, several differential equation formulations (Cowell, Encke-time, Encke-beta, and Equinoctial Elements) are compared over a range of integration step sizes for a given set of perturbations and numerical integration methods. This comparison is repeated for two numerical integrators: a Runge-Kutta 4th order and a NLZD4/4. For analytical propagation, SGP4, which relies on …

Intensity Control Of Individual Dbd Plasma Filament. I. Experiment With A Needle Electrode, M. C. Paliwoda, J. L. Rovey

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Filamentary volume dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) produces patterned plasma structures that are currently being explored for reconfigurable metamaterial applications. In this work, the presence and intensity of a single filament (within an array of filaments) are controlled by biasing a low voltage needle electrode by less than 7% of the driving voltage. The current, voltage, and time-averaged normalized light intensity were measured while varying the needle voltage through self-biasing resistors. For a 7.5 kV, 3.2 kHz DBD in air, the needle-controlled filament intensity varies from 80% to 0% of the light intensity of surrounding filaments. When the biased voltage prevents …

Intensity Control Of Individual Dbd Plasma Filament. Ii. Fundamental Physical Mechanism, M. C. Paliwoda, J. L. Rovey

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Filamentary volume dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) produces patterned plasma structures that are currently being explored for reconfigurable metamaterial applications. Previous work has demonstrated control of the presence and intensity of a single DBD plasma filament (within an array of filaments) by biasing a low voltage needle electrode. The results were attributed to redistributed charge inside the DBD due to the modified electric field created by the needle electrode. In the present work, results from a 3D electrodynamic field simulation bolster this argument. Results show that increasing needle bias voltage causes changes in the transverse electric field structure, resulting in redistribution …

Application Of Strand-Cartesian Interfaced Solver On Flows Around Various Geometries, Yushi Yanagita

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This work examines the application of a high-order numerical method to strand-based grids to solve the Navier-Stokes equations. Coined "Flux Correction", this method eliminates error terms in the fluxes of traditional second-order finite volume Galerkin methods. Flux Correction is first examined for applications to the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations to compute turbulent flows on a strictly strand-based domain. Flow over three geometries are examined to demonstrate the method’s capabilities: a three-dimensional bump, an infinite wing, and a hemisphere-cylinder configuration. Comparison to results obtained from established codes show that the turbulent Flux Correction scheme accurately predicts flow properties such as pressure, velocity …

Takeoff And Landing Distance Measurement: An Evaluation Of Laser Altimetry For The Collection Of Absolute Aircraft Altitude, Christopher John Kennedy

Theses and Dissertations

The measurement of takeoff and landing distance during flight testing of general aviation aircraft requires the accurate measurement of aircraft position over the ground and altitude up to 50 feet above surface elevation. Current methods of evaluating takeoff and landing distances include cinetheodolites, laser and radar trackers, and Differential Global Positioning Systems (DGPS). The use of laser altimetry to range altitude above the ground originated with military and agricultural aircraft. The AgLaser laser module was an infrared laser ranging unit designed for agricultural aircraft to gauge optimal spray height above a field. The AgLaser system has a stated accuracy of …

Characterization Of The Thermal Resistance Of Grain Boundaries Of Cerium Oxide, Jesse Spackman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many materials are made up of small crystals, or grains. Grain boundaries are the interfaces between two grains and affect the flow of heat through the material. These interfaces serve to interfere with the energy carriers by scattering or disrupting them. Because of the negative effect these interfaces have on these energy carriers, they inhibit heat flow and act as thermal resistors. The thermal boundary resistance between two grains of the same material is sometimes referred to as the Kapitza resistance, although this term is also used to describe the thermal resistance between solid/solid interfaces of different materials or solid/liquid …

Water Entry Impact Dynamics Of Diving Birds, Saberul Islam Sharker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Plunge diving and surface diving are two main techniques used by seabirds for foraging purposes. While some plunge divers can dive into the water at very high speeds (24 m/s), surface divers do not. This study analyzes the free-surface impact of 3D printed bird head models with embedded accelerometers to determine why surface divers cannot dive safely at high speeds. The problem is investigated in the context of impact jerk where surface divers, unlike plunge divers, are found to experience non-dimensional jerk (J^∗) values exceeding a safe limit. This approach portrays itself as an unconventional yet effective method …

Mechanical Performance Of Natural / Natural Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Composite Materials Using Finite Element Method Based Micromechanics And Experiments, Muhammad Ziaur Rahman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A micromechanical analysis of the representative volume element (RVE) of a unidirectional flax/jute fiber reinforced epoxy composite is performed using finite element analysis (FEA). To do so, first effective mechanical properties of flax fiber and jute fiber are evaluated numerically and then used in evaluating the effective properties of flax/jute/epoxy hybrid composite. Mechanics of Structure Genome (MSG), a new homogenization tool developed in Purdue University, is used to calculate the homogenized effective properties. Numerical results are compared with analytical solution based on rule of mixture, Halpin-Tsai as well as Tsai-Hahn equations. The effect of the volume fraction of the two …

Implementing Delay-Tolerant Networking At Morehead State University, Nathaniel J. Richard

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Nathaniel J. Richard on April 28, 2017.

Flying Simple Experiments In Space, Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint presentation created by Professor Bob Twiggs titled "Flying Simple Experiments in Space" from April 28, 2017.

Study Of Custom Tool Control In Aviation And Aerospace And Selection Of Materials And Manufacturing Process, Ethan C. Rowley

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Business and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Ethan C. Rowley on April 27, 2017.

Providing A Unique Stem Education Opportunity With A Five Day Eleomission, Robert J. Twiggs, Amin Djamshidpour, Matt Craft, Dale Nash, Hank Voss

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint presentation created by Robert Twiggs, Amin Djamshidpour, Matt Craft, Dale Nash, and Hank Voss titled "Providing a Unique STEM Education Opportunity with a Five Day ELEOMission" from April 26, 2017.

Software Requirements Specification For Lunar Icecube, Michael R. Glaser-Garbrick

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Master of Science by Michael R. Glaser-Garbrick on April 21, 2017.

Computer Simulation Of The Attitude Of Lunar Icecube During Early Operations And Deployment, Johnathon F. Fitzpatrick

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the College of Science Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science by Jonathan F. Fitzpatrick on April 21, 2017.

An Evaluation Of The Relationships Between Collegiate Aviation Safety Management System Initiative, Self-Efficacy, Transformational Safety Leadership And Safety Behavior Mediated By Safety Motivation, Daniel Kwasi Adjekum

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The study conceptualized Safety Management System (SMS) initiative, self-efficacy, and transformational safety leadership as constructs that relates to safety behavior (measured by safety compliance and safety participation) when mediated by safety motivation using a quantitative approach. Structural equation modeling techniques was used to derive a final measurement model that fit the empirical data and was used to test the study hypotheses. Utilizing a sample of 282 collegiate flight students and instructors from a large public university in the US, a 46-item survey was used to measure respondent’s perceptions on the study variables. The results indicate that perceptions of SMS policy …

2u Cubesat Structural Design And Integration, Yevgeniy Byeloborodov

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science, Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Yevgeniy Byeloborodov on April 18, 2017.

System And Method For Robust Nonlinear Regulation Control Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Synthetic Jet Actuators, Vladimir V. Golubev, William Mackunis

Publications

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is provided with a plurality of synthetic jet actuators and a nonlinear robust controller. The controller compensates for uncertainty in a mathematic model that describes the function of the syn­thetic jet actuators. Compensation is provided by the use of constant feedforward best guess estimates that eliminate the need for more highly computationally burdensome approaches such as the use of time-varying adaptive param­eter estimation algorithms.

System And Method For Robust Nonlinear Regulation Control Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Synthetic Jet Actuators, Vladimir Golubev, William Mackunis

Publications

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is provided with a plurality of synthetic jet actuators and a nonlinear robust controller. The controller compensates for uncertainty in a mathematic model that describes the function of the synthetic jet actuators. Compensation is provided by the use of constant feedforward best guess estimates that eliminate the need for more highly computationally burdensome approaches such as the use of time-varying adaptive parameter estimation algorithms.

Concept Study Of A Reusable Suborbital Launch Vehicle (Rslv), Jared Fuchs, Matthew Haskell, Benjamin Thompson, William Hankins

Research Horizons Day Posters

No abstract provided.

Determining The Translational Velocity Of Flying Objects Using Ultrasonic Sensors, Alex Christley

Research Horizons Day Posters

No abstract provided.

Satellite Sequencing Optimization Using A Genetic Algorithm, Andrew Verstraete

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

The problem of mission design for a robotic servicing satellite in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) was investigated. A representative set of potential client satellites was selected, and operational needs were randomly assigned based on the average number of GEO retirements, anomalies, and repositioning maneuvers that currently occur each year. An objective function was developed to represent the value of servicing mission sequences, including client fees, time penalties, and operational risk. A genetic algorithm was then used to find sequences of operations on the potential client set that maximized the objective function’s value. Scenarios were analyzed with the database of satellites …

Method And Shear-Driven Micro-Fluidic Pump, Nihad E. Daidzic

Aviation Department Publications

United States Patent Application, Publication Number US 2017/0096990 A1, Publication Date April 6, 2017.

An example includes an apparatus to pump a fluid. The apparatus includes a housing extending along a length defining an elongate interior, an actuator in the housing, conforming to the elongate interior, the actuator including a plurality of lumens, each having a length extending substantially parallel to the elongate interior, each from around 10 to 200 micrometers across and an actuator configured to oscillate the actuator in the actuator housing along the length of the elongate interior with a rate differential between movement in a first …

Powered-Lift Aircraft Category: What Is It?, Nihad E. Daidzic

Aviation Department Publications

FAA Safety Seminar (GL1574995) held at Minnesota State University, Mankato at 18:00 CST on Thursday, April 6, 2017.

Interactions Of A Counter-Rotating Vortex Pair At Multiple Offsets, Kyle Forster, Tracie J. Barber, Sammy Diasinos, Graham Doig

Aerospace Engineering

The interactions between two streamwise vortices were investigated by wind tunnel testing of two NACA0012 vanes at various lateral offsets. One vane was spaced 10 chord lengths (C) downstream of the other, with both at an angle of incidence of 8 degrees and a Reynolds number of 7 x 10⁴. The evolution of the vortex pair was observed until 6.5C behind the downstream vane using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). It was found that proximity of the upstream vortex to the downstream vane had a significant effect on the rotational rate of the subsequent vortex pair, with far offset …

A Poet In Space: Identity Construction Through Hybridity, Jonathan Pessant

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

William Carlos Williams wrote: A poem is a small Machine made of words. Poetry and the STEM fields are no different when each discipline attempts to find meaning in the world, when each creates something beautiful through experimentation. STEM has the scientific method, with inductive and deductive reasoning, and the laws of nature while English has rhetorical style and grammatical structure. With a little imagination, hybridity between these two seemingly different discourses can produce new perspectives within each, and for each. These new perspectives could lead to new questions which would not have been imagined separately. This hybridity may be …

Tracking Characteristics Of Tracer Particles For Piv Measurements In Supersonic Flows, Fang Chen, Hong Liu, Zifeng Yang, Hui Hu

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The tracking characteristics of tracer particles for particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements in supersonic flows were investigated. The experimental tests were conducted at Mach number 4 in Multi-Mach Wind Tunnel (MMWT) of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The motion of tracer particles carried by the supersonic flow across shockwaves was theoretically modelled, and then their aerodynamic characteristics with compressibility and rarefaction effects were evaluated. According to the proposed selection criterion of tracer particles, the PIV measured results clearly identified that the shockwave amplitude is in good agreement with theory and Schlieren visualizations. For the tracer particles in nanoscales, their effective aerodynamic …