Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Aerodynamic Performance Of A Biologically Inspired Hybrid Plasma-Mechanical Flow Control And Sensing Device, Joseph Dygert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The continued high global demand for passenger and freight air traffic along with increased use of unmanned aerial vehicles operating in broader Reynolds number regimes has resulted in researchers examining alternative technologies, which would result in safer, more reliable, and superior performing aircraft. Aerodynamic flow control may be one of the most promising approaches to solving this problem, having already proven its ability to enable higher flow efficiency while simultaneously improving overall control of flow behavior such as laminar-to-turbulent transition. Recent research in aerodynamic flow control has seen a pronounced growth in the areas of biomimicry and plasma flow control …

Aerodynamic Analysis Of Damage State Missiles Using Overset Meshing Techniques For Application To Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation, Jonathan A. D'Alessio

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Significant research over the years has aimed to redefine the flight capabilities of aircraft after sustaining structural damage to critical components. Flight survivability and controllability are key areas of concern when designing fault-tolerant flight control systems to handle a wide range of potential scenarios. However, there is a lack of research on the impact of physically damaged missile systems. Missile counter-defense and intercept capabilities have become more advanced as the United States has focused heavily on these areas over the years. Damaged missiles due to a kinetic intercept capability present an opportunity for analysis of the post-damage implications on flight …

Development And Verification Of Flight Data Informed Performance Estimation And Prediction Simulation Tool For Small Electrical Multi-Rotor Uav, Nicholas Scott Borelle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

While small scale multi-rotor aircraft are becoming an increasingly large market with applications emerging every day, their ability to have both a high endurance/long range and a high speed/performance flight is severely limited. This leads to uncertainty in mission planning and aircraft design, specifically when deciding mission length and available on-board energy. Uncertainty like this leads to an increased chance of failure to complete the mission, and a failure to recover the aircraft. Considering that these aircraft are used by everyone from hobbyists to commercial companies to military personnel, the applications and missions being flown carry importance and a serious …

Investigations Of The Low Temperature Combustion Regions And Emissions Characteristics Of Aerospace F24 In A Constant Volume Combustion Chamber And A Common Rail Direct Injection Ci Engine, Richard C. Smith Iii

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

A study was conducted to investigate the low temperature combustion (LTC) regions of aerospace F24 and ULSD in the static setting of a CVCC and the dynamic setting of a CRDI research engine. This research is conducted to reduce in-cylinder emissions by understanding and implementing a technique to achieve an extended LTC. Emissions data for this study were collected during the operation of the CRDI research engine with a MKS 2030 FTIR and an AVL Microsoot 483. The parameters researched within the static setting of the CVCC included the determinations of the cool flames and NTC regions within the LTHR …

Comparative Analysis Of Winglet Efficiency On Supercritical Versus Traditionally Cambered Airfoils, Evan Cathers

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study serves to define the performance of several industry-recognized and exploratory wing tip devices on aircraft wings utilizing contemporary supercritical airfoil geometry. For comparison, the same examination is performed on a wing comprised of traditionally cambered airfoils, the platform upon which winglets were initially developed. The supercritical wing design is based on that of the Airbus A320, while the conventional airfoil is based upon the Boeing 737-800 platform. Tip devices selected for analysis include blended, raked, split scimitar, fence, and spiroid winglets, as well as tip sails, characterized by the spreading of a bird’s primary flight feathers. Methodology for …

Experiences During The Implementation Of Two Different Project-Based Learning Assignments In A Fluid Mechanics Course., Orlando Ayala, Kristie Gutierrez, Francisco Cima, Julia Noginova, Min Jung Lee, Stacie Ringleb, Pilar Pazos, Krishnanand Kaipa, Jennifer Kidd

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

There is growing evidence of the effectiveness of project-based learning (PBL) in preparing students to solve complex problems. In PBL implementations in engineering, students are treated as professional engineers facing projects centered around real-world problems, including the complexity and uncertainty that influence such problems. Not only does this help students to analyze and solve an authentic real-world task, promoting critical thinking, but also students learn from each other, learning valuable communication and teamwork skills. Faculty play an important part by assuming non-conventional roles (e.g., client, senior professional engineer, consultant) to help students throughout this instructional and learning approach. Typically in …

Impact Of Covid-19 On Aviation-Wildlife Strikes Across Europe, Isabel C. Metz, Marta Giordano, Dionysios Ntampakis, Marianna Moira, Anneke Hamann, Rosanne Blijleven, Jürgen J. Ebert, Alessandro Montemaggiori

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Collisions between aircraft and wildlife (i.e., wildlife strikes) pose a serious threat toward the safety of aircraft, its crew, and passengers. The effects of COVID-19 related travel restrictions on wildlife strikes are unknown. With this study, we aim to address this information gap by assessing the changes of wildlife hazard management performance across European airports during the lockdown period (e.g., period of reduced operations and borders closure in spring 2020). We also sought to raise awareness of the importance of wildlife strike prevention in times of reduced operations. The objective of our study was to compare wildlife strike data before …

Attainable Moment Set And Actuation Time Of A Bio-Inspired Rotating Empennage, Christian R. Bolander, Douglas F. Hunsaker, David Myszka, James J. Joo

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Future tactical aircraft will likely demonstrate improvements in efficiency, weight, and control by implementing bio-inspired control systems. This work analyzes a novel control system for a fighter aircraft inspired by the function of – and the degrees of freedom available in – a bird’s tail. The control system is introduced to an existing fighter aircraft design by removing the vertical tail and allowing the horizontal tail surfaces to rotate about the roll axis. Using a low-fidelity aerodynamic model, an analysis on the available controlling moments and actuation speeds of the baseline aircraft is compared to that of the bio-inspired rotating …

Numerical Investigations Of 2-D Magnetic Nozzles On Pulsed Plasma Plumes, Joshua Daniel Burch

Masters Theses

"This research presents studies of a novel type of magnetic nozzle that allows for three-dimensional (3-D) steering of a plasma plume. Numerical simulations were performed using Tech-X's USim® software to quantify the nozzle's capabilities. A2-D planar magnetic nozzle was applied to plumes of a nominal pulsed inductive plasma (PIP) source with discharge parameters similar to those of Missouri S&T's Missouri Plasmoid Experiment (MPX). Argon and xenon plumes were considered. Simulations were verified and validated through a mesh convergence study as well as comparison with available experimental data. Periodicity was achieved over the simulation run time and phase angle samples were …

Mu2e Pion Degrader For Detector Calibration, Jessie Bouche Miles

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Particle tracking within the Mu2e experiment can be accomplished through regulating the rate of capture at the stopping target with the addition of a thin, low atomic weight material, the “degrader.” Investigation of Mu2e studies and simulations provide initial data for degrader design. The overall thickness of the degrader plus structural components must fit between the last two solenoids during operation and resist displacement. The degrader area, perpendicular to the beamline, must exceed that of the stopping target during alignment and be able to clear outer diameters of the beamline components. Structural analysis will ensure all dimensional constraints are met …

Strategies To Reduce Nonconformance Of Parts In Aerospace Manufacturing, John Louis Lloyd Jr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The cost of nonconformance of parts can impact the aerospace industry globally, resulting in revenue loss and consumer confidence degradation. Grounded in the eight disciplines of problem solving, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies aerospace manufacturing quality managers in the United States used to implement successful change initiatives to address the nonconformance of parts. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with four aerospace quality executives and supporting company documents. Data were analyzed using methodological triangulation, coding, and thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: (a) identify and implement a specific problem-solving strategy, (b) identify and mitigate employee …

Air Passenger Demand Forecast Through The Use Of Artificial Neural Network Algorithms, Juan Gerardo Muros Anguita, Oscar Díaz Olariaga

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Airport planning depends to a large extent on the levels of activity that are anticipated. To plan the facilities and infrastructures of an airport system and to be able to satisfy future needs, it is essential to predict the level and distribution of demand. This document presents a short- and medium-term forecast of the demand for air passengers carried out through a specific case study (Colombia), in which the impact of the pandemic period due to COVID-19 on air traffic was taken into account. To make the forecast, an algorithm that implements techniques based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) (Machine …

Air Passenger Demand Forecast Through The Use Of Artificial Neural Network Algorithms, Juan Gerardo Muros Anguita, Oscar Díaz Olariaga

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Airport planning depends to a large extent on the levels of activity that are anticipated. In order to plan facilities and infrastructures of an airport system and to be able to satisfy future needs, it is essential to predict the level and distribution of demand. This document presents a short- and medium-term forecast of the demand for air passengers carried out through a specific case study (Colombia), in which the impact of the pandemic period due to COVID-19 on air traffic was taken into account. To make the forecast, an algorithm that implements techniques based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) …

3d Printing Technology In Aerospace Industry – A Review, Mohammad Suhel Karkun, Sathish Dharmalingam

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

In the modern era, several new technologies are being developed for the most convenient and easy usage of materials. Due to its effortless and quick usage properties, 3D printing technology has a vast application range nowadays in different fields. The application of 3D printing technology in the aerospace industry has been developed in the past few decades, but now it has been enhanced to a new level. 3D printing technology now has several applications in the aeronautical and space sectors. Soon, 3D printing technology will be used for building habitations on other planets and for the printing of spacecraft and …

Space Harpoon Projectile Analysis For Space Debris Capture, Miraj D. Lathia, Sam M. Dakka Dr

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Space debris will become a more prevalent issue in this decade as technological advancements and greater dependencies on communications require more satellites in orbit, with some companies already hosting mega-constellations. Mitigating the debris using a space-tether is the most viable method to construct a space debris capture regime with current technology levels. Harpoon heads for the tethers are key design interests as these will penetrate through the satellites and/or debris. The focus of this paper is the analysis of an aluminium 6082, flat and conical head design, used to perforate aluminium 1050A plates using a gas gun laboratory. The aim …

Conceptual Design Of Fuel Dumping System In Aircraft, Naveen M. Kumar Mr., Ravi A. Kannan Be., Magesh L Be., Praveen T. Kumar Be., Vijay K. Babu Me., Prashanth Radhakrishnan Be.

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Airlines release the unburned jet fuel into the atmosphere to reduce the weight of aircraft before landing. Sometimes, aircraft reach a weight more than takeoff weight while departing from the airport. Therefore, the pilot follows the ATC comment to dump fuel into the atmosphere to reduce the aircraft's weight to avoid accidents. Due to fuel dumping, an airline faces fuel consumption, loss, and several diseases affect environmental pollutants, and living things. The total fuel consumption of commercial airlines worldwide in 2021 is 57 billion gallons. If jet fuel routinely hit the ground, it would pollute water and land and damage …

Space Cargo: Ultra-Fast Delivery On Earth –Potential Of Using Suborbital Space Vehicles For The Transportation Of Cargo, Robert O. Walton, Robert A. Goehlich

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

No abstract provided.

Accuracy Of Commercially-Available Speech Recognition Systems In Identifying Pirep Terminology, Deborah Carstens, Ph.D., Michael S. Harwin, J.D., M.S., Tianhua Li, Ph.D., Michael Splitt, M.S., Ridwan Olabanji, M.S.

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Pilot Reports (PIREPs) are an important source of information that aids, other pilots, air traffic control, and operational aviation meteorologists in terms of forecasting and updating weather advisories such as SIGMETs. Pilots rely upon PIREPs so they can avoid hazardous weather and fly their aircraft in the safest manner possible. However, many PIREPs are not successfully submitted or transmitted to the many end users which impedes their ability to be used to keep the NAS safe. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made several recommendations for increasing the effectiveness and distribution of PIREPs, including receiving PIREPs from pilots directly and …

Plasma Spheroidization Of Gas-Atomized 304l Stainless Steel Powder For Laser Powder Bed Fusion Process, M. Hossein Sehhat, Austin T. Sutton, Chia-Hung Hung, Ben Brown, Ronald J. O'Malley, Jonghyun Park, Ming-Chuan Leu

PSMRC Faculty Research

Particles of AISI 304L stainless steel powder were spheroidized by the induction plasma spheroidization process (TekSphero-15 spheroidization system) to assess the effects of the spheroidization process on powder and part properties. The morphology of both as-received and spheroidized powders was characterized by measuring particle size and shape distribution. The chemistry of powders was studied using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy for evaluation of composing elements, and the powder’s microstructure was assessed by X-ray diffraction for phase identification and by electron backscattered diffraction patterns for crystallography characterization. The Revolution Powder Analyzer was used to quantify powder flowability. The mechanical properties …

Am Surface Roughness And Its Impact On Drag, Jackson Landry Chandler

Honors Academy

“The main goal of this thesis is to quantify additive manufacturing (AM) surface roughness, as a precursor to identifying its impact on unsteady transient flow properties. Experimental data using the Hirox optical microscopes and SEM imaging collected from the nylon and stainless-steel lattice structures contained an inherent level of surface roughness at the finer scale. Surface Roughness have a negative effect on additively manufactured materials and as such should be mitigated whenever possible. Surface roughness increases unwanted features such as the level of drag, skin friction, negative heat transfer/mass transfer properties, and other unwanted unsteady transitional flow characteristics. Though exceptions …

Distributed Process State And Input Estimation For Heterogeneous Active/Passive Sensor Networks, Dzung Minh Duc Tran, Tansel Yucelen, Selahattin Burak Sarsilmaz

Patents

Systems and methods are described for estimating a state of a process and an input to the process using a sensor network. Each sensor node in the sensor network is directly to one or more adjacent sensor nodes and indirectly coupled to the remaining sensor nodes through the one or more adjacent sensor nodes. Each sensor node iteratively calculates a new estimated state based on estimations of the state and the input to the process calculated by the sensor node in a previous iteration. The new estimated state is then adjusted based on a difference between a predicted and actual …

Cfd And Heat Transfer Analysis Of Rocket Cooling Techniques On An Aerospike Nozzle, Geoffrey Sullivan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In recent years the development of rocket engines has been mainly focused on improving the engine cycle and creating new fuels. Rocket nozzle design has not been changed since the late 1960s. Recent needs for reliable and reusable rockets, as well as advancements in additive manufacturing, have brought new interest into the aerospike nozzle concept. This nozzle is a type of altitude adjusting nozzle that is up to 90% more efficient than bell nozzles at low altitudes and spends up to 30% less fuel. Since the nozzle body is submerged in the hot exhaust gasses it is difficult to keep …

3d-Printed Gelatin-Alginate Hydrogel Dressings For Burn Wound Healing: A Comprehensive Study, Fateme Fayyazbakhsh, Michael J. Khayat, Ming-Chuan Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Burn Wound Treatment is Still a Clinical Challenge Due to the Severity of Tissue Damage and Dehydration. among Various Wound Dressings, Hydrogel Materials Have Gained Significant Attention for Burn Wound Treatment in Clinical Practice Due to their Soothing and Moisturizing Activity. in This Study, 3D-Printed Dressings Were Fabricated using Clinically Relevant Hydrogels for Deep Partial-Thickness Burn (PTB) Wounds. Different Ratios of Gelatin and Alginate Mixture Were 3D-Printed and Examined in Terms of Rheological Behavior, Shear Thinning Behavior, Mechanical Properties, Degradation Rate, and Hydration Activity to Tune the Hydrogel Composition for Best Functionality. the Cell-Laden Dressings Were Bioprinted to Evaluate the …

Autonomous Payload Design With Systems Engineering, Michael Downs, Christopher James Liebhart 2nd

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The design will be an autonomous payload consisting of auto deployment of a drone running an autonomous mission of mapping the terrain around a grounded rocket. The project is part of the Akronauts payload project for the 2022 Spaceport competition. It will include the development of a ground station for monitoring and controlling the drone and the transfer of live data to the station and a computer on board the rocket. The project will aim to use system engineering techniques to accomplish this in the hope of providing documentation and thus insight into the best way to develop a multi-disciplinary …

Schlieren Imaging Of A Supersonic Wind Tunnel, Caleb Townsend, Tayler S. Powell

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project exemplifies Schlieren Imaging on a Supersonic Wind Tunnel. Schlieren Imaging allows one to visualize fluid flow by refracting light through a fluid. The Schlieren Imaging system denoted in this paper is used to visualize the shock waves of air onto a test section within a supersonic wind tunnel. This is done by directing a beam of light through a test section and then focusing the light onto a blade edge. This blade edge then breaks up the light beam so that the refractions, created by the pressure differences, are blocked by the knife edge which allows the pressure …

Liquid Engine External Pressurizer (Leep), Emily Armbrust

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this project is to take the current liquid rocket engine test stand design and implement an external pressurant instead of utilizing the 2-phase oxidizer vapor to pressurize itself and the fuel. The purpose behind the design is because the team is limited with the current design concerning burn time due to the amount of propellant they can put in the tanks and the pressure it can reach. The initial pressure is currently not held since there is no external input of mass into the tanks, as the propellant is leaving. Adding an external pressurant allow for the …

Co2 Based Parachute Deployment, Anthony M. S. Settlemier, Nicholas Motter

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper describes the design process of a CO2 based parachute deployment system for the Akronauts Rocket Design team, with particular emphasis on the selection of methodologies of deployment as well as design iteration. The objective was to create a fully mechanical system in order to replace the black powder based systems that were used previously by the team.

Emphasis was put in creating a system that would function well at higher altitudes while also preventing damage to the parachute during deployment. This system emphasizes robustness under launch conditions.

Fuel System To Envelope Interface, James Campbell

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

*NOTE THIS PROJECT IS CONFIDENTIAL*

In this project, I will investigate solutions to interfacing a fuel system with a fabric skin section

A Non-Reacting Passive Scalar Comparison Of Starccm And Openfoam In A Supersonic Cavity Flame Holder, Thomas Nuese

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The scramjet engine equipped with a modern-day airliner would allow for very quick travel across the United States. The major problem is that designing such an engine and testing it to make sure it is safe would cost millions if not billions of dollars. Computational fluid dynamics allows for complex designs to be tested but can still take many days, weeks, or even months to complete. With the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the scramjet engine can be analyzed to determine a quicker way to test and develop a reliable configuration in addition to analyzing the effects of different …

Experimental Study Of Wall Bounded Harbor Seal Whisker Inspired Pin Geometries, Anish Prasad, Mark Ricklick

Publications

Conventional cylindrical/elliptical pins are one of the most widely used geometries in convection cooling systems and are used in the internal cooling of gas turbine blades and other applications, as they promote better heat transfer at the expense of large pressure losses and unsteadiness in the flow. The need to reduce pressure drop and maintain the heat transfer rates are a pressing requirement for a variety of industries to improve their cooling efficiency. One such prominent field of research is conducted in optimizing the design of pin geometries. In this study, a harbor seal whisker inspired geometry is being studied …