Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Numerical Simulation Of Fracture Of A Nano-Paper Coated E-Glass/Polyester Composite With Thermal Damage, Zachary Graham

HIM 1990-2015

Aerospace research for next-generation travel increasingly focuses on the use of advanced composites to reduce weight and cost while retaining strength. One subset of materials with great potential is based on the combination of resin matrix and glass-fiber reinforcement. This research explores the application of a candidate nanopaper coating with a given composite. Prior research applied a set of given heat fluxes to the top surface of the composite for a set of given periods of time, and subsequently performed a 3-point flexural test to determine the elastic modulus for both the coated and uncoated composite for all of the …

Strategically Minded Dynamic Analysis Of Strategic Flight Bat Maneuvers, Marie Kaspryzk

HIM 1990-2015

CATD was not only adequate for analyzing the pursuit of erratically moving prey but also worked well when analyzing the pursuit of prey that remained stationary. It cannot be fully concluded that bats utilize the CATD strategy to successfully capture erratically flying prey. The angle remains relatively constant but does not exhibit a zero change in angle as by definition. The large forces experienced by the bat were seen when the bat began to rotate its body about its pitch axis or when the bat made a large turn. Moments were seen specifically when the bat began to bank into …

Analysis Of Damage In Laminated Architectural Glazing Subjected To Wind Loading And Windborne Debris Impact, Mahesh S. Shetty, Jun Wei, Lokeswarappa R. Dharani, Daniel S. Stutts

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Wind loading and windborne debris (missile) impact are the two primary mechanisms that result in window glazing damage during hurricanes. Wind-borne debris is categorized into two types: small hard missiles such as roof gravel, and large soft missiles representing lumber from wood-framed buildings. Laminated architectural glazing (LAG) may be used in buildings where impact resistance is needed. The glass plies in LAG undergo internal damage before total failure. The bulk of the published work on this topic either deals with the stress and dynamic analyses of undamaged LAG or the total failure of LAG. The pre-failure damage response of LAG …

The Effect Of Navigation State Selection On Fuel Dispersions For Powered Lunar Descent, Jessica Thornley Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A Monte Carlo simulation is developed to study the performance of the closed-loop guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) system of a lunar lander in powered descent. The simulation includes six-degrees-of-freedom dynamics, an extended Kalman filter, guidance based upon modified Apollo methods, an attitude control system, and several different types of sensors. Sensors included in the sensor suite include accelerometers, gyroscopes, a star camera, an altimeter, a velocimeter, and a radio navigation system. The simulation is used to examine the effects of sensor errors and the number of navigation states on total fuel use.

The Application Of Advanced Composites For The Construction Of Commercial Transport Aircraft, Mark D. Severson

Graduate Student Works

This individual Capstone project examined and evaluated current industry methods of testing, certification, and maintenance of advanced composite materials for the construction of commercial transport aircraft and the FAA regulations governing their use. The project critically compared and contrasted existing FAA standards and regulations governing the testing, certification, and maintenance of advanced composites for commercial transport aircraft structural applications with current industry practices to determine whether there were any areas of conflict between the two in order to accept or reject that current testing, certification, and maintenance procedures for advanced composites used in primary and secondary commercial transport aircraft structures …

Design And Testing Of Digitally Manufactured Paraffin Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Hybrid Rocket Motors, Jonathan M. Mcculley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Hybrid motors that employ non-toxic, non-explosive components with a liquid oxidizer and a solid hydrocarbon fuel grain have inherently safe operating characteristics. The oxidizer is blown though the solid fuel where it is combusted through a nozzle to produce thrust. This research investigated the combination of Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene impregnated with paraffin wax as the solid fuel component burned with nitrous oxide. The paraffin provides an enhanced regression rate over ABS; however, it lacks structural integrity and combustion efficiency. Multiple fuel grains with various ABS-to-Paraffin mass ratios were fabricated and burned with nitrous oxide. Analytical predictions for end-to-end motor performance and fuel …

Spin Stability Of Sounding Rocket Secondary Payloads Following High Velocity Ejections, Weston Mcclain Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Auroral Spatial Structures Probe (ASSP) mission is a sounding rocket mission studying the effects of solar energy on space weather. ASSP requires the high speed ejection (up to 50 m/s) of 6 secondary payloads to gather the required data. The scientific instruments on the secondary payloads require that the payloads are stable in flight with coning angles of less than 5º, where the coning angle is the amount the payload is allowed to “wobble” about its spin axis. The secondary payloads are also required to have their spin axes aligned with 25º of the local magnetic field lines. Current …

Error Modeling And Analysis Of Star Cameras For A Class Of 1u Spacecraft, David M. Fowler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As spacecraft today become increasingly smaller, the demand for smaller components and sensors rises as well. The smartphone, a cutting edge consumer technology, has impressive collections of both sensors and processing capabilities and may have the potential to fill this demand in the spacecraft market. If the technologies of a smartphone can be used in space, the cost of building miniature satellites would drop significantly and give a boost to the aerospace and scientific communities.

Concentrating on the problem of spacecraft orientation, this study sets ground to determine the capabilities of a smartphone camera when acting as a star camera. …

Power Efficient Restart-Capable Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene-Based Arc Ignition For Hybrid Rocket Motors, Nathan R. Inkley

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

Hybrid rocket ignition has historically involved either dangerous energetic materials or inefficient and failure-prone plasma sources. The vast majority of such systems cannot sup- port multiple restart cycles, thus limiting the applicability of hybrid rockets–especially for in-space propulsion. During research investigating its use as a fuel for hybrid rockets, it was discovered that Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plastic possesses unique electrical breakdown characteristics. During a properly designed breakdown event, application of a strong electric field induces a high-temperature arc along the surface of the ABS, concurrent with rapid production of hydrocarbon vapor. This behavior forms the basis of a novel …

Hydrodynamic Impact Analysis And Testing Of An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Isabel Bird

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Analysis and testing have been conducted to assess the feasibility of a small UAV that can be landed in the water and recovered for continued use. Water landings may be desirable in a number of situations, for example when testing UAVs outside of the territorial waters of the US to avoid violating FAA regulations. Water landings may also be desirable when conducting surveillance missions in marine environments. Although the goal in landing is to have the UAV lightly set down on the water, rough seas or gusty winds may result in a nose-in landing where the UAV essentially impacts the …

Investigation Of A Lagrangian-Point Propellant Depot Rendezvous Approach For An Interplanetary Mission To Mars, Joshua W. Ehrlich

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the feasibility of a refueling station for a beyond Earth orbit (BEO) mission. The propellant depot is located at the L₂ -Lagrangian point within the Earth-Moon system. This investigation determines if a refueling mission will reduce propulsive energy requirements necessary for Earth departure of a BEO-vehicle to achieve an interplanetary transfer to Mars. Furthermore, this research presents a trade study which identifies approximate total requirements for a direct and rendezvous mission to Mars as well as the necessary fuel masses to complete each approach. This analysis provides conclusive information in determining the benefits in utilizing a …

Development Of The Multiple Use Plug Hybrid For Nanosats (Muphyn) Miniature Thruster, Shannon Dean Eilers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Multiple Use Plug Hybrid for Nanosats (MUPHyN) prototype thruster incorporates solutions to several major challenges that have traditionally limited the deployment of chemical propulsion systems on small spacecraft. The MUPHyN thruster offers several features that are uniquely suited for small satellite applications. These features include 1) a non-explosive ignition system, 2) non-mechanical thrust vectoring using secondary fluid injection on an aerospike nozzle cooled with the oxidizer flow, 3) a non-toxic, chemically-stable combination of liquid and inert solid propellants, 4) a compact form factor enabled by the direct digital manufacture of the inert solid fuel grain. Hybrid rocket motors provide …

Catalytic Decomposition Of Nitrous Oxide Monopropellant For Hybrid Motor Ignition, Matthew D. Wilson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nitrous oxide (N₂O), a commonly-used industrial gas, is also often used as a rocket motor oxidizer. It has been used in both hybrid rocket motors (using a solid fuel and a liquid oxidizer) and liquid rocket engines (using liquid fuel and oxidizer).

As a liquid form, nitrous oxide is highly stable, but in vapor form it can be decomposed, releasing large amounts of heat as it dissociates into nitrogen and oxygen. This project investigates using the energy from decomposing nitrous oxide to ignite a hybrid or liquid rocket. Such a system would be practical in rocket …

Optimization Of Induced-Power From Dynamic Inflow Theory With Realistic Constraints, Chad File

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Finite-state induced-inflow theory is used to develop an analytic formulation for general performance of the lifting rotor with arbitrary loading. The theory incorporates conventional blade-element theory for blade lift and provides the integrated loads and the induced-power of the rotor in terms of an arbitrary number of rotor controls such as conventional collective and cyclic pitch as well as higher harmonic radial and azimuthal pitch. The theory provides the basis for a classical quadratic optimization with realistic constraints that is applied to determine minimum induced-power for a variety of available control combinations, rotor trim constraints, and operating conditions. The findings …

Design Considerations And Requirements For In-Flight Refueling Of Unmanned Vehicles, Ian R. Mcandrew, Kenneth Witcher

Publications

The need to refuel in-flight has become a significant part of military strategy for air forces to work at further distances from safe shores. The use of Unmanned Vehicles is increasing and expected to be the principal part of military deployment. This paper will address the concepts and requirements for applying refueling unmanned vehicles in a military context for supporting fixed and rotor aircraft. Design aspects of human factors in the process are considered, reviewed and solutions proposed to allow for the first generation of designs to be developed. Furthermore, the practical and operational limitations will be addressed as part …

Orbital Debris Removal Technologies: A Hybrid Electrodynamic Tether And Ion Beam Shepherd Satellite Design For Fuel Efficient Contactless Debris Removal, JöRn Mumme

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Space debris poses a serious threat to humanities efforts at space exploration as well as the expanding uses for earth-orbiting satellites. This thesis investigates the proposed technologies for the debris's removal both large and small. Focus is applied to the large debris removal technologies since the small size category is dominated by the ORION laser system. Furthermore, the large debris objects pose the most destructive threat upon impact to satellites. Electrodynamic tethers (EDT) as well as their control strategies, ion-beam shepherds (IBS), and tradition thruster methods are investigated for effectiveness and feasibility. Hybrid combinations of these technologies are investigated in …

Comm-Components Of Link Equation, Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint Presentation created by Professor Bob Twiggs on "Comm-Components of Link Equation" from April 10, 2013.

An Experimental Investigation Of The Stol Performance Of Cal Poly's Amelia In The Nfac, Jonathan Andrew Lichtwardt

Master's Theses

Results from Cal Poly's recent wind tunnel test, during the Winter of 2011-2012, in the 40- by 80-foot test section at the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) at NASA Ames Research Center are presented. AMELIA, the Advanced Model for Extreme Lift and Improved Aeroacoustics, is the first full-span, cruise efficient, short take-off and landing (CESTOL) model incorporating leading- and trailing-edge blowing wing circulation control and over-the-wing mounted turbine propulsion simulators (TPS) to date. Testing of the 10 foot span model proved successful and was the result of a 5 year NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program Research Announcement. The test generated extensive …

Muscle Synergies Improve Estimation Of Knee Contact Forces During Walking, Benjamin J. Fregly, Jonathan P. Walter, Allison Kinney, Scott A. Banks, Darryl D. D'Lima, Thor F. Besier, David G. Lloyd

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

This study investigates whether use of subject-specific muscle synergies can improve optimization predictions of muscle excitation patterns and knee contact forces during walking. Muscle synergies describe how a small number of neural commands generated by the nervous system can be linearly combined to produce the broad range of muscle electromyographic (EMG) signals measured experimentally. By quantifying the interdependence of individual EMG signals, muscle synergies provide dimensionality reduction for the neural control redundancy problem. Our hypothesis was that use of subjectspecific muscle synergies to limit muscle excitation patterns would improve prediction of muscle EMG patterns at the hip, knee, and ankle …

Application Of Archimedes In Three Dimensions And To Solid Mechanics, Jonathan Aziz

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

ARCHIMEDES is a computerized learning system that has helped Syracuse University students overcome the challenges of Engineering Statics since 2009. Its success has motivated application of ARCHIMEDES to three dimensional problems and to problems in Solid Mechanics. Other learning software was investigated before seven Solid Mechanics problems were written for ARCHIMEDES. A 3D graphical interface was developed and evaluated by a field test of student volunteers. Student preferences for various features in 3D learning software were obtained. It is clear from student responses that having a 3D scene to manipulate improves visualization of the problem, mitigating the ambiguity of a …

Pilots For Space Tourism, Robert A. Goehlich, Jay K. Anderson, Nathan N. Harrold, Joseph A. Bemis, Mike T. Nettleingham, Joshua M. Cobin, Bradley R. Zimmerman, Ben L. Avni, Michael D. Gonyea, Nicholas Y. Ilchena

Applied Aerospace Science

This article sheds light on the key player needed for any space tourism adventure: the pilot who flies the spacecraft. The paper addresses the potential benefits of including a pilot at the controls when designing a space tourism spacecraft. It examines the basic qualifications and advanced skills required of space tourism pilots and discusses key training requirements for selected pilots and space pilots’ pay and benefits. In addition, the research concludes that, just as the pioneers of passenger transport in aviation entertained and captured the interest of their passengers, the space pilot should have the skills of a tour guide.

Investigation Of Buoyant Transport Systems For Martian Exploration, Jake A. Tynis

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis has investigated the feasibility of utilizing hydrogen-filled balloons as transport systems to accelerate robotic exploration of Mars. Assuming that a fixed robotic base is established at a Mars surface location that is accessible to water ice, electrolysis of in situ water to produce hydrogen is straight forward. A recent Master's thesis determined that global wind patterns at Mars were strong at most times of the year and predictable. On that basis, it was possible to investigate the feasibility of employing surface-launched, hydrogen-filled balloons to transport 100 kg payloads over great distances and to otherwise inaccessible locations throughout Mars. …

Micro--Piv Measurements And Numerical Simulations Of Induced Charge Electro-Osmosis Around A Conducting Metal Rod, William George Rosen

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The induced charge electro-osmotic (ICEO) flow around a conducting metal rod positioned in the center of a microchannel was analyzed through physical experimentation and numerical simulation. The experimental set up consisted of a straight microchannel connecting two fluid reservoirs with a square wave AC electric field applied across the microchannel. The electric field for the experimental tests ranged from 100 V /cm to 200 V/cm at frequencies from 500 Hz to 1.5 kHz. The numerical simulations used a similar geometric setup but were exposed to both a direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) applied electric field. The electric field …

Syllabus For Space Systems Engineering 120: Satellites And Space Systems I (Spring 2013), Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

Professor Bob Twiggs' 2013 spring syllabus for Space Systems Engineering 120: Satellites and Space Systems I.

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Broncoblade: An Open Source Wind Turbine Blade Analysis Tool, Alex R. Quinlan

Masters Theses

This thesis reports the development and validation of BroncoBlade, a horizontal axis wind turbine analysis tool. BroncoBlade prepares finite element models and integrates them with an aeroelastic simulator. Analysis results for the SNL100-00 baseline blade are evaluated against reference results published by Sandia National Laboratories. Variations on the SNL100-00 blade incorporating carbon fiber are compared to the baseline blade.

Enabling Rapid Conceptual Design Using Geometry-Based Multi-Fidelity Models In Vsp, Joel Brian Belben

Master's Theses

The purpose of this work is to help bridge the gap between aircraft conceptual design and analysis. Much work is needed, but distilling essential characteristics from a design and collecting them in an easily accessible format that is amenable to use by inexpensive analysis tools is a significant contribution to this goal. Toward that end, four types of reduced-fidelity or degenerate geometric representations have been defined and implemented in VSP, a parametric geometry modeler. The four types are degenerate surface, degenerate plate, degenerate stick, and degenerate point, corresponding to three-, two-, one-, and zero- dimensional representations of underlying geometry, respectively. …

Characterization Of A Spiral Microfluidic Focusing Device For Continuous Single Cell Impedance-Based Cytometry Applications, Daniel Riley

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A major focus in the field of cell characterization is the quantification of cell dielectric properties in order to develop low-cost, portable microfluidic devices that can, among other things, perform point-of-care detection of rare diseases and complete blood counts. Impedance-based cytometry has become an advantageous tool to ascertain these properties, wherein it is important that cells pass through the same point in a channel cross-section one at a time to ensure accurate and repeatable readings. This study documents the assessment of an 8-loop 160 μm (W) x 80 μm (H) spiral microchannel used to focus 10 μm polystyrene particles. In …

Nasa Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission Tablesat 1c, Joshua Chabot, Joseph Kelley, Michael Johnson

Honors Theses and Capstones

The NASA Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) mission (to be launched in 2014) consists of four spin-stabilized spacecraft flying in precise formation. The MMS spacecraft, which have wire booms up to 60 m long, are analyzed using the UNH MMS TableSat IC, a limited 3-DOF rotation (full spin, limited nutation) table top prototype of the MMS spacecraft. A PID controller is implemented on TableSat IC to observe the effects of spin rate and nutation control on the experimental satellite bus and scaled booms. Nutation and spin are implemented independently and the behavior of the test bed with and without SDP booms is …

Nonlinearity Index Analysis Of Periodic-Chaotic Stall-Spin Aircraft Motion, Daniel Paul Tapolcai

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores the application of nonlinearity index theory to the nature of stalling and spinning aircraft motions. Nonlinear dynamic phenomena related to stall and spin have been a concern to flight engineers and pilots for generations. Considerable past work has been directed to detect and understand the cause and nature of these phenomena. Methods such as bifurcation analysis, Volterra expansion series, and nonlinear simulation are a few of the nonlinear approaches developed to study this topic. Traditionally, however, linear analysis is the most widely used approach for studying aircraft dynamical behavior under a given set of acceptable conditions. This …

Development Of Cfd Models For The Purposes Of Exploring Free Surface Wave Phenomena, Leonard P. Stoehr

Masters Theses

With the push for finding alternative, green energy sources, the harnessing of energy from ocean and lake waves is becoming a more researched field. To fully understand the behavior of wave interactions and optimize designs to extract this energy, it is necessary to develop computer models that can accurately replicate this behavior. A case is presented in which previous work done using the wave tank found in the Western Michigan University fluids lab is examined. The case involves harnessing the energy generated by ocean waves through the usage of plates of different shapes resting horizontally on the water’s surface. The …