Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics Commons^™

Project Chimaera: Development Of A Tessellated Tetrahedral Truss Structure For Adaptive Multi-Regime Morphing Wing Technology, Evan Meyer, Eric Rodarte, Maximo Failla, Joshua Shuster, Jackson G. Schuler

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Project Chimaera: Physical Assembly of tessellated tetrahedral wing for Multi-Regime Flight. Modern Aircrafts lose aerodynamic efficiency because they are primarily made utilizing fixed wings which are designed for a single optimal flight condition. This forces an aircraft’s performance to become compromised across various speed maneuvers and flight regimes. Project Chimaera addresses this limitation through the development of a morphing wing capable of dynamically changing its geometry extensively during flight to allow an aircraft to travel between subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic speeds. Whereas traditional wings rely on wing flaps and other flight controls; Project Chimaera addresses the limitation of flight controls …

Modeling The Effect Of Damping On Mechanical Vibrations In An Aircraft Wing, Daniel Ingleton, Ethan Burrell, Noah Evans

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Aircraft wings experience vibrations during flight due to aerodynamic forces, turbulence, engine effects, and the flexibility of the structure itself. If these vibrations are not properly controlled, they can affect the wing’s performance, structural life, and overall aircraft safety. This research project focuses on modeling how damping reduces mechanical vibrations in an airplane wing. To make the problem manageable, the wing will be represented as a simplified cantilever beam. The project will examine how damping, stiffness, and mass influence the wing’s vibration response over time. Using mathematical equations of motion and simulation tools such as MATLAB or ANSYS, the study …

Simulation-Based Analysis Of Aeroelastic Flutter Using A 2-Dof Mass–Spring–Damper Model, Jamie Shore, Jose Murphy, Emily Brown, Leia Vargas Ii, Carl Pellegrino

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This research project focuses on utilizing a mass-spring dampening system to analyze wing flutter. Given that wing flutter is an instability caused by elastic and inertial forces, these create increasing oscillations that lead to structural failure. Our group will create a simulator developed in MATLAB to analyze data on how different variables such as angle of attack, aspect ratio and wind speed influence the flutter. The simulation will help us to determine how flutter is affected by mass, structural stiffness, and the damping coefficient on several materials. These materials include aluminum 6061, birch wood, steel 36, and tungsten. The goal …

Improving The Reliability And Performance Of A Supersonic Indraft Tube Wind Tunnel, Christian J. Kaml

Master's Theses

Access to supersonic testing is increasing in demand, and wind tunnels remain one of the safest and most cost-effective methods for gathering high-speed flow data. Despite being more economical than alternative options, supersonic wind tunnel facilities often require substantial investment to construct, operate, and maintain.

The novel indraft tube tunnel architecture was conceived as a high-speed flow testbed that incorporates features of both Ludwieg tubes and indraft wind tunnels to maintain costs low enough to be accessible even to small universities. This design was first developed and tested in 2018 at California Polytechnic State University, featuring a cost per test …

Instrumentation And Control Of A Novel Device To Simulate A Hypersonic Environment, Andrew Marcello

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The hypersonic flow regime poses several challenges regarding the design of hypersonic vehicles. Among them is the massive energy and economic expense associated with ground- testing evaluation of material responses within this extreme environment. In order to provide a low-cost, rapid option for preliminary material analysis within hypersonic applications, a novel device is under production to replicate this environment on the surface of these materials. This device has been designed to work in conjunction with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) Advanced Photo Source (APS) synchrotron, to allow for in-situ characterization of ablation and oxidation on the sample surface.

To achieve this, …

Multiphysics Transport In Porous Thermal Protection Systems: Experimental Characterization Of Gas Permeability And Radiative Properties, Yejajul Hakim

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Porous thermal protection systems (TPS) used in hypersonic vehicles exhibit coupled gas and radiative transport across multiple regimes and length scales. Accurate performance prediction requires reliable characterization of permeability, slip-flow behavior, and radiative transport properties, particularly for low-permeability and charred materials where existing data are limited. This dissertation presents experimental methods for characterizing multiphysics transport in porous TPS materials. A modular flow system was developed to measure permeability and slip behavior in both virgin and charred materials under relevant environments. A transient pressure decay method enables accurate permeability estimation in low-permeability regimes and provides insight into effective pore structure. Results …

Aeroelastic Simulation Of Shape Adaptive Wing, Allan Alfred Kozich Iii

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Morphing wings provide aerodynamic qualities that normal fixed wings cannot, such as the ability to improve endurance yet maintain maneuverability, overcome strong gusts, vibrations, and shocks, and handle both ideal flight for both high and low speeds. A critical application of the new generation of morphing wings is the ability to overcome and affect the onset flutter, a self-excited oscillatory instability that has led to the destruction of aircrafts. This work investigates aeroelastic behavior and measurement of a meta-material structured "smart" wing and its attempt to delay the effect of flutter. The variable wing tip model is analyzed through finite …

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 …

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 …

Self-Regulated Thermal Management With Shape-Memory Alloy Torsional Tubes, Paula Sanjuan Espejo

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The need for dynamic thermal management that adapts to varying system needs and requirements is a growing topic of interest in different engineering disciplines, most prominently aerospace and electronics. This demand for improved thermal management systems comes from the general increase of system efficiencies leading to an increase in component energy density. Shape-memory alloy actuators, which respond with a mechanical shape recovery to variations in temperature, can be used as self-regulated thermal management actuators that are able to respond to environmental thermal changes autonomously. In this dissertation, modeling and experimental analysis of a two-way shape-memory effect trained SMA torsional tube …

G.W.A.I.H.I.R. Guided Wing Aircraft For Intelligent Hybrid Insertion And Recovery, Abdirahman Ahmed Shirwa, Zach Richards, Derek Harwood, Alex Duncan

Senior Design Project For Engineers

The paper outlines the conceptual and preliminary design of a hybrid vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) heavy lift unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for autonomous cargo transport missions. The primary design objective was to create an aircraft capable of carrying a 15 kg payload over a range of 33 km, achieving a top cruise speed of 45 km/h and maintaining an endurance capacity of at least 90 minutes.

A comprehensive literature review informed key design decision, including airfoil selection, structural material, propulsion system configuration, and control. Key requirements were established early in the design process, such as payload capacity, energy efficiency, …

Optimization Of A Plate Beam System For Energy Harvesting Using A Piezoelectric Material, Jose Manuel Almendros Espantaleon

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

With a continuously growing demand for power, driven by the need to reduce our environmental footprint, this research provides an examination of the potential of energy harvesting with smart materials technology and its practical applications. The energy harvesting system considered here works on generating energy through vibrations of a piezoelectric material beam which will undergo sustained vibrations due to flow of air over its surface. It is assumed that sustained limit cycle oscillations of this system will occur at the flutter velocity. This research creates an optimization framework to obtain the best values of parameters that will result in the …

Sizing Wind Tunnel Heater For High Enthalpy Conditions, Justin M. Slavick

Master's Theses

This paper determines the feasibility of adding a heater to an existing blowdown supersonic wind tunnel to unlock new high-enthalpy test applications, considering cost and power requirements at a variety of different states. This process includes both modeling the current range of test section properties in Cal Poly's blowdown wind tunnel and determining the new range of properties that a heat exchanger could induce. These results are verified with a computational fluid dynamics study. Additionally, sublimation and ablation properties of materials are explored to create appropriate models to study atmospheric re-entry once the heat exchanger is implemented.

It is found …

Martian Atmospheric Rover Simulation (M.A.R.S.), Matt Berard, Shelby Beddard, Alexander Brunette, Emma Conti, Collin Duke, Delaney Novak, Keelin Weaver

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Student Publications

While rovers have been used by various agencies to explore Mars, their travel is limited by terrain obstacles, which may prevent mission completion. Creating a vehicle equipped with both driving and flight capabilities would allow greater range of motion on extraterrestrial planets. Integrating the technology for both transportation modes into one rover allows for efficiency and advancements in technological and planetary research.

Adaptive Control Of An Aeroelastic System For Active Flutter Suppression And Disturbance Rejection, Patrick Sterling Downs

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The future of aircraft design strives for lighter weight, more aerodynamically efficient structures. These improvements may come with the drawback of increased structural flexibility and elevated aeroelastic effects, often resulting in a lower flutter speed. This motivates the implementation of advanced control methods to control aeroelastic systems over a range of flight conditions, suppress and delay the onset of flutter, and compensate for disturbances, actuator dynamics, and unmodeled nonlinear dynamics.

This dissertation first develops a novel method for constructing time-domain simulation models of two and three-dimensional aeroelastic systems, resulting in models that are suitable for the implementation of state-space control …

High-Fidelity Coupling For Studies Of Ablative Materials At Hypersonic Conditions, Aleksander Zibitsker

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The development of accurate models and robust numerical tools for simulating ablative thermal protection materials (TPMs) in hypersonic flows is crucial for advancing atmospheric entry and hypersonic technologies. Traditional methods for simulating ablative materials often rely on heavy assumptions, such as equal heat and mass transfer coefficients and chemical equilibrium in the boundary layer, leading to conservative thermal protection system (TPS) designs and insufficient accuracy for certain in-flight ablation phenomena.

This work presents a high-fidelity and versatile coupled framework between hypersonic flow and material response solvers. The flow domain is modeled with an innovative overset CHAMPS NBS-Cart solver, which features …

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 …

Mechanical Design And Fabrication Of Rotating Test Stand For Supersonic Wind Tunnel, Suren I. Sanai, Sam Groom, Peter Kim, Nandeesh Hiremath

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

This research project focuses on the design and manufacturing of a rotating test stand for the Cal Poly Supersonic Wind Tunnel (SSWT). In order to establish essential design parameters, the project employs compressible flow isentropic relationships to calculate the Mach number within the test section and determine static pressures. This comprehensive effort integrates preliminary design and manufacturing processes, utilizing CAD designs and a range of machinery for component fabrication, while also highlighting initial testing of the rotating test stand's ability to withstand predicted aerodynamic loads. As part of the research's future work, rigorous structural stability testing and the implementation of …

Superfly Amphibian, Devonte Andrews, Ahmed Hamza, Kwesi Onumah, Eva Sanchez

Senior Design Project For Engineers

Following a Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) mission profile, this seaplane is designed to carry 19 passengers and 1 flight crew with a range of 200 nautical miles. The seaplane is equipped with two turbo-prop engines and is economically comparable to current seaplanes in terms of servicing and operating expenses. The aircraft is capable of operating in remote locations with limited infrastructure due to its STOL abilities, allowing for increased access to difficult-to-reach areas. The seaplane's design incorporates modern materials and technologies to enhance efficiency, safety, and comfort for passengers and crew. The aircraft's versatility and cost-effectiveness make it an …

Impact Of Spallation And Internal Radiation On Fibrous Ablative Materials, Raghava Sai Chaitanya Davuluri

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Space vehicles are equipped with Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) that encounter high heat rates and protect the payload while entering a planetary atmosphere. For most missions that interest NASA, ablative materials are used as TPS. These materials undergo several mass and energy transfer mechanisms to absorb intense heat. The size and construction of the TPS are based on the composition of the planetary atmosphere and the impact of various ablative mechanisms on the flow field and the material. Therefore, it is essential to quantify the rates of different ablative phenomena to model TPS accurately. In this work, the impact of …

Development Of A Trailing Edge Flap Using A Compliant Mechanism, Matthew Maybee

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Structural Loads And Preliminary Structural Design For A World Speed Record-Breaking Turbo-Prop Racing Airplane, Matthew G. Slymen

Master's Theses

The Cal Poly SLO Turbo-Prop Racer project aims to design a world speed record-breaking aircraft, capable of flying more than 550 miles per hour on a 3-kilometer closed course. To further this endeavor, this thesis presents the calculations of load distributions across the aircraft’s wing and tail and preliminary structural estimates of primary structural components for verification of the loads calculations and for use in a future finite element model. The aircraft’s fundamental design characteristics effect on the structure of the aircraft, namely the unique Y-tail design, are first examined. Then, loads are calculated in accordance with the regulation dictated …

Aeroelastic Analysis Of Small-Scale Aircraft, Kent Roberts

Master's Theses

The structural design of flight vehicles is a balancing act between maximizing loading capability while minimizing weight. An engineer must consider not only the classical static structural yielding failure of a vehicle, but a variety of ways in which structural deformations can in turn, affect the loading conditions driving those deformations. Lift redistribution, divergence, and flutter are exactly such dynamic aeroelastic phenomena that must be properly characterized during the design of a vehicle; to do otherwise is to risk catastrophe. Relevant within the university context is the design of small-scale aircraft for student projects and of particular consideration, the DBF …

Numerical Investigation On The Effect Of Spectral Radiative Heat Transfer Within An Ablative Material, Raghava S. C. Davuluri, Rui Fu, Kaveh A. Tagavi, Alexandre Martin

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The spectral radiative heat flux could impact the material response. In order to evaluate it, a coupling scheme between KATS - MR and P1 approximation model of radiation transfer equation (RTE) is constructed and used. A Band model is developed that divides the spectral domain into small bands of unequal widths. Two verification studies are conducted: one by comparing the simulation computed by the Band model with pure conduction results and the other by comparing with similar models of RTE. The comparative results from the verification studies indicate that the Band model is computationally efficient and can be used to …

Fully Coupled Internal Radiative Heat Transfer For The 3d Material Response Of Heat Shield, Raghava S. C. Davuluri, Rui Fu, Kaveh A. Tagavi, Alexandre Martin

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The radiative transfer equation (RTE) is strongly coupled to the material response code KATS. A P-1 approximation model of RTE is used to account for radiation heat transfer within the material. First, the verification of the RTE model is performed by comparing the numerical and analytical solutions. Next, the coupling scheme is validated by comparing the temperature profiles of pure conduction and conduction coupled with radiative emission. The validation study is conducted on Marschall et al. cases (radiant heating, arc-jet heating, and space shuttle entry), 3D Block, 2D IsoQ sample, and Stardust Return Capsule. The validation results agree well for …

Fluid-Structure Interaction Of Nrel 5-Mw Wind Turbine, Mohamed Sayed Elkady Abd-Elhay

Theses and Dissertations

Wind energy is considered one of the major sources of renewable energy. Nowadays, wind turbine blades could exceed 100 m to maximize the generated power and minimize produced energy cost. Due to the enormous size of the wind turbines, the blades are subjected to failure by aerodynamics loads or instability issues. Also, the gravitational and centrifugal loads affect the wind turbine design because of the huge mass of the blades. Accordingly, wind turbine simulation became efficient in blade design to reduce the cost of its manufacturing. The fluid-structure interaction (FSI) is considered an effective way to study the turbine's behavior …

Numerical Reconstruction Of Spalled Particle Trajectories In An Arc-Jet Environment, Raghava S. C. Davuluri, Sean C. C. Bailey, Kaveh A. Tagavi, Alexandre Martin

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

To evaluate the effects of spallation on ablative material, it is necessary to evaluate the mass loss. To do so, a Lagrangian particle trajectory code is used to reconstruct trajectories that match the experimental data for all kinematic parameters. The results from spallation experiments conducted at the NASA HYMETS facility over a wedge sample were used. A data-driven adaptive methodology was used to adapts the ejection parameters until the numerical trajectory matches the experimental data. The preliminary reconstruction results show that the size of the particles seemed to be correlated with the location of the ejection event. The size of …

Simulation Of A Trailing Edge Flap Using A Compliant Mechanism, Sam Blackwell

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

A Computational Fluid-Structure Interaction Method For Simulating Supersonic Parachute Inflation, Jonathan Boustani

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Following the successful landing of the Curiosity rover on the Martian surface in 2012, NASA/JPL conducted the low-density supersonic decelerator (LDSD) missions to develop large diameter parachutes to land the increasingly heavier payloads being sent to the Martian surface. Unexpectedly, both of the tested parachutes failed far below their design loads. It became clear that there was an inability to model and predict loads that occur during supersonic parachute inflation. In this dissertation, a new computational method that was developed to provide NASA with the capability to simulate supersonic parachute inflation is presented and validated. The method considers the loose …

Analysis Of Local Convection Heat Transfer Rates Of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide In Tubes, Yang Chao

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Numerical investigation on thermodynamic characteristics of pure supercritical carbon dioxide (𝑆𝐶𝑂2) and mixtures of Helium and 𝑆𝐶𝑂2 in horizontal straight tubes with diameter of 6mm under cooling and heating conditions is carried out by using SST 𝑘 − 𝜔 turbulence model. The computations are conducted at operating pressure of 8MPa with various operating conditions. Simulations are conducted by using the latest poly-hexcore mesh method in ANSYS FLUENT 19.2 and tetrahedral mesh method in CFX 19.2, results and solving time are compared. The effect of heat flux, mass flux, inlet temperature and buoyancy on heat transfer performance are studied, pressure drop …