Aeronautical Vehicles Commons^™

Experimental Analysis Of The Integrated High-Lift Propulsor, Robert W. Deters, Byron Ward, Shreyas Narsipur

Publications

Wind tunnel testing was conducted to evaluate the performance of the Integrated High Lift Propulsor (IHLP), a novel Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) system. The IHLP integrates traditional Krueger flap/slat elements with a Distributed Electric Propulsion design, enhancing high lift performance and cruise efficiency compared to conventional pylon-mounted DEP configurations. Starting from a baseline configuration determined from pretest Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses, a parametric study was performed to determine the influence on the aerodynamic characteristics (𝐶𝑙 , 𝐶𝑥, and 𝐶𝑚). The study involved variations in flap settings, slat angles, overlap, propeller tilt, and propeller position. The impact of Reynolds number, …

Experimental Environmental Profiles And Sloshing Dynamics Aboard Zero-G Aircraft, Pedro J. Llanos, Sathya Gangadharan, Kevin Crosby

Publications

This study presents the results of a parabolic flight experiment to study the sloshing dynamics of the magneto-active propellant management device experiment. This device utilizes a magnetoactive membrane and magnets located external to the tank to effectively damp the liquid free surface motion. This research work establishes a benchmark with sloshing analytical formulation and sensor calibration methods that can be used to characterize future research parabolic flights while providing important environmental profiles measured during flight, such as accelerations, pitch angle, velocity, temperature, total volatile content, carbon dioxide, relative humidity, magnetic field, and radiation. Correlation between these flight variables and the …

Vacuum Lift Apparatus, Ruben Adorno, Anthony N. Palazotto

AFIT Patents

An apparatus for lifting a load to a desired altitude using an evacuated hollow lift body is disclosed. Once evacuated, the apparatus is lighter than the surrounding atmosphere. The lift body can be formed as a hollow fluid tight structure with a tube wound and sealed in a helical pattern or a dual membrane structure with a pressurized intermediate volume sandwiched between inner and outer membranes. A load can be attached to the apparatus and lifted to an altitude where the effective density of the apparatus and load is equivalent to the density of the surrounding atmosphere.

Autonomous Strike Uavs For Counterterrorism Missions: Challenges And Preliminary Solutions, Meshari Aljohani, Ravi Mukkamala, Stephan Olariu

Computer Science Faculty Publications

UAVs are becoming a crucial tool in modern warfare, primarily due to their cost-effectiveness, risk reduction, and ability to perform a wider range of activities. The use of autonomous UAVs to conduct strike missions against highly valuable targets is the focus of this research. Due to developments in ledger technology, smart contracts, and machine learning, such activities formerly carried out by professionals or remotely flown UAVs are now feasible. Our study provides the first in-depth analysis of challenges and potential solutions for successful implementation of an autonomous UAV mission.

Aerodynamic Dimpling For The Nose Cone Of A High-Power Competition Rocket, Graham Geoffrey Monroe

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

This thesis investigates nose cone dimpling for the reduction of the aerodynamic drag of a Level 3 High-Power amateur rocket. Two rocket launches were conducted. The first used a COTS nose cone with a smooth surface. A dimple distribution was created according to dimensions calculated by Sandia National Laboratories’ proprietary Right- Size Dimple Evaluator. A dimpled nose cone, designed with geometry matching the COTS component, was 3D printed. Axial acceleration and barometric pressure data, recorded by an onboard flight computer, were used to calculate and plot the drag coefficient as a function of the Reynolds number for the smooth and …

Metal Organic Framework Modifications Of Structural Fibers, Marwan Al-Haik

Publications

A reinforced carbon composite can include a carbon sub­strate and a metal organic framework bonded to the carbon substrate. For example, a reinforced carbon composite can include a first layer, a second layer, and a resin adhered to the first layer and the second layer. The first layer can include a carbon substrate and a metal organic framework bonded to the carbon substrate. The second layer can include a carbon substrate and a metal organic framework bonded to the carbon substrate.

Parametric Optimization Of A Wing-Fuselage System Using A Vorticity-Based Panel Solver, Chino Cruz

Master's Theses

Aerodynamic topology optimization is a useful tool in the aerodynamic design pro-
cess, especially when looking for marginal gains within a design. One example is
a turboprop racer concept aircraft that is designed with the goal of breaking world
speed records. An optimization framework was developed with the intention of later
being applied to this design. In the early design stages, the optimization framework
must focus on quicker methods of drag estimation, such as a panel codes. The large
number of design variables in topology optimization can exponentially increase func-
tion evaluations and thus computational cost. A vorticity-based panel solver …

Kwad - Ksu All Weather Autonomous Drone, Nick Farinacci, Sebastian Gomez, Stewart Baker, Ed Sheridan

Symposium of Student Scholars

"KWAD" or "KSU all-Weather Autonomous Drone" project was sponsored by Ultool, LLC to the KSU Research and Service Foundation to create a lightweight drone capable of capturing HD video during all-weather operations. The conditions of all-weather operation include rainfall of one inch per hour and wind speeds of up to twenty miles per hour. In addition, a global minimum structural safety factor of two is required to ensure the system's integrity in extreme weather conditions. Potential mission profiles include autonomous aerial delivery, topological mapping in high moisture areas, security surveillance, search and rescue operations, emergency transportation of medical supplies, and …

Steady And Transient Study Of Conjugate Heat Transfer In Regenerative Cooled Nozzle, Khaled Bensayah, Khadidja Kamri

Emirates Journal for Engineering Research

The Heat transfer is one of the most serious challenges that exist in a supersonic nozzle flow. The combustion chamber wall and the nozzle are exposed to high-temperature gases during combustion and gas expansion, which can eventually lead to structural failure. This paper reports a computational study of steady and transient conjugate heat transfer in regenerative water cooled nozzle. Numerical computation solved Reynolds-averaged equations based on RSM-Omega turbulence model coupling with solid-phase heat conduction equation and with coolant-phase. The effect of four inlet cooled approach length 0 inch, 6 inch, 12 inch and 18 inch are studied and validated against …

Studies Of Flowfields And Dynamic Stability Characteristics Of A Quadrotor, Engin Baris

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Electric multirotor air vehicles have become a pervasive technology and research topic in industry, academia, and daily life, and small quadrotors are one of the most preferred designs in the multirotor marketplace. However, the configuration of the quadrotors makes aerodynamic interaction effects one of the key factors of the vehicle performance in both hover and non-axial forward flight conditions.

In the present work, aerodynamic characteristics of the cross-configured small quadrotor in hover, edgewise, and maneuvering flight modes were investigated in detail by performing static and dynamic wind tunnel tests at various RPM levels, wind speeds, pitch and yaw angles, and …

A Study Of 5g Cellular Connectivity To Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Jackson Murrin

All Theses

The market of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has seen significant growth in the past ten years on both the commercial and military sides. The applications for UAVs are endless and options by manufacturers allow users to modify their drones for their specific goals. This industry has opened up the excitement of piloting vehicles in the air, photography, videography, exploration of nature from a different point of view and many other hobbies assisted by the emergence of UAVs. The growth of this industry coincides with the roll out of new 5G cellular network technology. This upgrade in cellular network infrastructure allows …

The Extent Of Drone Education Being Taught In Asc Schools To 4-Year Construction Students, Cheran Teja Dumpati

All Theses

The technology of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) is growing rapidly in many fields and has become one of the skills in demand in the industry. Universities are one of the primary sources of teaching drone technology with a career-oriented approach. The goal of this study is to investigate the content of the drone curriculum being taught in Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) schools. This includes the topics covered, practical training offered, and the key deliverables taught. This information serves as a foundation for the schools that are looking forward to start drone courses in their department. The research found that …

Performance Evaluation And Thermal Management Solutions For A Sustainable Microsized Hydrogen-Powered Turbo-Shaft Engine, Nikolai Baranov

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

Analyzing the aerospace and automotive industries, there is a transition to sustainable energy generation. Aiming to bridge industrial emissions with the worldwide net zero goal by 2050, one widely considered solution for long-range drones and small aircraft is compact turbo-shaft engines combusting clean hydrogen gas to produce shaft work. The small size and energy-dense fuel allow for a universal powerplant with high specific power output that fits a wide variety of existing solutions. One such micro-sized turboshaft internal combustion engine was created to test the potential power output, thermal management, and combustor optimization of the existing stainless steel assembly. The …

Modeling, Control, And Hardware Development Of A Thrust-Vector Coaxial Uav, Andrew North

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This thesis introduces a unique thrust vector coaxial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configuration and presents a comprehensive investigation encompassing dynamics modeling, hardware design, and controller development. Using the Newton-Euler method, a dynamic model for the UAV is derived to gain in-depth insights into its fundamental flight characteristics. A simple thrust model is formulated and modified by comparing it with data obtained from vehicle testing. The feasibility of manufacturing such a vehicle is assessed through the development of a hardware prototype. Finally, a linear state feedback controller is designed and evaluated using the non-linear dynamics model. The results demonstrate successful validation …

Consumer 3d Printing For Remote Control Aircraft Wings: Development Of Novel Wingbox Structure, Ian Clark

University Honors Theses

Remote control aircraft construction and can be a very expensive and time-consuming hobby. With 3D printer consumer adoption rates skyrocketing, there is a gap between demand for RC aircraft and suitable well-designed models available to creators and hobbyists. By creating and testing two iterations of wingbox geometries, this research aims to help close that gap by producing an easily printable wing structure. While there are improvements that can be made on this work, this research has been effective in generating a novel wingbox structure for FFF 3D printing that has distinct advantages over other designs currently available.

Crazyflie 2.1 Quadcopter Nonlinear System Identification, Nhat V. Nguyen, Hope Storro, John Plimpton

2023 Symposium

Quadcopters (quad) are used widely in many industries with crucial applications such as infrastructure inspection or package delivery. The Crazyflie 2.1 quad from Bitcraze provides an excellent platform for research and development. In this project, our goal is to perform system identification on the Crazyflie to propose a complete model. A gray box method is explored, which includes leveraging the parameters that are already known, to develop a set of equations. Through theory, simulations, and measurements, a complete quadcopter model is developed.

3d Printed Aircraft, Matthew Nagy, Charles D'Amico, Alexis Salgado Medina

Mechanical Engineering

This project is to design, build, and test a 3D-printable aircraft. The goal is to create a final design that will be able to fly for the longest duration possible, around 20 seconds. To determine the correct preliminary design and manufacturing process for a 3D printed RC aircraft, an analysis of multiple design options and manufacturing materials was performed. This allowed for a variety of choices for aircraft type, airfoil design, structure, among other topics to be narrowed down to the most promising option. It has been found that the aircraft will follow a design similar to industry motor-gliders, with …

Feasibility Assessment Of An All-Electric, Narrow-Body Airliner, Ariel Sampson

Master's Theses

Combustion emissions from aviation operations contribute significantly to climate change and air pollution. Accordingly, there is increasing interest in advancing battery-powered propulsion for aviation applications to reduce emissions. As batteries continue to improve, it is essential to recognize breakthroughs in battery specific energy in the context of air transport vehicles. Most electric aircraft designs and programs have focused on small aircraft because of restrictive battery performance. This work presents a feasibility assessment for an all-electric airliner based on an Airbus A220-100 with turbofan engines replaced by electric motors and propellers. The analysis compares the performance characteristics of the electric airliner …

Innovation For The Air: A Brief History Of Worldwide Aviation, Lauren Plumley

Honors Theses

The purpose of this report is to present a brief but comprehensive overview of the variety of innovations related to aviation, and to discuss their impact on scientific progress over the course of human history. Relevant discoveries from the fields of physics and aerodynamics, and the numerous technologies built based upon these discoveries, are discussed over a period ranging from ancient times to the twenty-first century. The scope of this report is an overview of the development of powered and unpowered aircraft, including lighter-than-air, heavier-than-air, and aerospace technologies. Aviation developments were generally not limited to one specific country or person, …

Simulating Dielectric Barrier Plasma Actuators With Varying Geometries, Cass Wiederkehr

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The idea of Ionic Wind Propulsion has long been a topic of research for whether or not it can be used as a practical power source for flight. MIT researchers proved in 2018 that a plane with zero moving parts powered by Ionic Wind Propulsion was possible, and sustained flight could work with an internal power supply. However, due to the thin wire electrodes required to generate the ion cloud that made such propulsion possible, large amounts of drag rendered the plane extremely inefficient and impractical. Dielectric Barrier Discharge Devices (DBDs) are being investigated as to whether they can serve …

Investigation Of Interplanetary Trajectories To Sedna, John W. Sarappo Iii, Samuel Brickley, Iliane Domenech, Lorenzo Franceschetti, James E. Lyne

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Enabling Premixed Hydrogen-Air Combustion For Aeroengines Via Laboratory Experiment Modeling, Christopher James Caulfield

Masters Theses

All combustion systems from large scale power plants to the engines of cars to gas turbines in aircraft are looking for new fuel sources. Recently, clean energy for aviation has come into the foreground as an important issue due to the environment impacts of current combustion methods and fuels used. The aircraft industry is looking towards hydrogen as a new, powerful, and clean fuel of the future. However there are several engineering and scientific challenges to overcome before hydrogen can be deployed into the industry. These issues
range from storing the hydrogen in a viable cryogenic form for an aircraft …

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 …

Filter-Based Air Sampler Capable Of Integration Into Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Robert M. Eninger, Stepanie A. Ohms, Jeremy M. Slagley

AFIT Patents

A filter-based air sampler, more specifically a filter-based air sampler capable of integration into small unmanned aerial systems is disclosed. The filter-based air sampler may include a filter assembly which has as its component parts: an open faced air intake component, a filter, and a filter support that has a central supporting grid. The filter assembly may joined to the housing of a fan, such as a centrifugal fan, with the supporting grid of the filter support being disposed over the air inlet of the fan.

Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Operator Workload And Situation Awareness Utilizing First Person View Techniques, Ross Lucas Stephenson Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The small, unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) sector within the aviation industry is experiencing unprecedented growth. However, the regulatory guidance for the safe integration of sUAS into the National Airspace System (NAS) has not kept pace with this technological growth within the market. Current regulatory limitations of line-of-sight operations may have an impact on the establishment of an equivalent level of safety for sUAS operations as maintained by manned aircraft. The focal point of the discussion of line-of-sight operations has been the ability of the sUAS pilot to see and avoid all obstacles and other aircraft in a safe and timely …

A Simulation Of The Impacts Of Climate Change On Civil Aircraft Takeoff Performance, Thomas D. Pellegrin

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Climate change affects the near-surface environmental conditions that prevail at airports worldwide. Among these, air density and headwind speed are major determinants of takeoff performance, and their sensitivity to global warming carries potential operational and economic implications for the commercial air transport industry. Previous archival and prospective research observed a weakening in headwind strength and predicted an increase in near-surface temperatures, respectively, resulting in an increase in takeoff distances and weight restrictions. The main purpose of the present study was to update and generalize the extant prospective research using a more representative sample of worldwide airports, a wider range of …

Loss Of Control In-Flight (Loc-I): A Mixed Methods Study Of Voluntary Versus Mandatory Reports From The United States Of America, Roger Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Loss of control in flight (LOC-I) is one of modern aviation’s three most prominent fatal accidents. In the United States, air accidents are mandatorily reported to and investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Established in 1976, the Air Safety Reporting System (ASRS) is a voluntary safety reporting (VSR) system administered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Over 1.7 million ASRS reports have been processed to date. While the NTSB system handles LOC-I accidents, less severe incidents may have been reported voluntarily through the ASRS.

Safety reporting has been deemed the most valuable activity and the centerpiece …

Adaptive Modified Rise-Based Quadrotor Trajectory Tracking With Actuator Uncertainty Compensation, Emmanuel Ogbanje Ijoga, William Mackunis, Krishna Bhavithavya Kidambi, Madhur Tiwari

Publications

This paper presents an adaptive robust nonlinear control method, which achieves reliable trajectory tracking control for a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle in the presence of gyroscopic effects, rotor dynamics, and external disturbances. Through novel mathematical manipulation in the error system development, the quadrotor dynamics are expressed in a control-oriented form, which explicitly incorporates the uncertainty in the gyroscopic term and control actuation term. An adaptive robust nonlinear control law is then designed to stabilize both the position and attitude loops of the quadrotor system. A rigorous Lyapunov-based analysis is utilized to prove asymptotic trajectory tracking, where the region of convergence …

Spin Recovery Analysis On A Simulation Model Of The Nasa F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (Harv) Using Thrust Vectoring, Brock M. Dolly

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

In the early years of aviation, spins were poorly understood and frequently fatal. With just over a century of research and experiments dedicated to spins, today’s aviation world has a very firm grasp on spin aerodynamics. Most fighter aircraft have airframes and control surfaces specifically designed to ensure the ability of departure from the possible spin modes the aircraft can enter. An alternative and/or additional approach is given by thrust vectoring. Implementing thrust vectoring into spin recovery can potentially save an aircraft and/or the life of the pilot in situation where control-surface-only spin recovery is not able to recover the …

Fostering Safer Evacuations Aboard Commercial Aircraft: A Problem-Solution Analysis, George Skinner

Student Works

This problem-solution analysis analyzes factors impeding safe and orderly evacuations for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Although rarely used, evacuation procedures are critical for keeping passengers safe during emergency situations. However, there are flaws in these procedures and many factors exist which make aircraft evacuations slow and dangerous. During a situation in which time is of the essence, these impediments can make the difference between an incident and a fatal accident. This report focuses on data gathered through full-scale evacuation simulations and analyzes shortcomings and strengths in three accidents. This information is then compared to current procedures and regulations that …