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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering
Behavior Of 3d Printed Polymeric Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (Tpms) Cellular Structures Under Low Velocity Impact Loads, Jesse James Leiffer
Behavior Of 3d Printed Polymeric Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (Tpms) Cellular Structures Under Low Velocity Impact Loads, Jesse James Leiffer
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Surface-based lattice structures such as triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) lattices are lightweight structures that are widely being investigated for applications in automotive, aerospace, military, railway, and naval structures. Due to the recent advent of three-dimensional (3D) printing (3DP) technologies, architected cellular materials such as surface- or strut-based periodic lattice cell structures have emerged as a unique class of lightweight metamaterials. These materials possess enhanced strength to weight ratio, high stiffness, exceptional capabilities in reducing noise and vibration, insulating heat, and effective impact energy absorption. Understanding the impact behavior of such materials are important so that they can be reliably …
Development Of A Combined Thermal Management And Power Generation System Using A Multi-Mode Rankine Cycle, Nathaniel M. Payne
Development Of A Combined Thermal Management And Power Generation System Using A Multi-Mode Rankine Cycle, Nathaniel M. Payne
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Two sub-systems that present a significant challenge in the development of high performance air vehicle exceeding speeds of Mach 5 are the power generation and thermal management sub-systems. The air friction experienced at high speeds, particularly around the engine, generates large thermal loads that need to be managed. In addition, traditional jet engines do not operate at speeds greater than Mach 3, therefore eliminating the possibility of a rotating power generator. A multi-mode water-based Rankine cycle is an innovative method to address both of these constraints of generating power and providing cooling. Implementing a Rankine cycle-based system allows for the …
Performance Of A Dual Plane Airfoil Model With Varying Gap, Stagger, And Decalage Using Pressure Measurements And Particle Image Velocimetry, Salome Kenneth Nunes
Performance Of A Dual Plane Airfoil Model With Varying Gap, Stagger, And Decalage Using Pressure Measurements And Particle Image Velocimetry, Salome Kenneth Nunes
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The dual-plane airfoil has been adopted in the design of aircraft wings, wind turbine blades, and propellers. The purpose of this research is to investigate the most important design parameters of a dual-plane airfoil model for the best aerodynamic performance, such as gap, stagger, and decalage. The dual-plane airfoil model was designed using the S826 profile. A mechanical mechanism with electrical actuator control is particularly designed to alter the gap and stagger smoothly, as well as the angle of attack (AOA) for each airfoil. It results in a gap range of 1.38c to 2.17c, a stagger range of -0.75c to …
Contact Fatigue Of Spur Gear Operating Under Starved Lubrication Condition, Aparna Udthala
Contact Fatigue Of Spur Gear Operating Under Starved Lubrication Condition, Aparna Udthala
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This study describes contact fatigue behavior of spur gear contacts operating under mixed elastohydrodynamic condition. The focus is placed on the starvation effect on fatigue crack initiation. With the model, parametric simulations are carried out with different contact parameters. In the process, the lubricant supply is varied to alter the lubrication condition from fully flooded to severely starved circumstance. Multi-axial stress fields induced by surface normal and tangential tractions are evaluated, whose amplitudes and means are used in a multi-axial fatigue criterion to determine the crack initiation life. It is found a lower lubricant viscosity elongates fatigue life when severe …
Numerical Investigation Of Flow Around A Deformed Vacuum Lighter-Than-Air Vehicle, Jared N. Kerestes
Numerical Investigation Of Flow Around A Deformed Vacuum Lighter-Than-Air Vehicle, Jared N. Kerestes
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This study characterizes the functional dependence of drag on Reynolds number for a deformed vacuum lighter-than-air vehicle. The commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, FLUENT, is used to preform large eddy simulations (LES) over a range of Reynolds numbers; only Reynolds numbers less than 310,000 are considered. While the overarching goal is drag characterization, general flow-field physics are also discussed, including basic turbulence spectra. All large eddy simulations are preceded by a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulation using Menter’s shear stress transport (SST) model. The precursor RANS simulation serves to (1) provide realistic initial conditions, (2) decrease the time needed to …
Development Of A Robust And Tunable Aircraft Guidance Algorithm, Jacob R. Spangenberg
Development Of A Robust And Tunable Aircraft Guidance Algorithm, Jacob R. Spangenberg
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A set of guidance control laws is developed for application to a reduced order dynamic aircraft model. A feedback control formulation utilizing a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) is developed, together with methods for easing the design burden associated with gain tuning. Metrics are developed to assess the stability margin of the controller over the full flight envelope of a notional unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) model. A feedforward control path is then added to the architecture. The performance of the guidance control laws is assessed through time domain step response metrics as well as through execution of a design mission. The …
Development Of A Robust And Tunable Aircraft Guidance Algorithm, Jacob R. Spangenberg
Development Of A Robust And Tunable Aircraft Guidance Algorithm, Jacob R. Spangenberg
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A set of guidance control laws is developed for application to a reduced order dynamic aircraft model. A feedback control formulation utilizing a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) is developed, together with methods for easing the design burden associated with gain tuning. Metrics are developed to assess the stability margin of the controller over the full flight envelope of a notional unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) model. A feedforward control path is then added to the architecture. The performance of the guidance control laws is assessed through time domain step response metrics as well as through execution of a design mission. The …
Thermal Modeling Of Coordinated Multi-Beam Additive Manufacturing, Rachel Elizabeth Evans
Thermal Modeling Of Coordinated Multi-Beam Additive Manufacturing, Rachel Elizabeth Evans
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In additive manufacturing (AM), it is necessary to know the influence of processing parameters in order to have better control over the microstructure and mechanical performance of the part. Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a metal AM process in which thin layers of powdered material are selectively melted to create a three-dimensional structure. This manufacturing process is beneficial for many reasons; however, it is limited by the thermal solidification conditions achievable in the available processing parameter ranges for single-beam processing methods. Therefore, this work investigates the effect of multiple, coordinated heat sources, which are used to strategically modify the …
Defect Modeling And Vibration-Based Bending Fatigue Of Additively Manufactured Inconel 718, Wesley Earl Eldt
Defect Modeling And Vibration-Based Bending Fatigue Of Additively Manufactured Inconel 718, Wesley Earl Eldt
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Additive manufacturing (AM) is convenient for building components with complex features. However, the long-term integrity of these components is uncertain, since AM parts have defects such as pores and rough surfaces. In this work, an analytical model was developed to determine the impact of defects, and a novel bending fatigue test was used to determine the fatigue life of channeled specimens. The analytical model, based off the theory of critical distances, investigates coupled pores and predicts their potential for fatigue failure. This resulted in a maximum allowable pore size and spacing recommendation for coupled defects. Additionally, specimens with through channels …
Adaptive Multi-Fidelity Modeling For Efficient Design Exploration Under Uncertainty, Atticus J. Beachy
Adaptive Multi-Fidelity Modeling For Efficient Design Exploration Under Uncertainty, Atticus J. Beachy
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This thesis work introduces a novel multi-fidelity modeling framework, which is designed to address the practical challenges encountered in Aerospace vehicle design when 1) multiple low-fidelity models exist, 2) each low-fidelity model may only be correlated with the high-fidelity model in part of the design domain, and 3) models may contain noise or uncertainty. The proposed approach approximates a high-fidelity model by consolidating multiple low-fidelity models using the localized Galerkin formulation. Also, two adaptive sampling methods are developed to efficiently construct an accurate model. The first acquisition formulation, expected effectiveness, searches for the global optimum and is useful for modeling …
Correlating In-Situ Monitoring Data With Internal Defects In Laser Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing, Andrew J. Harvey
Correlating In-Situ Monitoring Data With Internal Defects In Laser Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing, Andrew J. Harvey
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The presence of defects within laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) parts can lead to reduced mechanical properties and life of components. Because of this, the ability to detect these defects within the parts is critical before the part is subject to its intended loading. Normally the parts are subjected to a quality analysis once they are completed however, this process is typically expensive and time consuming. A solution for these problems is to sense the creation of defects and pores in the parts in-situ, while the part is being fabricated. One proposed method of in-situ monitoring is visible spectroscopy to …
Turbine Passage Vortex Response To Upstream Periodic Disturbances, Mitchell Lee Scott
Turbine Passage Vortex Response To Upstream Periodic Disturbances, Mitchell Lee Scott
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Flow through the turbine section of gas turbine engines is inherently unsteady due to a variety of factors, such as the relative motion of rotors and stators. In low pressure turbines, periodic wake passing has been shown to impact boundary layer separation, blade surface pressure distribution, and loss generation. The effect of periodic disturbances on the endwall flow is less understood. Endwall flow in a low-pressure turbine occurs in the boundary layer region of the flow through the blade passage where the blade attaches to the hub in the turbine. The response of an endwall vortical structure, the passage vortex, …
Design And Manipulation Of A Power-Generating System With High-Temperature Fuel Cells For Hypersonic Applications, Jack Randolph Chalker
Design And Manipulation Of A Power-Generating System With High-Temperature Fuel Cells For Hypersonic Applications, Jack Randolph Chalker
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Current hypersonic vehicles tend to be incapable of producing onboard power with traditional generators due to their use of supersonic combusting ramjets (scramjets). Because of this, they seek additional energy sources for supporting advanced electronics or other auxiliary power-dependent devices while requiring elaborate thermal management systems to combat temperatures exceeding 700ºC. The incorporation of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFCs) stacks is an efficient solution, capable of generating large quantities of power through the use of natural fuel sources at high temperatures. Developments in this thesis include the design, construction, and support of a system operating at hypersonic-environment conditions with a …
Unsteady Effects Of A Pulsed Blowing System On An Endwall Vortex, Molly Hope Donovan
Unsteady Effects Of A Pulsed Blowing System On An Endwall Vortex, Molly Hope Donovan
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The low-pressure turbine is an important component of a gas turbine engine, powering the low-pressure spool which provides the bulk of the thrust in medium- and high-bypass engines. It is also a significant fraction of the engine weight and complexity as it can comprise up to a third of the total engine weight. One way to drastically reduce the weight of the low-pressure turbine is to utilize high lift blades. To advance high-lift technology, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) designed the L2F blade profile, which was implemented in the linear cascade at AFRL/RQT’s low speed wind tunnel facility. The …
An Investigation On Spur Gear Rolling Contact Fatigue Crack Initiation And Crack Propagation Under Ehl Condition, Vignesh Dharmajan
An Investigation On Spur Gear Rolling Contact Fatigue Crack Initiation And Crack Propagation Under Ehl Condition, Vignesh Dharmajan
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Pitting is a rolling contact fatigue phenomenon commonly observed in mechanical rolling elements, such as gears and bearings. In case of gear contacts, pitting usually takes place in the dedendum region, where both sliding and contact load are high. In this study, a model is developed to predict surface breaking crack formation fatigue lives, including both nucleation and propagation stages, for spur gear contacts operating under mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) condition. The model utilizes a gear load distribution model for tooth contact Analysis. A mixed EHL formulation is implemented to evaluate the surface normal pressure and tangential shear, incorporating the …
Design And Implementation Of Periodic Unsteadiness Generator For Turbine Secondary Flow Studies, Nathan James Fletcher
Design And Implementation Of Periodic Unsteadiness Generator For Turbine Secondary Flow Studies, Nathan James Fletcher
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A primary source of periodic unsteadiness in low-pressure turbines is the wakes shed from upstream blade rows due to the relative motion between adjacent stators and rotors. These periodic perturbations can affect boundary layer transition, secondary flow, and loss generation. In particular, for high-lift front-loaded blades, the secondary flowfield is characterized by strong three-dimensional vortical structures. It is important to understand how these flow features respond to periodic disturbances. A novel approach was taken to generate periodic unsteadiness which captures some of the physics of turbomachinery wakes. Using stationary pneumatic devices, pulsed jets were used to generate disturbances characterized by …
Effects Of Lubrication Starvation On Flash Temperature For Thermal Mixed Elastohydrodynamic Gear Contacts, Danielle D. Massé
Effects Of Lubrication Starvation On Flash Temperature For Thermal Mixed Elastohydrodynamic Gear Contacts, Danielle D. Massé
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Lubrication is provided to the gear trains in automotive and aerospace transmission systems to prevent mechanical contact through the formation of a full lubricant film, which in turn removes heat generated at the gear contact surfaces. When debris blocks the inlet nozzle, the flow of lubricant is restricted and mechanical components experience lubrication starvation. Under starved lubrication the temperatures of the contact surfaces become elevated which can lead to the formation of a weld between them, a catastrophic failure mode called scuffing. For spur gears, the occurrence of scuffing is due to high sliding in the vicinity of the root …
Rasters Vs Contours For Thin Wall Ultem 9085 Fdm Applications, Vausman Kota
Rasters Vs Contours For Thin Wall Ultem 9085 Fdm Applications, Vausman Kota
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Currently many components are additively manufactured via fused deposition modeling (FDM). However, FDM results in gaps between passes which produces a poor surface finish and porous material that is difficult to hold pressure. Commercial scale air systems require a pressure to be maintained within thin walled components with minimal post processing and clean up after fabrication. A design of experiments (DOE) was created to identify the optimal raster vs contour ratio for UTLEM 9085 CG fabricated using FDM at different build angles and wall thicknesses. A custom-built pressurized test system was developed, the leak rates were calculated and the surfaces …
Power/Thermal Interaction Within An Adaptive Turbine Engine, Andrew K. Desomma
Power/Thermal Interaction Within An Adaptive Turbine Engine, Andrew K. Desomma
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Usually power take off (PTO) with a two-spool turbofan engine has been accomplished via the high pressure (HP) shaft and bleed air from the high-pressure compressor (HPC). The PTO is used to run various aircraft components such as generators and hydraulic pumps, which also produce waste heat. To better understand the coupled transient nature of balancing engine thrust, power take off and thermal management, a transient variable cycle three stream turbofan engine model has been developed to investigate the integrated behavior. The model incorporates many dynamic features including a third-stream heat exchanger as a heat sink for thermal management and …
Aerodynamics Of Fan Blade Blending, Clint J. Knape
Aerodynamics Of Fan Blade Blending, Clint J. Knape
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Blending is a method of fan and compressor blade repair. The goal of the blending process is to remove stress concentration points such as cracks and nicks along the leading, trailing, or tip edges of the blade. The stressed areas are typically removed by grinding or cropping away the surrounding material. For integrally bladed rotor (IBR) disks, repairing a damaged blade is much more economical than replacing the entire disk. However, the change in shape of the blade will change the local aerodynamics and result in mistuning, both structurally and aerodynamically. In a worst case scenario, the change in the …
Analytical And Experimental Investigation Of Time-Variant Acceleration Fields, Justin A. Williams
Analytical And Experimental Investigation Of Time-Variant Acceleration Fields, Justin A. Williams
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Devices expected to operate in elevated or non-standard acceleration fields are often tested in similar conditions prior to deployment. Typically these tests only simulate steady-state acceleration fields in one direction. However, real acceleration fields often vary both directionally and temporally. Designing experiments to produce these conditions requires careful forethought and analysis in order to understand the emergent acceleration components that result from the methodology. An experiment was designed and executed on a horizontal centrifuge in which the radial acceleration varied sinusoidally between -10 < a_r < 10 g. Negative acceleration was achieved by rotating the test article relative to the radial acceleration vector using a servo motor. A model was developed that predicted the acceleration field at every point along the test article. The model provided important information such as the acceleration magnitude and direction anywhere on the test device at any point in time. This model was then used to optimize the velocity profile of the servo motor to minimize experimental artifacts.
Adaptive Identification Of Classification Decision Boundary Of Turbine Blade Mode Shape Under Geometric Uncertainty, Ian M. Boyd
Adaptive Identification Of Classification Decision Boundary Of Turbine Blade Mode Shape Under Geometric Uncertainty, Ian M. Boyd
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Integrally Bladed Rotors (IBR) of aircraft turbine engines suffer from fluctuations in the dynamic response that occurs due to blade to blade geometric deviations. The Stochastic Approach for Blade and Rotor Emulation (SABRE) framework has been used to enable a probabilistic study of mistuned blades in which a reduced order modeling technique is applied in conjunction with sets of surrogate models, called emulators, to make predictions of mistuned mode shapes. SABRE has proven useful for non-switching mode shapes. However, switching mode shapes have non-stationary or discontinuous response surfaces which reduce the accuracy of the surrogate models used in SABRE. To …
Using Cfd To Improve Off-Design Throughflow Analysis, Troy J. Lanchman
Using Cfd To Improve Off-Design Throughflow Analysis, Troy J. Lanchman
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In turbomachinery design, complex internal flows give rise to significant losses and blockage whose effects are difficult to properly analyze without detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods or experiments. In a typical design method, CFD is used in conjunction with simpler throughflow or cascade codes to hasten the process. However, the lesser physical accuracy of the design codes demands the inclusion of models to improve the accuracy of the throughflow codes. This thesis aims to use CFD data to generate improved loss and blockage models for a 2D compressor throughflow code by matching throughflow data to CFD data using optimizations. …
Development Of A Computer Program For Transient Heat Transfer Coefficient Studies, Sri Prithvi Samrat Samayamantula
Development Of A Computer Program For Transient Heat Transfer Coefficient Studies, Sri Prithvi Samrat Samayamantula
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At the present time, the magnitude of transient convective heat transfer is approximated using heat transfer coefficient correlations developed for steady state conditions. This is done by necessity, as transient heat transfer correlations are not readily available. There is a rare transient heat transfer correlation found in the literature, but the number of correlations available can be counted on one hand. In addition, the literature does provide some plots of Nusselt numbers for specific cases of transient convective heat transfer, but these are limited to the specific case for which they were developed. The work presented in this thesis is …
Simulation, Experimentation, Control And Management Of A Novel Fuel Thermal System, Austin L. Tipton
Simulation, Experimentation, Control And Management Of A Novel Fuel Thermal System, Austin L. Tipton
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Modern aircraft experience increasing thermal loads from electronics, electromechanical actuators, and directed energy weapons. These aircraft also have a reduced ability to transfer thermal energy to the atmosphere due to the use of composite skins and a limited number of air intake ports. For aircraft that use fuel as a heatsink, these factors can cause the fuel at points of the system to exceed temperature limits, which can result in fuel coking, damage to subsystems, and even complete system failure. This thesis investigates the fuel thermal management shortcomings of contemporary aircraft systems and suggests a new methodology to extend performance. …
The Characterization And Fatigue Life Impact From Surface Roughness On Structurally Relevant Features Produced Using Additive Manufacturing, Eric-Paul Daniel Tatman
The Characterization And Fatigue Life Impact From Surface Roughness On Structurally Relevant Features Produced Using Additive Manufacturing, Eric-Paul Daniel Tatman
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Additive manufacturing (AM) produces rough surfaces that are detrimental to the mechanical performance of the part. In this work, downward-facing surfaces were fabricated in alloy 718 using laser powder bed fusion and investigated with surface characterization and axial fatigue testing. Coupons with downward-facing surfaces at 45°, 60°, and 75° and flat axial fatigue bars with as-built and machined holes were built. Both specimens were fabricated with three levels of downskin laser power and the coupons with three levels of downskin laser speed. Surface characterization showed roughness increased as the downward-facing angle decreased. Fatigue testing with digital image correlation showed localized …
Design Of A Novel Tissue Culture System To Subject Aortic Tissue To Multidirectional Bicuspid Aortic Valve Wall Shear Stress, Janet Liu
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Blood vessels experience complex hemodynamics marked by three-dimensionality and pulsatility. Arterial endothelial cells interact with the characteristics of the fluid wall shear stress (WSS) to maintain homeostasis or promote disease states. In particular, the bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), a congenital heart valve anatomy consisting of two leaflets instead of three, is associated with aortic complications presumably promoted by hemodynamic abnormalities. While devices have been used to test this hypothesis, their capabilities are limited to the generation of time-varying WSS magnitude in one direction. However, the increased flow helicity generated by BAVs in the aorta is expected to result in increased …
Measurement Of Unsteady Characteristics Of Endwall Vortices Using Surface-Mounted Hot-Film Sensors, Emma Michelle Veley
Measurement Of Unsteady Characteristics Of Endwall Vortices Using Surface-Mounted Hot-Film Sensors, Emma Michelle Veley
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High-lift low-pressure turbine blades produce significant losses at the junction with the endwall. The losses are caused by several complex three-dimensional vortical flow structures, which interact with the blade suction surface boundary layer. This study investigates the unsteady characteristics of these endwall flow structures on a highly loaded research profile and the adjacent endwall using surface-mounted hot-film sensors. Experiments were conducted in a low-speed linear cascade wind tunnel. The front-loaded blade profile was subjected to three different inlet conditions, consisting of two turbulence levels, and three incoming boundary layer thicknesses. Multiple surface-mounted hot-film sensors were installed throughout the passage. This …
Influence Of Fdm Build Parameters On Tensile And Compression Behaviors Of 3d Printed Polymer Lattice Structures, Sai Avinash Yadlapati
Influence Of Fdm Build Parameters On Tensile And Compression Behaviors Of 3d Printed Polymer Lattice Structures, Sai Avinash Yadlapati
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This research focuses on the compression and tensile behavior of three-dimensional printed polymer lattice structures with different printing parameters such as build orientation, infill density, and layer thickness. The body-centered cubic (BCC) lattice unit cell, which has been extensively investigated for energy absorption applications, is considered here to create compression and tensile specimens. Special test fixture was designed and developed to perform the tensile tests. The specimens were printed using Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) polymer material on a Stratasys uPrint 3D printer. The printing parameters considered in this case are: (a) Three different build orientations (0, 45 and 90 degrees); …
In Vitro Assessment Of The Effects Of Valvular Stenosis On Aorta Hemodynamics And Left Ventricular Function, Ashish Madan
In Vitro Assessment Of The Effects Of Valvular Stenosis On Aorta Hemodynamics And Left Ventricular Function, Ashish Madan
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Calcific aortic stenosis (CAS) is the most common valvular heart disease and is associated with aortopathy and ventricular dysfunction. Hemodynamic alterations due CAS could affect the aorta lining (endothelium), that is in direct contact with the blood, triggering adverse biological responses that may possibly cause aortic dilation and dissection. Also, CAS could impose excessive ventricular load leading to ventricular wall thickening, thus putting an individual at a higher risk of heart attack or stroke. These pathophysiological effects of CAS are highly dependent on the degree of calcification. However, the impact of CAS development on aorta flow and left ventricular workload …