Design Optimization Of Active-Stabilizing Canards For High-Powered Rockets,
Liberty University
Design Optimization Of Active-Stabilizing Canards For High-Powered Rockets, Simon Babcock
Senior Honors Theses
Rocket canards are a common means of stabilizing a high-powered rocket in flight by producing aerodynamic forces to correct the rocket's trajectory. The size, shape, and position of the canards relative to the rocket body determine their control effectiveness and aerodynamic efficiency – two objectives of canard design with an inverse relationship to each other. By integrating automated iterative rocket trajectory simulation with adaptive surrogate modelling, this research optimized the canard planform geometry for a high-powered rocket to maximize the canards’ control effectiveness and aerodynamic efficiency through multi-variable, multi-objective design optimization. The canard design was first parameterized into four design …
Algorithms & Design Behind Autonomous Uavs And Ugvs Coordinated System,
University of Mississippi
Algorithms & Design Behind Autonomous Uavs And Ugvs Coordinated System, Aashish Dhakal
Honors Theses
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs), when coordinated effectively, offer substantial potential for automating large-scale tasks—from search and rescue operations to precision agriculture. However, synchronizing these autonomous systems remains challenging, especially in time-sensitive missions requiring precision. This thesis investigates the design and algorithmic coordination of autonomous UAVs and UGVs, examining both single-vehicle scenarios and multi-agent (swarming) approaches. Using the Robot Operating System (ROS) as a communication backbone, I integrate GPS positioning with computer vision techniques through OpenCV, enabling accurate localization and object detection. During the development phase, I validate my methods using ArduPilot Software-in-the-Loop (SITL) simulations within …
Baja Sae Semi-Active Suspension,
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Baja Sae Semi-Active Suspension, Philip Pang, Stassa Cappos, Harrison Hirsch, John Deboer
Mechanical Engineering
This Final Design Review (FDR) Report outlines the senior design project of the Baja SAE Semi-Active Suspension group, which includes mechanical and electrical engineering students at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. This document compiles the Baja SAE Semi-Active Suspension senior project team’s research and development of a semi-active suspension system for the Cal Poly Racing Baja SAE racecar. The goal is to design a system that adjusts the damping constant of the racecar’s spring-damper suspension while the vehicle is being driven in order to improve vehicle dynamics and driver comfort. None of the semi-active dampers that exist on …
Machine Learning To Predict Warhead Fragmentation In-Flight Behavior From Static Data,
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Machine Learning To Predict Warhead Fragmentation In-Flight Behavior From Static Data, Katharine Larsen
Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses
Accurate characterization of fragment fly-out properties from high-speed warhead detonations is essential for estimation of collateral damage and lethality for a given weapon. Real warhead dynamic detonation tests are rare, costly, and often unrealizable with current technology, leaving fragmentation experiments limited to static arena tests and numerical simulations. Stereoscopic imaging techniques can now provide static arena tests with time-dependent tracks of individual fragments, each with characteristics such as fragment IDs and their respective position vector. Simulation methods can account for the dynamic case but can exclude relevant dynamics experienced in real-life warhead detonations. This research leverages machine learning methodologies to …
Vision-Based Autonomy Stacks For Farm Tractors And Intelligent Spraying Systems In Orchards,
Clemson University
Vision-Based Autonomy Stacks For Farm Tractors And Intelligent Spraying Systems In Orchards, Shengli Xu
All Dissertations
Autonomous tractors equipped with intelligent sprayers have become a pivotal aspect of smart farming (SF), marking a transformative shift in traditional agricultural practices and holding the potential to revolutionize the farming industry. With 2,453,620 fruit-bearing acres in the United States as of 2022, there is a pressing need for the implementation of autonomous systems for farm tractors and intelligent spraying systems in orchards. These advancements can significantly reduce labor costs, address labor shortages, and minimize spray loss. Furthermore, to enhance profitability and productivity, it is essential to develop low-cost yet effective vision-based autonomy systems that can operate efficiently across various …
Advances Towards A Robotic Management Vehicle Suited To Nurse Row Crops To More Efficient Outcomes,
Dartmouth College
Advances Towards A Robotic Management Vehicle Suited To Nurse Row Crops To More Efficient Outcomes, Adam Mk Gronewold
Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations
Enhancing agricultural production while reducing input costs remains a central challenge in modern row-crop management. Recent advances in computation, imagery, and sensors are enabling more efficient practices across various agricultural domains, and automation technologies are increasingly available to manage tasks central to perennial crop development. Automation in row-crop agriculture, by contrast, lags behind. This thesis explores utilizing small, unmanned ground vehicles to transform row cropping through the implementation of unconventional, in-season management strategies. The first focus of this work considers improvements to nitrogen fertilization using small, autonomous vehicles. An agronomy experiment in corn assessed the effects of gradually applying nitrogen …
Building An Application Model For Efficient Ride Booking In Ride-Hailing Industry,
California State University, San Bernardino
Building An Application Model For Efficient Ride Booking In Ride-Hailing Industry, Nikunjkumar Butani
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
The purpose of this study is to develop an efficient ride booking application in the ride-hailing sector. The objective of the research is to provide users with an easy way to book rides at reasonable prices and convenient times. This project helps to promote the ride-hailing industry by providing guidance for the creation of real-time applications. This project answered three questions. 1. What are the technology and infrastructure requirements for developing a consolidated online application for centralized ride sharing? 2. What are other examples of application aggregators in other industries than transportation and how do they work? 3. What are …
Aerodynamic Design And Analysis Of A Modified 2006 Mazda Miata,
Georgia Southern University
Aerodynamic Design And Analysis Of A Modified 2006 Mazda Miata, William N. Recher
Honors College Theses
Aerodynamic forces developed by automobiles have destabilizing effects at high speed. These forces tend to skew toward a vehicle’s rear which can present safety concerns, especially for rear-wheel-drive automobiles like the Mazda Miata. To address oversteer and high-speed instability, a vehicle’s design can be tailored to bring about aerodynamic balance and improve traction. LiDAR was used to bring the physical automobile into the digital space. Then, a splitter and diffuser were added to reduce the magnitude of the destabilizing forces. Next, the size and shape of the rear-wing required to balance the vehicle was calculated using a combination of parameters …
Experimental Evaluation And Simulation Of Torque Transmissibility Frequency Response Functions Of Vibration Isolators And Absorbers For Drivetrain Applications,
Michigan Technological University
Experimental Evaluation And Simulation Of Torque Transmissibility Frequency Response Functions Of Vibration Isolators And Absorbers For Drivetrain Applications, Luke Jurmu
Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports
Four studies involving torsional vibration isolation performance of automotive drivetrain components, make up this dissertation. One study features a prototype planetary torsional vibration absorber, a unique device that targets low frequency torsion modes in automotive drivetrains. Two studies feature experiments on several torque converters, clutch locked and open, to validate models of the hardware. The last study details experiments on a centrifugal pendulum absorber in a torque converter, to characterize the viscous friction while submerged in automatic transmission fluid (ATF). The enclosed studies improve the state of the art of drivetrain vibration absorbers and isolators, by introducing a new vibration …
Control Strategies For 6-Dof Quadcopter Uavs: Cascade Pid Stabilization In White Noise Conditions,
Institute of Engineering Technology, Thu Dau Mot University, Ho Chi Minh City 70000, Vietnam
Control Strategies For 6-Dof Quadcopter Uavs: Cascade Pid Stabilization In White Noise Conditions, An Vo Van, Hung Ha Duy
Makara Journal of Technology
In this study, a cascade PID control structure is proposed and implemented for a 6-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to enhance stability and trajectory tracking capabilities under both noise and non-noise conditions. The controller was designed based on the Tyreus–Luyben tuning method and was evaluated using quantitative metrics, including rise time, settling time, overshoot, and steady-state error. Simulation results on MATLAB/Simulink show that the controller achieves high performance in angular channels (ϕ, θ, ψ) and altitude (z) with a short rise time (< 2s), slight overshoot (< 1%), and nearly eliminated steady-state error. However, the horizontal position channels (x, y) have a longer settling time (~110s) and are sensitive to white noise. Quantitative comparisons with other control methods show that the cascade PID outperforms the standard PID in terms of accuracy and stability, achieving a performance comparable to LQR under noise-free conditions, but is less robust in the presence of noise than advanced methods like SMC and MPC. These results confirm the feasibility of cascade PID in UAV applications and indicate potential future improvements by integrating nonlinear, adaptive, or intelligent control strategies.
All Articles in Navigation, Guidance, Control, and Dynamics
Follow Faceted Search242 full-text articles. Page 1 of 0.
Featured Publications
