AE Brown Bag Seminar
Friday, March 7
11:00 a.m.
Guggenheim 442
Pizza Served
Tushar Bansal
Arnold Chen
Jonathan Gutknecht
Simon Kinderman
Rushil Negandhi
Rachel Ye
Tushar Bansal
Title:
Modeling & Simulation Support for a GA Turboprop
Abstract:
Advances in modeling and simulation capabilities in the aerospace industry are forcing startups, even within the general aviation sector, to develop more advanced models to simulate the performance of their vehicles. Centauri Aircraft is one such company, working to develop their aircraft to provide a high-end GA product. This project aims to develop a calibrated model of the Centauri Valkyrie aircraft, replicating its current performance and with the capability of predicting its performance with alternative engines and configurations. Component models have been developed using engine manuals, AVL, and proprietary software to predict aerodynamic and propulsive performance accurately. These are being combined in AVIARY and calibrated to Centauri's flight test data.
Faculty Advisor:
Research Engineer Christian Perron
Arnold Chen
Title:
Design and Simulation of Cislunar Space and Lunar ISRU
Abstract:
This research aims to develop a full simulation of a lunar base with particular focus on lunar in situ resource utilization (ISRU). As interest in a permanent lunar base increases with the Artemis missions, it is important to scope out the full extent of such a base. The simulation in this research creates a powerful simulation tool to size out the permanent base. For this, discrete event simulation implementing the SimPy framework is used. The SimPy framework allows for fast simulation of different agents which interact with each other and share resources. The fully developed simulation accurately portrays the requirements of the full-scale lunar base.
Faculty Advisor:
Research Engineer Jeffrey McNabb
Jonathan M Gutknecht
Title:
Star Catalog Generation for Autonomous Velocity Estimation Using StarNAV
Abstract:
As space missions get more complex, there is an increasing need for autonomous navigation without reliance on infrastructure such as GNSS or ground-based systems. StarNAV is a framework for autonomous navigation of spacecraft based on stellar aberration, or the change in the apparent position of a star due to an observer’s velocity. Using this framework, a spacecraft’s velocity estimate can be updated using apparent changes in inter-star angle. This presentation details the procedure for identifying suitable pairs of stars for navigation and the generation of a star catalog that can be stored aboard spacecraft for navigation.
Faculty Advisor:
Professor John Christian
Simon Kinderman
Title:
Aerothermal Research Collaboration for Hypersonic Evaluation & Refinement
Abstract:
The objective of this project is to develop a Hypersonic Common Research Model (HCRM) to enable future vehicle performance and physics-based studies. Given the sensitive nature of hypersonic vehicle design, much of the data from government organizations in the hypersonic regime remains classified. We hope that our vehicle enables future civilian and governmental interest groups to utilize our unclassified HCRM in support of their hypersonic studies. To aid in identifying aerothermodynamic modeling uncertainties, a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) geometry is parameterized to create a design space exploration that identifies realistic, high-performing vehicles through lower-fidelity aerothermodynamic and trajectory analysis. An HCRM will be selected from the candidate vehicles and analyzed with a higher-fidelity aerothermodynamic tool to quantify the uncertainty in trajectory results between the lower- and higher-fidelity tools. Once the relative fidelity comparison is complete, the chosen HCRM will be tested in a hypersonic tunnel facility to validate the analysis tools and allow future tool calibrations against an unclassified data set.
Faculty Advisor:
Rushil Negandhi
Title:
Inverse Airfoil Design for Transonic Flow
Abstract:
Airfoil design optimization is an essential process to meet aerodynamic performance requirements in a multitude of applications. In the transonic regime, elimination of shocks on the wing can substantially improve lift and drag. This work outlines the implementation of the Modified Garabadian-McFadden method to design airfoils based on desired pressure coefficient plots. Then, the inverse airfoil design method is applied to a transonic flow condition with the objective of improving the aerodynamic performance of a starting airfoil design. This is achieved by designing a new pressure distribution that eliminates shocks and generating a new airfoil, using a transonic potential flow code for analysis.
Faculty Advisor:
Professor Lakshmi N Sankar
Rachel Ye
Title:
High Resolution Raman Spectroscopy Analysis of Supersonic Combustion
Abstract:
Since January 2024, my research has focused on the laser spectrometer system design for the 1D Raman scattering of compressible flow project. The system was upgraded and improved through a SolidWorks model, preparing it for future testing. A bi-slide translation stage system was selected and procured to enable precise spectrometer movement. This semester, the translation stages were assembled, and their native controller system was studied. Efforts are now directed toward enhancing control flexibility and automating movement through a LabVIEW interface as well as physical system build-up to prepare for the beginning of testing.
Faculty Advisor:
Professor Adam Steinberg