The goal of this thesis is to explore the possibility of an upgrade of materials used in the wing-structure of a high-performance light aircraft operating under severe aerodynamic and inertial loads. The case aircraft considered in the thesis is the Caproni A-21 SJ, an all-metal high-performance motorglider powered by two...
The Design/Build/Fly competition (DBF) is an annual aerospace engineering competition hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Oregon State University's AIAA chapter competed for the first time at DBF in 2013 and finished in the top 25% which is a respectable finish for a first year team....
Flax fibers are frequently used as a sustainable and recyclable reinforcement for composite materials in aesthetic applications (ex. car interiors). Flax fibers are biodegradable and can be sustainably harvested. Furthermore, the question of how to dispose of flax reinforced materials after the end of their lifetime can be solved in...
Non-destructive testing is a methodology to inspect production and operational parts for potential flaws, defects, or damages. The present work is based on pulsed wave thermography, a thermal imaging method based on heat conduction to identify surface and subsurface defects potentially present in a component. Pulsed wave thermography applies a...
Bird and bat collisions with wind turbine blades are an occurrence which are extremely variable in
frequency. With the expansion of wind farms, determining the true quantity of collisions and the
species involved is imperative for preventing ecological damage. Explored in this thesis is a blade
mounted camera for wirelessly...