Gas turbine engines for propulsion applications can use fuel as a coolant, exposing the fuel to high temperatures well within the ranges associated with thermal decomposition. Species produced as a result of these processes have been shown to correlate with changes in the combustion performance of the fuels. In this...
Heat flux measurements of radiation emissions from turbulent premixed flames diluted with N 2 and CO 2 were taken to identify sensitivities of radiation heat loss to diluent fraction and species. This work is motivated by the desire to better characterise radiant heat transfer in the presence of combustion products,...
The aviation industry is pushing for better fuels and gas turbine engines for several reasons: cost, emissions, and to a lesser extent high-altitude relights. One aspect that research has been focused on to help reduce costs, emissions and better understand high-altitude relights is studying the combustion behavior of the fuel...
Breakthroughs in heat sink design are now limited by conventional manufacturing techniques which can only produce basic fin shapes with homogenous surface structuring. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a potential disruptive technology for heat sink design and other convective heat transfer solutions, as surface properties can be directionally varied to maximize...
Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) technology is a rapidly developing technological marketspace. This thesis focuses on micro, tethered, coaxial UASs and the development of an electrically-tethered observation platform (ETOP). The thesis details the current status of the technology as well as current products on the market. Stability considerations, critical when adding...
For the 2019 season, a new chassis layup was designed that is much stronger than in previous years, yet only slightly heavier. Compared to the baseline steel tube frame, the 2019 chassis has safety factors of about 110% for most zones. Also, a new impact attenuator was designed that absorbs...
This work develops the Global Formula Racing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model in StarCCM+ to allow for vehicle attitude studies to be ran to evaluate Formula Student (FS) vehicle aerodynamic loads. Attitudes that this model allows to be studied include roll, pitch, yaw, heave, tire angle, and vehicle speed. The...
Prediction and mitigation of chatter vibrations in machining operations and optimizing overall machining mechanics are crucial for achieving greater productivity and manufacturing efficiency. This thesis first explores effect of directional relationships on chatter stability in milling process. Based on the directional relationships, a geometry-based chatter stability index (CSI) is proposed...
This dissertation focuses on defining underlying mechanisms to enable the bio-inspired design of aerodynamic and/or hydrodynamic vehicles that operate within complex environments. This dissertation introduces four overarching research gaps found in current bio-inspired design research and four corresponding approach questions that guide the framework of the presented research. This research...
Considering human product interactions early and often in the engineering design process may improve product quality, facilitate user safety, reduce time to market, decrease or eliminate the need for costly physical prototypes, and reduce expensive late stage design changes. Currently, F1 race cars do not include a cockpit canopy to...
An Achilles tendon injury can be devastating. Surgical methods to bring the muscle to full strength are not always available. Proposed is an ankle foot orthosis (AFO) that is entirely passive (does not add energy to the system) and uses the mechanical advantages provided by the walking gait of a...
This work presents a novel optimal control strategy for precision motion control of flexible ball-screw feed drives. Typically, ball-screw feed drive control relies on state feedback taken both from motor and the load sides. The controller designed in this thesis is based on the non-collocated framework, where all the feedback...
This work develops the loads, boundary conditions, and model construction techniques used to create a high-level vehicle analysis model. The loads are derived from the overall performance parameters of the vehicle, which include 3 axis accelerations and aerodynamic forces from Computational Fluid Dynamics outputs. The boundary condition of the analysis...
Due to the growing complexity, sophistication, and interconnectedness of present day engineered products and services, the use of ontologies in engineering design is becoming more widespread. An ontology provides a standardized way of describing concepts in a domain of interest and the relationships between these concepts to better understand the...
Flexible aerodynamic surfaces have been shown to favorably influence flight characteristics at low Reynolds numbers by increasing lift, angle of attack at stall, and resistance to perturbation. The objective of the research presented within this thesis is to investigate the influence of two aspects of flight observed in biological flyers,...
Numerous physical and chemical processes are required for successful ignition of a flammable mixture, many of which have been well characterized. However, one aspect of the ignition process that has received limited consideration is understanding the temperature of the spark kernel. A spark kernel is the volume of heated gas...
Vertical Axis Pendulum Wave Energy Converters (VAPWECs) are thought to be both effective and robust at converting ocean wave energy into usable electricity. Seeking to build upon and investigate such potential, this work examines the merits of actively controlling a generic VAPWEC's pendulum for the purpose of increasing the converter's...
Through passive adaptation to incidental flow, flexible aerodynamic surfaces exploit effects of increased lift, delayed stall and disturbance rejection. Wings of birds, bats, and insects exhibit these passive effects, and at the same time through the use of structural state feedback sensed from the loads on the wing, active control...
Some successful products are still developed and produced without the benefit of modern design techniques. One such product is a vibratory conveyor that has been developed largely through prototype iteration. The manufacturer has collaborated with Oregon State University to introduce model-based design into the development process. This research details a...
Formula SAE is a collegiate engineering competition that has participants from around the globe. Of the 1000 points available throughout the event, 100 (10%) are dedicated to the fuel efficiency of the student built race cars. Competition rules allow either gasoline or E85, a mix of 85% ethanol and 15%...