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Description
The objective of this project was to design an electrically driven centrifugal pump for the Daedalus Astronautics @ASU hybrid rocket engine (HRE). The pump design was purposefully simplified due to time, fabrication, calculation, and capability constraints, which resulted in a lower fidelity design, with the option to be improved later.

The objective of this project was to design an electrically driven centrifugal pump for the Daedalus Astronautics @ASU hybrid rocket engine (HRE). The pump design was purposefully simplified due to time, fabrication, calculation, and capability constraints, which resulted in a lower fidelity design, with the option to be improved later. The impeller, shroud, volute, shaft, motor, and ESC were the main focuses of the pump assembly, but the seals, bearings, lubrication methods, and flow path connections were considered as elements which would require future attention. The resulting pump design is intended to be used on the Daedalus Astronautics HRE test cart for design verification. In the future, trade studies and more detailed analyses should and will be performed before this pump is integrated into the Daedalus Astronautics flight-ready HRE.
ContributorsShillingburg, Ryan Carl (Author) / White, Daniel (Thesis director) / Brunacini, Lauren (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
The purpose of this investigation is to computationally investigate instabilities appearing in the wake of a simulated helicopter rotor. Existing data suggests further understanding of these instabilities may yield design changes to the rotor blades to reduce the acoustic signature and improve the aerodynamic efficiencies of the aircraft. Test cases

The purpose of this investigation is to computationally investigate instabilities appearing in the wake of a simulated helicopter rotor. Existing data suggests further understanding of these instabilities may yield design changes to the rotor blades to reduce the acoustic signature and improve the aerodynamic efficiencies of the aircraft. Test cases of a double-bladed and single-bladed rotor have been run to investigate the causes and types of wake instabilities, as well as compare them to the short wave, long wave, and mutual inductance modes proposed by Widnall[2]. Evaluation of results revealed several perturbations appearing in both single and double-bladed wakes, the origin of which was unknown and difficult to trace. This made the computations not directly comparable to theoretical results, and drawing into question the physical flight conditions being modeled. Nonetheless, they displayed a wake structure highly sensitive to both computational and physical disturbances; thus extreme care must be taken in constructing grids and applying boundary conditions when doing wake computations to ensure results relevant to the complex and dynamic flight conditions of physical aircraft are generated.
ContributorsDrake, Nicholas Spencer (Author) / Wells, Valana (Thesis director) / Squires, Kyle (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2014-12
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Description
The purpose of this project is to determine the feasibility of a water tunnel designed to meet certain constraints. The project goals are to tailor a design for a given location, and to produce a repeatable design sizing and shape process for specified constraints. The primary design goals include a

The purpose of this project is to determine the feasibility of a water tunnel designed to meet certain constraints. The project goals are to tailor a design for a given location, and to produce a repeatable design sizing and shape process for specified constraints. The primary design goals include a 1 m/s flow velocity in a 30cm x 30cm test section for 300 seconds. Secondary parameters, such as system height, tank height, area contraction ratio, and roof loading limits, may change depending on preference, location, or environment. The final chosen configuration is a gravity fed design with six major components: the reservoir tank, the initial duct, the contraction nozzle, the test section, the exit duct, and the variable control exit nozzle. Important sizing results include a minimum water weight of 60,000 pounds, a system height of 7.65 meters, a system length of 6 meters (not including the reservoir tank), a large shallow reservoir tank width of 12.2 meters, and height of 0.22 meters, and a control nozzle exit radius range of 5.25 cm to 5.3 cm. Computational fluid dynamic simulation further supports adherence to the design constraints but points out some potential areas for improvement in dealing with flow irregularities. These areas include the bends in the ducts, and the contraction nozzle. Despite those areas recommended for improvement, it is reasonable to conclude that the design and process fulfill the project goals.
ContributorsZykan, Brandt Davis Healy (Author) / Wells, Valana (Thesis director) / Middleton, James (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2014-05
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Description
This paper summarizes the [1] ideas behind, [2] needs, [3] development, and [4] testing of 3D-printed sensor-stents known as Stentzors. This sensor was successfully developed entirely from scratch, tested, and was found to have an output of 3.2*10-6 volts per RMS pressure in pascals. This paper also recommends further work

This paper summarizes the [1] ideas behind, [2] needs, [3] development, and [4] testing of 3D-printed sensor-stents known as Stentzors. This sensor was successfully developed entirely from scratch, tested, and was found to have an output of 3.2*10-6 volts per RMS pressure in pascals. This paper also recommends further work to render the Stentzor deployable in live subjects, including [1] further design optimization, [2] electrical isolation, [3] wireless data transmission, and [4] testing for aneurysm prevention.
ContributorsMeidinger, Aaron Michael (Author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Frakes, David (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2014-05
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Description
In this analysis, materials capable of being 3D printed such as acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene (ABS), polyethylene terephthalate-glycol (PETG), and polylactic acid (PLA) were analyzed mathematically to determine their potential application as a fuel source for a hybrid rocket engine currently being developed by Daedalus Astronautics. By developing a 3D printed fuel

In this analysis, materials capable of being 3D printed such as acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene (ABS), polyethylene terephthalate-glycol (PETG), and polylactic acid (PLA) were analyzed mathematically to determine their potential application as a fuel source for a hybrid rocket engine currently being developed by Daedalus Astronautics. By developing a 3D printed fuel option, new fuel grain geometries can be manufactured and tested that have the potential to greatly improve regression and flow characteristics of hybrid rockets. In addition, 3D printed grains have been shown to greatly reduce manufacturing time while improving grain-to-grain consistency. In the end, it was found that ABS, although the most difficult material to work with, would likely provide the best results as compared to an HTPB baseline. This is because after conducting a heat conservation analysis similar to that employed by NASA's chemical equilibrium with applications code (CEA), ABS was shown to operate at similarly high levels of specific impulse at approximately the same oxidizer-to-fuel ratio, meaning the current Daedalus test setup for HTPB would be applicable to ABS. In addition, PLA was found to require a far lower oxidizer-to-fuel ratio to achieve peak specific impulse than any of the other fuels analyzed leading to the conclusion that in a flight-ready engine it would likely require less oxidizer and pressurization mass, and therefore, less overall system mass, to achieve thrust levels similar to ABS and HTPB. By improving the thrust-to-weight ratio in this way a more efficient engine could be developed. Following these results, future works will include the hot-fire testing of the four fuel options to verify the analysis method used. Additionally, the ground work has been set for future analysis and development of complex fuel port geometries which have been shown to further improve flight characteristics.
ContributorsWinsryg, Benjamin Rolf (Author) / White, Daniel (Thesis director) / Brunacini, Lauren (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
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Description
In this paper, the effectiveness and practical applications of cooling a computer's CPU using mineral oil is investigated. A computer processor or CPU may be immersed along with other electronics in mineral oil and still be operational. The mineral oil acts as a dielectric and prevents shorts in the electronics

In this paper, the effectiveness and practical applications of cooling a computer's CPU using mineral oil is investigated. A computer processor or CPU may be immersed along with other electronics in mineral oil and still be operational. The mineral oil acts as a dielectric and prevents shorts in the electronics while also being thermally conductive and cooling the CPU. A simple comparison of a flat plate immersed in air versus mineral oil is considered using analytical natural convection correlations. The result of this comparison indicates that the plate cooled by natural convection in air would operate at 98.41[°C] while the plate cooled by mineral oil would operate at 32.20 [°C]. Next, CFD in ANSYS Fluent was used to conduct simulation with forced convection representing a CPU fan driving fluid flow to cool the CPU. A comparison is made between cooling done with air and mineral oil. The results of the CFD simulation results indicate that using mineral oil as a substitute to air as the cooling fluid reduced the CPU operating temperature by sixty degrees Celsius. The use of mineral oil as a cooling fluid for a consumer computer has valid thermal benefits, but the practical challenges of the method will likely prevent widespread adoption.
ContributorsTichacek, Louis Joseph (Author) / Huang, Huei-Ping (Thesis director) / Herrmann, Marcus (Committee member) / Middleton, James (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
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Description
This thesis document outlines the construction of a device for preparation of cylindrical ice-aluminum specimens. These specimens are for testing in a uniaxial load cell with the goal of determining properties of the ice-metal interface, as part of research into spray ice material properties and how such ice might be

This thesis document outlines the construction of a device for preparation of cylindrical ice-aluminum specimens. These specimens are for testing in a uniaxial load cell with the goal of determining properties of the ice-metal interface, as part of research into spray ice material properties and how such ice might be better removed from maritime vessels operating in sub-freezing temperatures. The design of the sample preparation device is outlined, justifications for design and component choices given and discussion of the design process and how problems which arose were tackled are included. Water is piped into the device through the freezers lid and sprayed by a full cone misting nozzle onto an aluminum sample rod. The sample rod is supported with Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene pillars which allow for free rotation. A motor, timing belt and pulley assembly is used to rotate this metal rod at 1.25 RPM. The final device produces samples though intermittent flow in a 5 minutes on, 20 minutes off cycle. This intermittent flow is controlled through the use of a solenoid valve which is wired into the compressor. When the thermostat detects that the freezer is too warm, the compressor kicks on and the flow of water is stopped. Additional modifications to the freezer unit include the addition of a fan to cool the compressor during device operation. Recommendations are provided towards the end of the thesis, including suggestions to change the device to allow for constant flow and that deionized water be used instead of tap water due to hard water concerns.
ContributorsBaker, Dylan Paul (Author) / Oswald, Jay (Thesis director) / Yekani Fard, Masoud (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
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Description
Automobiles can advance greatly with the introduction of metal additive manufactured components. Additive tooling is slowly becoming additive manufacturing and someday the technology will be advanced enough that high volume can be supported. This research was conducted in order to show the advantages metal additive manufacturing has in the automobile

Automobiles can advance greatly with the introduction of metal additive manufactured components. Additive tooling is slowly becoming additive manufacturing and someday the technology will be advanced enough that high volume can be supported. This research was conducted in order to show the advantages metal additive manufacturing has in the automobile industry. One large advantage to metal additive manufacturing is mass reduction. Components can be designed for production with different geometries than other manufacturing methods. The change in geometry can significantly reduce the product volume and therefore mass. Overall, mass reduction in the automotive industry is beneficial. Mass reduction can increase performance and fuel economy of the car. Once metal additive manufacturing becomes capable of higher production, metal additive manufacturing will play a major role in automobile manufacturing. Research was conducted to design and produce an optimized AC compressor bracket. The bracket was designed to the specifications of the OEM component, and the mass was reduced by more than half.
ContributorsSawyer, Brenton James (Author) / Hsu, Keng (Thesis director) / Parsey, John (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
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Description
Many industries require workers in warehouse and stockroom environments to perform frequent lifting tasks. Over time these repeated tasks can lead to excess strain on the worker's body and reduced productivity. This project seeks to develop an exoskeletal wrist fixture to be used in conjunction with a powered exoskeleton arm

Many industries require workers in warehouse and stockroom environments to perform frequent lifting tasks. Over time these repeated tasks can lead to excess strain on the worker's body and reduced productivity. This project seeks to develop an exoskeletal wrist fixture to be used in conjunction with a powered exoskeleton arm to aid workers performing box lifting types of tasks. Existing products aimed at improving worker comfort and productivity typically employ either fully powered exoskeleton suits or utilize minimally powered spring arms and/or fixtures. These designs either reduce stress to the user's body through powered arms and grippers operated via handheld controls which have limited functionality, or they use a more minimal setup that reduces some load, but exposes the user's hands and wrists to injury by directing support to the forearm. The design proposed here seeks to strike a balance between size, weight, and power requirements and also proposes a novel wrist exoskeleton design which minimizes stress on the user's wrists by directly interfacing with the object to be picked up. The design of the wrist exoskeleton was approached through initially selecting degrees of freedom and a ROM (range of motion) to accommodate. Feel and functionality were improved through an iterative prototyping process which yielded two primary designs. A novel "clip-in" method was proposed to allow the user to easily attach and detach from the exoskeleton. Designs utilized a contact surface intended to be used with dry fibrillary adhesives to maximize exoskeleton grip. Two final designs, which used two pivots in opposite kinematic order, were constructed and tested to determine the best kinematic layout. The best design had two prototypes created to be worn with passive test arms that attached to the user though a specially designed belt.
ContributorsGreason, Kenneth Berend (Author) / Sugar, Thomas (Thesis director) / Holgate, Matthew (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
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Description
Shape Memory Polymers (SMPs) are smart polyurethane thermoplastics that can recover their original shape after undergoing deformation. This shape recovery can be actuated by raising the SMP above its glass transition temperature, Tg. This report outlines a process for repeatedly recycling SMPs using 3D printing. Cubes are printed, broken down

Shape Memory Polymers (SMPs) are smart polyurethane thermoplastics that can recover their original shape after undergoing deformation. This shape recovery can be actuated by raising the SMP above its glass transition temperature, Tg. This report outlines a process for repeatedly recycling SMPs using 3D printing. Cubes are printed, broken down into pellets mechanically, and re-extruded into filament. This simulates a recycling iteration that the material would undergo in industry. The samples are recycled 0, 1, 3, and 5 times, then printed into rectangular and dog-bone shapes. These shapes are used to perform dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and 3-point bending for shape recovery testing. Samples will also be used for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to characterize their microstructure.
ContributorsSweeney, Andrew Joseph (Author) / Yekani Fard, Masoud (Thesis director) / Chattopadhyay, Aditi (Committee member) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05