Airframe and Systems Design, Analysis, and Testing of the Horizon Morphing-Wing Aircraft

Morphing trailing edge technology can provide the ability to dynamically alter the twist distribution, and therefore lift distribution, of an aircraft during flight. There are certain optimal lift distributions which can be chosen to create proverse yawing effects and eliminate the need for vertical control surfaces. The purpose of this project is to support the design and testing of a morphing, crescent flying wing airframe which will be used to evaluate yaw control in an aircraft without vertical control surfaces. There are three main objectives of this project, which are to perform static and dynamic analysis on the crescent wing design, develop electronics capable of mapping three pilot inputs to eleven control surface outputs, and ultimately build and flight test the aircraft. This report details the completion of these objectives, the final design of the aircraft and internal systems, and the results from each flight test completed

Design guidelines for assessing and controlling spacecraft charging effects

The need for uniform criteria, or guidelines, to be used in all phases of spacecraft design is discussed. Guidelines were developed for the control of absolute and differential charging of spacecraft surfaces by the lower energy space charged particle environment. Interior charging due to higher energy particles is not considered. A guide to good design practices for assessing and controlling charging effects is presented. Uniform design practices for all space vehicles are outlined

Evaluation of the Impact of an Additive Manufacturing Enhanced CubeSat Architecture on the CubeSat Development Process

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a fabrication method ideally suited to low-quantity, highly customized builds, leading to interest in its application to satellite development and manufacturing, where each build is unique. Due to the issues of long development schedules and high development and manufacturing costs, methods are needed in the CubeSat development process to reduce the weight and volume of subsystems and decrease integration time. The work develops an architecture for an AM-augmented CubeSat and examines the AM techniques of embedded electronics, embedded thrusters, and custom radiation-hardened materials can impact the subsystems of a CubeSat. The AM-augmented architecture shows a shift in CubeSat development and manufacturing from a modular approach to an integrated approach where most of the CubeSats internal bus components, such as electronics, thrusters, and propulsion, are integrated directly into the structure. This integrated approach results in decreased time spent in assembly and integration, decreased mass and volume, and also allows for key components to be embedded in materials with improved radiation attenuation characteristics

Summary of photovoltaic system performance models

A detailed overview of photovoltaics (PV) performance modeling capabilities developed for analyzing PV system and component design and policy issues is provided. A set of 10 performance models are selected which span a representative range of capabilities from generalized first order calculations to highly specialized electrical network simulations. A set of performance modeling topics and characteristics is defined and used to examine some of the major issues associated with photovoltaic performance modeling. Each of the models is described in the context of these topics and characteristics to assess its purpose, approach, and level of detail. The issues are discussed in terms of the range of model capabilities available and summarized in tabular form for quick reference. The models are grouped into categories to illustrate their purposes and perspectives

A cavity radiometer for Earth albedo measurement, phase 1

Radiometric measurements of the directional albedo of the Earth requires a detector with a flat response from 0.2 to 50 microns, a response time of about 2 seconds, a sensitivity of the order of 0.02 mw/sq cm, and a measurement uncertainty of less than 5 percent. Absolute cavity radiometers easily meet the spectral response and accuracy requirements for Earth albedo measurements, but the radiometers available today lack the necessary sensitivity and response time. The specific innovations addressed were the development of a very low thermal mass cavity and printed/deposited thermocouple sensing elements which were incorporated into the radiometer design to produce a sensitive, fast response, absolute radiometer. The cavity is applicable to the measurement of the reflected and radiated fluxes from the Earth surface and lower atmosphere from low Earth orbit satellites. The effort consisted of requirements and thermal analysis; design, construction, and test of prototype elements of the black cavity and sensor elements to show proof-of-concept. The results obtained indicate that a black body cavity sensor that has inherently a flat response from 0.2 to 50 microns can be produced which has a sensitivity of at least 0.02 mw/sq cm per micro volt ouput and with a time constant of less than two seconds. Additional work is required to develop the required thermopile

Analytical models for delay and power analysis of zero-V load unipolar thin-film Transistor Logic Circuits

In thin-film transistor (TFT) logic circuit applications, propagation delay and power dissipation are two key constraints to be considered in optimal circuit design and synthesis. The unipolar zero-V-load logic design is widely used for implementation of TFT digital circuits, because of the simple structure, easy processing, and relatively high gain. In this paper, the analytical models for delay and power were developed for zero-V-load inverters, which clarify the relationships between device and design parameters and the two key design constraints. The proposed models were verified by circuit simulations, and could serve as a guideline for optimal design of unipolar zero-V-load logic circuits

3D Chocolate Printer Dropper

The Mechanical Engineering Department at Washington University in St. Louis is working to stimulate interest in the fields of fluid dynamics and thermal sciences, as students are not typically exposed to these topics within the first two years of school. Dr. Okamoto, Jeff Krampf, and Dr. Weisensee of the Mechanical Engineering Department would like to remedy this situation by developing a laboratory experiment for first year students that utilizes a 3D chocolate printer to teach thermal-fluid concepts in a fun and engaging manner. The goal of this project is to build a chocolate droplet dispensing system, which is a part of the 3D chocolate printing machine. The device must be able to melt chocolate and generate droplets in consistent and adjustable time intervals. The dispensing height of the nozzle should be manually changeable so that the students can understand how height and frequency influence the droplet impact. While the primary function of this device is to help students learn thermal-fluids in a fun yet educational environment, it is also imperative that the device is safe for students to use