AE Brown Bag Seminar
Ariana Islam
Max Zieminski
Jason Waki
Eric Kim
Friday, October 17
11:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.
Guggenheim 442
Pizza Served
Ariana Islam
Title:
Experimental Determination of Damping Ratios
Abstract:
Liquid sloshing is the oscillatory motion of the free surface of a liquid within a container, and is often studied alongside liquid damping, which is the dissipation of energy driven by viscous forces from boundary layers where the liquid interacts with the tank walls, causing the waves to decay. These two phenomena impacting the liquid’s motion impacts the center of gravity and mass during a flight, so it must be carefully studied and predicted to ensure success. At the Low Gravity Science and Technology Lab, we experimentally determine these damping coefficients through differential pressure sensors and a PCB to extract real-world data, and then verify these results through numerical analysis in ANSYS Fluent. Once verified, we port these ratios to our open source Matlab graphical user interface that implements these axisymmetric tank sloshing algorithms, so anyone can accurately model sloshing and damping within a tank to better simulate their flight trajectory.
Faculty Advisor:
Professor Álvaro Romero-Calvo
Eric Kim
Title:
Solid Motor Analysis Code (SMAC): Study and Interface Development
Abstract:
Solid rocket motors (SRMs) are a commonly used propulsion technology, with applications ranging from small-scale model rocketry to large space launch vehicles. Solid Motor Analysis Code (SMAC), developed by Georgia Tech’s Aerospace Systems Design Lab (ASDL), is a Python-based simulation tool that models the burn progression of solid propellant grains to predict SRM performance metrics such as thrust curve, burn time, and total impulse. Preliminary research was conducted with SMAC to explore the design of experiments (DOE) and optimize performance parameters for a target motor. However, effectively leveraging SMAC posed challenges due to its technical complexity and Python-based interface. To address this, work has begun that focuses on improving usability through the development of a graphical user interface (GUI). This presentation will highlight the GUI development process, showcase its capabilities, and outline future steps and innovations that will distinguish this tool from existing SRM analysis software.
Faculty Advisor:
Professor Adam W. Cox
Jason Waki
Title:
Thrust Curve Modeling, Tailoring, and Development using the Solid Motor Analysis Code (SMAC)
Abstract:
The Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory (ASDL) is developing, modifying, and perfecting the Solid Motor Analysis Code (SMAC) based in Python. Primarily, SMAC is used to solid rocket motor geometry and propellant properties to output different motor characteristics including thrust curve, burn time, average thrust, peak thrust, etc. Within this research, SMAC is employed to modeling existing thrust curve profiles to ensure accuracy. Additionally, SMAC also adds insight into tailoring desired thrust curves by studying which geometric inputs of the initial burn area affect thrust curve profiles and motor properties. Finally, SMAC's area of operation relies on the use of an integrated development environment (IDE). Another step for SMAC development is to advance SMAC into a graphical user interface (GUI) environment.
Faculty Advisor:
Professor Adam W. Cox