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The authors measured the vibratory forces acting on an airfoil model by performing a ground vibration test (GVT). The airfoil model was manufactured using rapid prototyping. In the experiments, the airfoil model's structural response was also recorded and described. This paper detailedly introduces the entire experiment process and the obtained experimental data agreed well to the actual values.

A cost effective, portable particulate control system was developed, built, and evaluated at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Prototype of the presented system was developed for experimental assessment and its computational model was also created for CFD simulation. The experimental and computer simulation results showed that the developed system could efficiently and safely remove and dispose accumulated particulate matter (in the size range of 5 ∼ 1000 μm), and be tolerant to the abrasive properties that the particulate matter may have. The developed particulate control system as well as the applied technology can be further optimized and extended to be applied in aerospace and space engineering to remove suspended particles out from the closed cabinet of aircrafts or spacecrafts. The outcome of this project will also impact other commercial sectors and industries.

This paper presented methods to determine the aerodynamic forces that act on an aircraft wing during flight. These methods are initially proposed for a simplified two degree-of-freedoms airfoil model and then are extensively applied for a multi-degree-of-freedom airfoil system. Different airspeed conditions are considered in establishing such methods. The accuracy of the presented methods is verified by comparing the estimated aerodynamic forces with the actual values. A good agreement is achieved through the comparisons and it is verified that the present methods can be used to correctly identify the aerodynamic forces acting on the aircraft wing models.

Differential equations play a prominent role in aerospace engineering by modeling aerospace structures, describing important phenomena, and simulating mathematical behavior of aerospace dynamical systems. Presently, aerospace systems have become more complex, space vehicle missions require more hours of simulation time to complete a maneuver, and high-performance missiles require more logical decisions in there phases of flight. Because of these conditions, a computationally efficient algorithm for solving these differential equations is highly demanded to significantly reduce the computing time. This paper presents an efficient method for solving the differential equations by using variational iteration method, which can be implemented into software package to dramatically reduce the computing time for simulating the aerospace systems thereby significantly improving computer's performance in real-time design and simulation of aircrafts, spacecrafts, and other aerospace vehicles.

Oven and flame tests were designed and conducted to evaluate the heat resistance of a ceramic coating material, Cerakote C-7700Q, and evaluate its viability to replace the intumescent coating as one painting material for helicopter engine cowlings. The test results showed that the currently used painting scheme of the engine cowlings failed the 220°C oven test while after replacing the epoxy seal coat with the Cerakote, the new painting system passed the 220°C test in regards to painting bubbling. This study explained why serious appearance defects occurred in the inner skin of the engine cowling when the aircraft is hovering and suggested that one most time- and cost-effective solution is to repaint the current engine cowlings with a new three coating system of Cerakote, surface protection HS7072-622, and intumescent paint as a fireproof lacquer.