A gerotor pump is a positive displacement pump consisting of inner and outer rotors, with axis of inner rotor offset from axis of outer rotor. Both rotors rotate about their respective axes. The volume between the rotors changes dynamically, due to which suction and compression occurs. A gerotor pump may be subject to erosion due to cavitation. This paper details about the CFD methodology that has been used to capture cavitation bubbles which might form during the operation of gerotor pump. A full scale (3D) transient CFD model for gerotor pump has been developed using commercial CFD code ANSYS FLUENT. The most challenging part of this CFD flow modeling is to create a dynamic volume mesh that perfectly represents the dynamically changing rotor fluid volume of the gerotor pump. Two different approaches have been used to model this dynamic mesh analysis in the Ansys Fluent tool - one method by using the traditional UDF script and, another method by using Python automation script.
Despite being ubiquitous elements in aerospace structures, thin cylindrical shells’ catastrophic buckling response under axial compression has still remained an enigma. The recent advancements in theoretical and numerical studies aided in realising the role of localisation in shell buckling. However, the buckling being instantaneous made it unfeasible for the experimental observations to corroborate the numerical results. This necessitates high-fidelity shell buckling experiments using full-filed measurement techniques. Cut-outs are deliberate and inevitable geometrical imperfections in actual structures that could dictate the buckling response. Additive manufacturing makes it feasible to fabricate shells with tailored imperfections and study various conceivable designs.
Metasurfaces, comprised of sub-wavelength structures, possess remarkable electromagnetic wave manipulation capabilities. Their application as radar absorbers has gained widespread recognition, particularly in modern stealth technology, where their role is to minimize the radar cross-section (RCS) of military assets. Conventional radar absorber design are tedious by their time-consuming, computationally intensive, iterative nature, and demand a high level of expertise. In contrast, the emergence of deep learning-based metasurface design for RCS reduction represents a rapidly evolving field. This approach offers automated and computationally efficient means to generate radar absorber designs. However, the practical implementation of radar-absorbing structures on complex aircraft bodies presents significant challenges.
Dimensional optimization has always been a time consuming process, especially for aerodynamic bodies, requiring much tuning of dimensions and testing for each sample. Aerodynamic auxiliaries, especially wings, are design dependent on the primary model attached, as they influence the amount of lift or reduction in drag which is beneficial to the model. In this study CFD analysis is performed to obtain pressure counter of wings. For a wing, the angle of attack is essential in creating proper splits to incoming winds, even under high velocities with larger distances from the separation point. In the case of a group of wings, each wing is then mentioned as a wing element, and each wing is strategically positioned behind the previous wing in terms of its vertical height and its self-angle of attack to create maximum lift. At the same time, its drag remains variable to its shape ultimately maximizing the C L /C D ratio.
Thermo-mechanical fatigue and natural aging due to environmental conditions are difficult to simulate in an actual test with the advanced fiber-reinforced composites, where their fatigue and aging behavior is little understood. Predictive modeling of these processes is challenging. Thermal cyclic tests take a prohibitively long time, although the strain rate effect can be scaled well for accelerating the mechanical stress cycles. Glass fabric composites have important applications in aircraft and spacecraft structures including microwave transparent structures, impact-resistant parts of wing, fuselage deck and many other load bearing structures. Often additional additively manufactured features and coating on glass fabric composites are employed for thermal and anti-corrosion insulations. In this paper we employ a thermo-mechanical fatigue model based accelerated fatigue test and life prediction under hot to cold cycles.
A typical high-pressure hose assembly consists of hose made with synthetic polymer braids and Teflon tube crimped with metallic fittings. These hose assemblies are mainly used for aircraft landing gear application considering its high-pressure sustenance and better flexibility. The proposed study investigates the effect of thermo-mechanical stress generated due to cyclic soaking and flexibility testing at thermostatic subzero (-65°F) and high temperature (+275°F) on performance of high-pressure hose assembly. This effect is further studied through hose tear-down which was envisioned to investigate the hose layer degradation and focused on changes in inner PTFE tube, which ultimately leads to product performance issues. Keywords: braids, tear down analysis, thermo-mechanical, inter-layer abrasion.
In any aerospace mission, after the vehicle has taken off, the visual is lost and the information about its current state is only through the sensor data telemetered in real-time. Very often, this data is difficult to perceive and analyze. In such cases, a 3D, near to real representation of the data can immensely improve the understanding of the current state of mission and can aid in real-time decision making if possible. Generally, any aerospace vehicle carries onboard an inertial system along with other sensors, which measures the position and attitude of the vehicle. This data is communicated to ground station. The received telemetry data is encoded as bytes and sent as packets through the network using the Universal Datagram Protocol (UDP). The transmitted data is often available in a very low frequency, which is not desirable for a smooth display. It is therefore necessary to interpolate the data between intervals based on the time elapsed since last rendered frame.