Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are quite successful in maintaining steady flight operations, but propeller failure that exists causes them to experience a possible crash. The objective of this thesis project is to propose a UAV failure detection model as part of the developing framework of an autonomous emergency landing system for UAVs. Health monitoring is integrated where the quadcopter is flown for three cases of propeller faults. Vibration signals are measured during each flight, where a hardware system is designed with Arduino Uno and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor that contains a 3-axis accelerometer and a 3-axis gyroscope, and vibration graphs are made. Once the data is extracted, different parameters (aX, aY, aZ, gX, gY, and gZ) are selected with dimension n ∈ {1,2,3,4,5,6}, and 750 data points are chosen for the K-Means Clustering algorithm. Quadcopter Failure Detection Cluster (QFDC) plots and confusion matrices are created, and three different health states are classified as clusters – normal state, faulty state, and failure state. The parameter set gZ-aZ has the best performance metrics with an accuracy of 92.1%, which is chosen for the decision-making step that involves a Light Emitting Diode (LED) subsystem. Boundary conditions are set from the gZ-aZ QFDC plot where three LEDs turn on based on the specified health state to validate the model. The accuracies of the LED system range between 89% and 95%. Successful failure detection for UAVs would make UAVs safer and more reliable to fly with less imposed restrictions.

A facility for the investigation of stall flutter in aircraft engine compressors and fans was designed. Stall flutter was achieved in the test fan and verified through sonic and photographic methods. The frequency components of the sonic output during flutter were determined using a real-time analyzer. This frequency analysis indicated a dominant peak within 7 percent of the theoretical torsional natural frequency of the blades. Photographs taken during stall flutter indicated the presence of an interblade phase angle. The effect of blade stagger angle, flow incidence angle and solidity on flutter speed was determined. / Master of Science

A surface piercing propeller (SPP) is a propeller that is partially submerged in water and is considered a possible solution to high-speed vessels (greater than 50 knots) where cavitation plays a vital role due to its ever-increasing detrimental effects. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has become a more prevalent solution in recent years due to lower costs and the ability to evaluate varying setups. However, Computational Fluid Dynamics has had problems accurately solving the hydrodynamic loads for an SPP as recently as a few years ago. Accurately predicting these loads is of great importance because it will allow future simulations to add more effects such as cavitation, shaft inclination effects, multiple propellers, and fluid-structure interaction. Using FINE/Marine, a CFD software specifically designed for marine applications simulations with the 841-B SPP model and changing the Froude number (Fn) and advance coefficient (J), an in-depth validation process and extending upon previous results found when combining CFD and surface-piercing propellers was performed. Several cases between J = 0.6 to J = 1 and Fn = 2 to Fn = 6 are first performed to validate the models against experiments, then more complex features such as multiple propellers and shaft inclination angles were included to extend upon previous work of CFD for surface-piercing propellers. This analysis of the results suggests that CFD models could genuinely be validated against current experimental setups, and therefore more complex additions could also be made and with stronger accuracy than in previous years. / Master of Science / Using computers one can analyze the torque and thrust values of surface-piercing propellers(propeller that is only partially submerged) using commercially available software. This software takes inputs such as the speed of the water and the design of the propeller to evaluate the torque and thrust. A surface-piercing propeller operates in what is known as regimes. There are three of these and they are defined by a number known as the advance coefficient which is defined as the ratio of the boat's speed to the propeller speed. The higher this number the higher the boat speed is and the lower the number is the lower the boat speed. Testing the torque and thrust values accurately has not yet been performed using computers and would be of great value to companies and the government because it lowers the cost and time to create and test different propeller designs for their ships. In this thesis, these tests were performed and done so within a 5% accuracy in all experimental testing on this propeller model. Multiple propellers at once were tested as well as moving the shaft farther out of the water was tested to see how this would affect the overall performance. The results were promising in both of the situations listed, but more testing could be performed as well as adding more features such as cavitation and interaction with the hull.

In recent years, there has been a growing shift in the world towards sustainability. For civil aviation, this is reflected in the goals of several organizations including NASA and ACARE as significantly increased fuel efficiency along with reduced harmful emissions in the atmosphere. Achieving the goals necessitates the advent of novel and radical aircraft technologies, NASA's X-57, is one such concept using distributed electric propulsion (DEP) technology. Although practical implementation of DEP is achievable due to the scale invariance of highly efficient electric motors, the current battery technology restricts its adoption for commercial transport aircraft. A Hybrid Electric Distributed Propulsion (HEDiP) system offers a promising alternative to the all-electric system. It leverages the benefits of DEP when coupled with a hybrid electric system. One of the areas needing improvement in HEDiP aircraft design is the fast and accurate estimation of wing aerodynamic characteristics in the presence of multiple propellers. A VLM based estimation technique was developed to address this requirement. This research is primarily motivated by the need to have mature conceptual design methods for HEDiP aircraft. Therefore, the overall research objective is to develop an effective conceptual design capability based on a proven multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) framework, and to demonstrate the resulting capability by applying it to the conceptual design of a regional transport aircraft (RTA) with HEDiP systems. / Master of Science / Recent years have seen a growing movement to steer the world towards sustainability. For civil aviation, this is reflected in the goals of key organizations, such as NASA and ACARE, to significantly improve fuel efficiency, reduce harmful emissions, and decrease direct heat release in the atmosphere. Achieving such goals requires novel technologies along with radical aircraft concepts driven by efficiency maximization as well as using energy sources other than fossil fuel. NASA’s all-electric X-57 is one such concept using the Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) technology with multiple electric motors and propellers placed on the wing. However, today’s all-electric aircraft suffer from the heavy weight penalty associated with batteries to power electric motors. In the near term, a Hybrid Electric Distributed Propulsion (HEDiP) system offers a promising alternative. HEDiP combines distributed propulsion (DiP) technology powered by a mix of two energy sources, battery and fossil fuel. The overall goal of the present study is to investigate potential benefits of HEDiP systems for the design of optimal regional transport aircraft (RTA). To perform this study, the aerodynamics module of the Pacelab Aircraft Preliminary Design (APD) software system was modified to account for changes in wing aerodynamics due to the interaction with multiple propellers. This required the development of the Wing Aerodynamic Simulation with Propeller Effects (WASPE) code. In addition, a Wing Propeller Configuration Optimization (WIPCO) code was developed to optimize the placement of propellers based on location, number, and direction of rotation. The updated APD was applied to develop the HERMiT 2E series of RTA. The results demonstrated the anticipated benefits of HEDiP technologies over conventional aircraft, and provided a better understanding of the sensitivity of RTA designs to battery technology and level of hybridization, i.e., power split between batteries and fossil fuels. The HERMiT 6E/I was then designed to quantify the benefits of HEDiP systems over a baseline Twin Otter aircraft. The results showed that a comparable performance could be obtained with more than 50% saving in mission energy costs for a small weight penalty. The HERMiT 6E/I also requires only about 38% of the mission fuel borne by the baseline. This means a correspondingly lower direct atmospheric heat release, reduction in carbon dioxide and NOx emissions along with reduced energy consumptions.

Various congenital heart defects (CHDs) are characterized by the existence of a single functional ventricle, which perfuses both the systemic and pulmonary circulation in parallel. A three-stage palliation procedure, including the final Fontan Completion, is often adopted by surgeons to treat patients with such CHDs. However, the most common outcome of this surgery, an extra-cardiac total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC), formed by suturing the inferior vena cava (IVC) and superior vena cava (SVC) to the pulmonary arteries (PAs), results in non-physiological flow conditions, systemic venous hypertension, reduced cardiac output, and pressure losses, which ultimately calls for a heart transplantation. A modest pressure rise of 5-6 mm Hg would correct the abnormal flow dynamics in these patients. To achieve this, a novel conceptual design of a percutaneous dual propeller pump inserted and mounted inside the TCPC is developed and studied. The designed blood pump is percutaneously inserted via the Femoral vein and deployed at the center of Total Cavopulmonary Connection (TCPC). The two propellers, each placed in the Superior Vena Cava (SVC) and the Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) are connected by a single shaft and motor, and thus rotate at same speed. The device is supported with the help of a self-expanding stent which would be anchored to the walls of the IVC and the SVC. An inverse design methodology implementing Blade Element Momentum theory and Goldstein's radial momentum loss theory was employed to generate the blade profiles for the studied propeller pumps. The propeller blade profiles generated from the inverse design optimization code were examined for hydraulic performance, blood flow pattern and potential for hemolysis inside the TCPC using 3-D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. The Lagrangian particle tracking approach in conjunction with a non-linear mathematical power law model was used for predicting the blood damage potential of the analysed blood pump designs by calculating the scalar shear stress history sustained by the red blood cells (RBC). The study demonstrated that the IVC and SVC propeller pumps could provide a pressure rise of 1-20 mm Hg at flow rates ranging from 0.5 to 5 lpm while rotating at speeds of 6,000-12,000 rpm. Moreover, the average Blood Damage Index (BDI), quantifying the level of blood trauma sustained by the RBCs for the analyzed propeller pump designs, was found to be around 3e-04% to 4e-04% which is within the acceptable limits for an axial flow heart assist device. Thus, such a dual propeller blood pump configuration could potentially provide assistance to Fontan patients by unloading the single functional ventricle thereby acting as a bridge to transplantation and recovery until a donor heart is available. / Master of Science / A single functional ventricle is a type of congenital heart defect, where either left or right ventricle is underdeveloped, resulting in a single ventricular chamber to pump blood to both the body as well as lungs. A three-stage surgical procedure called the Fontan procedure, is often adopted by the surgeons to treat this defect by disconnecting the inferior(IVC) and superior vena cava(SVC), the two main veins carrying de-oxygenated blood from the body to the heart, and connecting them to the pulmonary arteries(PAs), the vessels carrying de-oxygenated blood from heart to the lungs. This helps to bypass the underdeveloped ventricle and allows blood to flow directly from the body to the lungs. However, the absence of a pumping chamber in the newly developed blood portal system causes an increase in pressure inside the vena cava and pressure losses inside the pulmonary arteries, which results in vena cava hypertension, reduced cardiac output. A modest pressure rise of 5-6 mm Hg across the vena cava or pulmonary artery should correct the abnormal flow dynamics and should bring the cardiac output of such patients back to normal. To achieve this, a conceptual design of a dual propeller mechanical circulatory support device has been designed and developed in this thesis.

As the world moves towards environmental sustainability, the civil aviation enterprise has responded by setting challenging goals for significantly increased energy efficiency and reduced harmful emissions into the atmosphere as codified by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Advisory Council for Aircraft Innovation and Research in Europe (ACARE). The airline industry supports these goals because of their positive impact on operational cost and the environment. Achieving such goals requires introduction of novel technologies and aircraft concepts. Previous studies have shown that electrified aircraft can be effective in meeting these challenges.While there are several mechanisms to incorporate novel technologies for electrified aircraft, two such technologies: turbo-electric propulsion and distributed propulsion, are used in this research. Integration of these two technologies with the airframe leverages the well-known favorable interference between the wing and the tractor propeller wake to provide increased lift during takeoff.In the present research, the advantages and disadvantages of integrating a turbo-electric distributed propulsion (TEDiP) system are assessed for a regional transport aircraft (RTA). With near term motor technology, an improvement in trip fuel burn was observed on the four and six propeller variants of the TEDiP aircraft. The takeoff field length(TOFL) also improved in all three design variants which is a direct result of the working of distributed propulsion leading to better aerodynamic performance at takeoff conditions.The approach and findings for this research are reported in this thesis. / Master of Science / While air transportation system is considered the fastest means to travel, the avi-ation industry is responsible for 2.1% of all human-induced CO2 emissions, whichputs a renewed emphasis on environmental sustainability. There is heightenedinterest in exploring alternative propulsion technologies for aviation to mitigatethe effects of ever increasing demand for air travel coupled with fossil fuel pricevolatility.Ambitious plans have been outlined by leading aerospace organizations to reduceharmful emissions into the atmosphere. Achieving these ambitious goals requiresdevelopment and introduction of game changing technologies and aircraft con-cepts. Few such concepts include novel propulsion systems like all electric andhybrid-electric propulsion, distributed propulsion, and boundary layer ingestion.The X-57 is a novel all-electric aircraft being developed by NASA as a technologydemonstrator and makes use of multiple electric motors and propellers placedon the wing.Owing to battery technology limitations, all-electric and hybrid-electric propul-sion are not considered as viable options. In the near term, incorporatingdistributed propulsion alongside turbo-electric propulsion, for a Turbo-ElectricDistributed Propulsion(TEDiP) system may be a promising option in the near--to-mid-term. The overall goal of the present study is to investigate potentialbenefits and penalties of TEDiP systems for regional transport aircraft (RTA).To perform this study, the aerodynamics module of Pacelab Aircraft PreliminaryDesign (APD) Multi-Disciplinary Optimization (MDAO) framework is alteredto account for changes in wing-propeller aerodynamics due to the interactionof wing and multiple propellers. This required selection of a cost-effective toolthat captures aerodynamic data for multiple propellers and wing. VSPAEROis the aerodynamic tool of choice for this research. Aerodynamic data fromVSPAERO is coupled to APD and three TEDiP design variants with four, sixand eight propeller are designed with the ATR 72-500 as the baseline. Thebenefits and penalties of integrating the TEDiP system onto these variants isinvestigatedThe results show that a performance comparable to the baseline can be achievedin the near term with the four propeller variant even with current electricalsystems technology trends with a small weight penalty, and in the medium termon a six propeller variant. A decrease in trip fuel burn and improved takeofffield length(TOFL) performance justifies the usage of TEDiP systems.

This report describes a thesis project conducted at Direktflyg in Borlänge, in early 2012, where the aim was to analyse the difference in noise level, audio frequency and fuel consumption between propellers of the older type McCauley and the newer type MT on the aircraft type BAe Jetstream 32. To perform the analysis, the authors reviewed current procedures regarding noise certification from air safety agencies to be able to identify suitable methods for the noise level and audio frequency measurements. The results of the conducted noise level measurements show a general lower noise level throughout the cabin and a significant reduction in noise level behind row 2 when using the MT propeller compared to the McCauley type. In practice this means a lower perceived noise level for most passengers at an average passenger load factor. The frequency measurements show that the MT propeller generates audio frequencies which are perceived as lower in noise levels and are therefore more comfortable for passengers. The fuel consumption was also slightly lower when using the MT propeller compared to the McCauley type over the assigned time period and the determined limiting parameters. / Denna rapport beskriver ett examensarbete som genomfördes på Direktflyg i Borlänge under början av 2012, där syftet var att analysera skillnaden i ljudnivå, ljudfrekvens och bränslekonsumtion på flygplanstypen Jetstream 32 efter genomfört byte av propellrar från typen McCauley till typen MT på en av bolagets flygplansindivider. För att genomföra analysen har författarna granskat gällande procedurer angående ljudnivåmätning från styrande luftsäkerhetsorgan för att sedan kunna fastställa passande metoder för utförandet av ljudnivå- samt ljudfrekvensmätningar. Resultaten från ljudnivåmätningarna visar på en lägre ljudnivå över hela kabinen samt betydligt lägre ljudnivå bakom rad 2 vid användning av MT-propellrar jämfört med McCauley. I praktiken innebär detta en lägre upplevd ljudnivå för de flesta passagerare vid en genomsnittlig kabinfaktor. Frekvensmätningarna visar att MT-propellern genererar ljudfrekvenser som uppfattas som lägre i ljudnivå och därav också som behagligare för passagerarna. Bränslekonsumtionen var vidare något lägre vid användande av MT-propellrar jämfört med McCauley över den tidsperiod som innefattades inom arbetet och de begränsande parametrar som fastställdes.

In this work, regression models for the wake field entering a propeller at certain axial andnominal position have been proposed. Wakes are non-uniform flows following a body immersedin a viscous fluid. We have proposed models for the axial and tangential velocity distribution asfunctions of ship hull and propeller measures. The regression models were modelled using Fourierseries and parameter estimations based on skewed-Gaussian and sine functions. The wake fieldis an important parameter in propeller design. The regression models are based on experimentaldata provided by the Rolls-Royce Hydrodynamic Research Center in Kristinehamn. Also we havestudied the flow in the axial velocity distribution in the propeller plane using the coherent structurecoloring method. The coherent structure coloring is used to study coherent patterns by looking atfluid particle kinematics. Using this type of analysis, we observed that the velocity distributionbehaves kinematically similar in the different regions of the wake distribution, which according tothe coherent structure coloring indicate coherence. / I det här arbetet, har regressionsmodeller för medströmsfältet in i en propeller vid viss axielloch nominell position utvecklats. Medströmsfältet är ojämn strömning efter en kropp nedsänkt i enviskös vätska. Vi har föreslagit modeller för axiell och tangentiell hastighetsfördelning som funktionerför fartygsskrov-och propeller-parametrar. Regressionsmodellerna modellerades med hjälpav Fourier-serier och parameterskattning baserade på skeva Gaussfördelningar och sinusfunktioner.Medströmsfältet är en viktig parameter i propeller design. Regressionsmodellerna är baserade påexperimentella data från Rolls-Royces Hydrodynamiska Forskningscenter i Kristinehamn. Vi harockså studerat flödet i axialhastighetsfördelningen i propellplanet med hjälp av den koherenta struktureringsfärgmetoden.Den koherenta struktureringsfärgmetoden används för att studera koherentamönster genom att titta på vätskepartikelkinematik. Med hjälp av denna typ av analys observeradevi att hastighetsfördelningen uppför sig kinematiskt lika i de olika regionerna i medströmsfältet,vilket enligt koherenta strukturfärgmetoden indikerar koherens.

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The work deals with the use of geometric parameterization for shape description of some parts of the airplane. Geometric parametrization is used for creating a parametric model airfoil. This parametric model allows local deformations pobrchu profile and can easily be applied to generate the geometry of the wing or other parts letoumu. Some properties of the parametric model were tested applications in aerodynamic optimization. Furthermore, the work deals with the parametric description of the blades, the aerodynamic optimization and noise analysis. For propeller blade were created distribution function of the control parameters that can be used in aerodynamic optimization of the blades. Geometric parameterization is used for identifying the location and other characteristics of noise sources.