A residual flexibility approach for the analysis of systems comprised of multiple components subjected to dynamic loading is presented. In it, the reactive forces at the junctions of the components are computed directly ...

This thesis research examines the fuel optimal trajectories for a spacecraft going to Mars and returning to Earth. Challenges encountered include the defining of equations of motion and optimality conditions, formulation ...

This dissertation introduces a new multiscale stochastic finite element method (MSFEM) for determining the mechanical properties of polymer nanocomposites (PNC) consisting of polymers reinforced with single-wall carbon ...

Acoustic tones can impede safe store separation and amplify structural fatigue in airborne military aircraft with open internal bays. Experimentally simulating such cavity flows is essential to understanding the physical ...

In an effort to improve the safety and road-holding capabilities of vehicles, manufacturers have begun a trend toward increasing vehicle body roll resistance by introducing stiffer roll-stabilizer bars. In this study vehicle ...

Spacecraft equipped with a Reaction Control System (RCS) for attitude control typically utilize a "bang-off-bang" control algorithm for rotational maneuvers. This type of algorithm, which commands two distinct control ...

We present three innovative approaches for simulations of parachute fluid-structure interactions (FSI), which otherwise tend to be unstable because of extreme sensitivity of thin membrane structure to massive fluid dynamic ...

In the future, the arsenal of the U.S. military will include Space-delivered weapons, released by reusable launch vehicles. Entry vehicles released from the launch platforms will be capable of guiding to target locations ...

Flow-generated noise, especially rotorcraft noise has been a serious concern for both commercial and military applications. A particular important noise source for rotorcraft is Blade-Vortex-Interaction (BVI) noise, a high ...

General problems of interest in computational fluid dynamics are investigated by means of optimization. Specifically, in the first part of the dissertation, a method of optimal incremental function approximation is developed ...