Fluid-thermal-structural interactions on high-speed aerospace vehicles. Sixteen years after the retirement of Concorde, high-speed commercial flight is once again on the rise with the development of new supersonic business jets and small airliners as well as hypersonic transport and reusable space launch systems. Robust and efficient designs for these light-weight vehicles must address the problem of aerodynamic heating and its effect on structural performance and lifing. This project will desig ....Fluid-thermal-structural interactions on high-speed aerospace vehicles. Sixteen years after the retirement of Concorde, high-speed commercial flight is once again on the rise with the development of new supersonic business jets and small airliners as well as hypersonic transport and reusable space launch systems. Robust and efficient designs for these light-weight vehicles must address the problem of aerodynamic heating and its effect on structural performance and lifing. This project will design and perform first-of-kind experiments that reproduce the complex fluid-thermal-structural interactions representative of those experienced by these aircraft and rockets. We will then use these measurements to assess, validate and improve the current state-of-the-art of simulation and modelling approaches for design.Read moreRead less
Dispersion of spacecraft components during re-entry. Destructive re-entry trajectories for used satellites are designed so debris remaining after re-entry falls harmlessly to the Earth. However, the dramatic increase in the mass of orbiting objects has outpaced improvements in predicting hazardous impact zones. This project aims to develop the experimental and theoretical methods needed to study separation of objects in hypersonic flow in order to better predict the dispersion of debris from re- ....Dispersion of spacecraft components during re-entry. Destructive re-entry trajectories for used satellites are designed so debris remaining after re-entry falls harmlessly to the Earth. However, the dramatic increase in the mass of orbiting objects has outpaced improvements in predicting hazardous impact zones. This project aims to develop the experimental and theoretical methods needed to study separation of objects in hypersonic flow in order to better predict the dispersion of debris from re-entering space objects. New hypersonic wind tunnel experiments, modelling, and computational simulations will be performed to enhance our understanding and improve predictions of how spacecraft components are dispersed during re-entry.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101674
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$392,310.00
Summary
Novel Testing of a Supersonic Airbreathing Rotating Detonation Engine. Rotating detonation engines offer the potential for improved propulsive efficiency in high speed flight, but the challenges of integrating the advanced detonation combustion process with an airbreathing engine inlet are yet to be met. This project aims to develop a unique Australian testing capability for airbreathing rotating detonation engines and, utilising this capability, to generate unique experimental data to further t ....Novel Testing of a Supersonic Airbreathing Rotating Detonation Engine. Rotating detonation engines offer the potential for improved propulsive efficiency in high speed flight, but the challenges of integrating the advanced detonation combustion process with an airbreathing engine inlet are yet to be met. This project aims to develop a unique Australian testing capability for airbreathing rotating detonation engines and, utilising this capability, to generate unique experimental data to further the operational understanding of airbreathing rotation detonation engines. By contributing essential research to this new engine concept, Australia can forge intellectual capital and international partnerships, and help provide the benefits of cost and weight savings associated with higher performance engines.Read moreRead less
Reducing rocket resonance is the key to safer spaceflight. This fellowship considers a particularly dangerous component of rocket launch, which is the potential for destructive feedback loops to form either in the nozzle, or between the nozzle and the launch pad. CI Edgington-Mitchell is a world leader in the study of resonance in jet engines, having developed best-in-field methodologies for the problem. In this innovative fellowship, he will apply these methodologies to better understand the da ....Reducing rocket resonance is the key to safer spaceflight. This fellowship considers a particularly dangerous component of rocket launch, which is the potential for destructive feedback loops to form either in the nozzle, or between the nozzle and the launch pad. CI Edgington-Mitchell is a world leader in the study of resonance in jet engines, having developed best-in-field methodologies for the problem. In this innovative fellowship, he will apply these methodologies to better understand the dangerous resonances that can occur during rocket launch, using a combination of experimental, numerical, and theoretical techniques, in partnership with NASA, Stanford, and the CNRS.Read moreRead less
Advanced Combustion Modelling for Scramjets and Rotating Detonation Engines. This project will develop new fundamental knowledge and engineering models underpinning air-breathing high speed propulsion engines employing complex hydrocarbon fuels. Extensive data and new physical understanding will be garnered through analysis of direct numerical simulations of supersonic reacting mixing layers including impinging shock waves. That data will be employed to isolate, test and develop computationally ....Advanced Combustion Modelling for Scramjets and Rotating Detonation Engines. This project will develop new fundamental knowledge and engineering models underpinning air-breathing high speed propulsion engines employing complex hydrocarbon fuels. Extensive data and new physical understanding will be garnered through analysis of direct numerical simulations of supersonic reacting mixing layers including impinging shock waves. That data will be employed to isolate, test and develop computationally efficient engineering models that are accurate and efficient for high speed combustion in rotating detonation engines and scramjets. Expected outcomes are knowledge and tools needed to develop practical and effective supersonic propulsion engines for access to space, defence and high speed point-to-point flight.
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Revival of silicon solar cells for space applications. Development of very thin silicon solar cells for space applications. These space cells will include many of the significant improvements in silicon cells of the last 20 years, which have allowed close to the maximum possible efficiencies and the order of magnitude decrease in cost of terrestrial solar cells. Space cells require good radiation resistance to give good end of life performance. This project will use photovoltaic architectures, p ....Revival of silicon solar cells for space applications. Development of very thin silicon solar cells for space applications. These space cells will include many of the significant improvements in silicon cells of the last 20 years, which have allowed close to the maximum possible efficiencies and the order of magnitude decrease in cost of terrestrial solar cells. Space cells require good radiation resistance to give good end of life performance. This project will use photovoltaic architectures, proven to give high performance for terrestrial cells, to develop ultrathin silicon cells with extreme light trapping and improved radiation tolerance to give high beginning and end of life efficiencies. These cells will be less than 5% of the cost of multijunction cells currently used in space.Read moreRead less
Electron Transpiration Cooling of Hypersonic Vehicles. Future aircraft for flight at hypersonic speeds require sharp leading edges for the best aerodynamic performance. Sharp leading edges incur high heat loads and cannot be adequately cooled with current technologies. The project aim is to investigate novel surface materials that emit electrons when heated. This emission of electrons from the surface can significantly contribute to the cooling of the sharp leading edges. This project is expecte ....Electron Transpiration Cooling of Hypersonic Vehicles. Future aircraft for flight at hypersonic speeds require sharp leading edges for the best aerodynamic performance. Sharp leading edges incur high heat loads and cannot be adequately cooled with current technologies. The project aim is to investigate novel surface materials that emit electrons when heated. This emission of electrons from the surface can significantly contribute to the cooling of the sharp leading edges. This project is expected to deliver new experimental data on novel surface materials exposed to a hypersonic flow environment and computer models that can simulate their cooling effect. This investigation will contribute towards enabling technologies for sustained hypersonic flight by overcoming critical head load limitations.Read moreRead less
Non-equilibrium reacting shock layers. This project aims is to study the non-equilibrium aerodynamic processes involved in hypervelocity flight. The design of vehicles for high speed flight is critically dependent on modelling the interactions between the flow field and the airframe, and the current lack of understanding is restricting the scope and benefit of viable activities in space. The expected outcomes include the ability to design optimised heat shields and air-frames with minimum mass a ....Non-equilibrium reacting shock layers. This project aims is to study the non-equilibrium aerodynamic processes involved in hypervelocity flight. The design of vehicles for high speed flight is critically dependent on modelling the interactions between the flow field and the airframe, and the current lack of understanding is restricting the scope and benefit of viable activities in space. The expected outcomes include the ability to design optimised heat shields and air-frames with minimum mass and maximum payload, precisely targeting specific flight conditions and vehicle shapes. The prospective benefits include increased productivity and reliability and reduced cost of missions to and from space, and a proliferation of new applications which this understanding will facilitate.Read moreRead less
Ensemble modelling of space-weather drivers. This project aims to develop methods for forecasting the evolution of magnetic fields on the Sun's surface, and to use the results to drive an ensemble of numerical simulations of the evolution of the magnetic field in the overlying atmosphere. The project expects to create a new framework for forecasting the evolution of solar active regions, applying, for the first time, methods established in Numerical Weather Prediction. The expected outcomes are ....Ensemble modelling of space-weather drivers. This project aims to develop methods for forecasting the evolution of magnetic fields on the Sun's surface, and to use the results to drive an ensemble of numerical simulations of the evolution of the magnetic field in the overlying atmosphere. The project expects to create a new framework for forecasting the evolution of solar active regions, applying, for the first time, methods established in Numerical Weather Prediction. The expected outcomes are physics-based prediction of solar atmospheric magnetic field evolution, including explosive eruptions. The results should have significant benefit in improving prediction of extreme space weather events, which pose an increasing threat to our technologically-dependent society.Read moreRead less
How archaeology can transform living in space. This project aims to investigate human engagement with material culture in the extreme environment of space by applying archaeological methods to the habitation design of the International Space Station. The project will use NASA data to record astronaut interactions with objects and spaces over time. The project expects to remedy deficiencies in previous psychological and engineering design research by taking a deep-time perspective on how a cultur ....How archaeology can transform living in space. This project aims to investigate human engagement with material culture in the extreme environment of space by applying archaeological methods to the habitation design of the International Space Station. The project will use NASA data to record astronaut interactions with objects and spaces over time. The project expects to remedy deficiencies in previous psychological and engineering design research by taking a deep-time perspective on how a culture develops in a microgravity environment. The results are intended to identify how humans adapt to space technology and can be applied in the future design of long duration space missions to maximise both survival and efficiency.Read moreRead less