Supervisor: Dr W.J.Crowther

Project Title: WJC1 Football Aerodynamics

Aim:

·         To develop understanding of the aerodynamics of a spinning football

Objectives:

·         Review existing work on rotating spheres

·         Establish competence in using Gambit/FLUENT

·         Model flow round a cylinder (stationary and with rotating boundary conditions)

·         Model flow round a sphere (stationary and with rotating boundary conditions)

·         Improve existing wind tunnel experimental rig design to reduce asymmetry and increase spin motor power

·         Obtain wind tunnel corrections due to presence of rig

·         Measure lift and drag for a range of speeds (Reynolds number) and spin rates (advance ratio)

·         Compare experiment with CFD

Description of Project:

This project is concerned with the understanding the three dimensional flow around a rotating sphere. Ultimately this work will be used in the development of a simulation for modelling the curved trajectories of spinning footballs. A previous project has obtained preliminary wind tunnel data on a spinning and non-spinning ball. The present work is concerned with modelling the flow using CFD and comparing the results with wind tunnel data.

No previous experience of CFD is assumed.

Nature of Project (e.g. Computing, Experimental, etc.) Experimental/CFD

Workshop Requirements and Time: 2 days technician for rig modifications

Experiment Facilities Required and Time: Simon project wind tunnel, 2 weeks. FLUENT access

Supervisor: Dr W.J.Crowther

Project Title: WJC2 Virtual Wind Tunnel

Aim:

·         To investigate the use of a VR environment for exploring fluid flow datasets

Objectives:

·         Review previous work

·         Establish competence in using Gambit/FLUENT

·         Generate datasets for flow around simple shapes

·         Import data into the AVS visualisation package and display streamlines and pressure distributions on 2D monitor

·         Investigate benefits of using 3D VR projection for exploring data

Description of Project:

The present project seeks to develop skills and experience in the use of virtual reality for the exploration and interpretation of fluid flow data using the new virtual reality lab at Manchester Computing http://www.man.ac.uk/MVC/service/vip.shtml . Initial work will involve using the CFD package FLUENT to obtain example fluid flow datasets.

Nature of Project (e.g. Computing, Experimental, etc.)

Computing/CFD

Workshop Requirements and Time:

none

Experiment Facilities Required and Time:

Access to VIP lab.

Supervisor: Dr W.J.Crowther

Project Title: WJC3 Air data system for micro air vehicle applications

Aim:

·         to investigate the use of the PIC microcontroller for determining airspeed in micro air vehicle applications

Objectives:

·         Review previous project work using the PIC microcontroller

·         Implement PIC demo applications to validate understanding of microcontroller principles

·         Design a microcontroller-based system for determining airspeed based on pressure measurements

·         Fabricate simple interface electronics

·         Programme microcontroller in low level code (similar to assembly language) using the PIC graphical development environment

·         Demonstrate air speed sensor functionality

·         Identify opportunities for further work

Description of Project:

Developments in miniature aircraft with wing spans of less than 15cm (micro airvehicles) demand increasing use of highly integrated electronics for sensing and control. This project investigates the use of a PIC microcontroller as the basis for developing a low cost, low weight flight control computer for micro air vehicles. The present project will specifically develop capability for pressure data acquisition and calculation of air speed. No previous experience of micro controllers is assumed, however an interest in programming would be advantageous.

This project is liked to WJC 4

Nature of Project (e.g. Computing, Experimental, etc.)

Workshop Requirements and Time:

Experiment Facilities Required and Time:

Supervisor: Dr W.J.Crowther

Project Title: WJC4 Optical attitude sensing for micro airvehicles

Aim:

·         To develop a simple aircraft attitude sensing system using light sensors

Objectives:

·         Review background to project

·         Investigate properties of light sensors (photo diodes)

·         Design light sensor experimental rig

·         Calibrate rig (attitude as a function of light level)

·         Investigate use of multiple sensors and novel calibration methods

·         Investigate implementation of system using a microcontroller

Description of Project:

Developments in miniature aircraft with wingspans of less than 15cm (micro airvehicles) demand increasing use of novel, highly integrated electronics for sensing and control. This project investigates the use of light sensors to determine aircraft attitude relative to the horizon (normally done using gyros). The work will involve design, build and calibration of simple electronic circuits. Ultimately data will be acquired and analysed by a PIC microcontroller .

This project is liked to WJC 3

Nature of Project (e.g. Computing, Experimental, etc.)

Experimental (circuit development and test) and computing (calculation of attitude from light sensor data)

Workshop Requirements and Time: None

Experiment Facilities Required and Time:

Bench space

Supervisor: Dr W.J.Crowther

Project Title: WJC5 Vortex rings

Aim:

·         To design, simulate and test a device for producing large scale vortex rings

Objectives:

·         Review theory of vortex rings

·         Establish competence in using Gambit/FLUENT

·         Develop FLUENT CFD vortex ring model

·         Design vortex ring generator

·         Build and test

Description of Project:

Vortex rings are most commonly observed in the form of ‘smoke rings’. This project is concerned with developing an apparatus for producing large-scale smoke rings (e.g. 1m diameter) for use in theatrical contexts. Rig design will be aided through the use of the CFD package FLUENT (no previous experience assumed).  A rig will be constructed and tested at the Barton laboratory

Nature of Project (e.g. Computing, Experimental, etc.)

CFD and experiment

Workshop Requirements and Time:

1 day

Experiment Facilities Required and Time:

Bench space, smoke generator, video camera

Supervisor: Dr W.J.Crowther

Project Title: WJC6 Engine Dynamometer

Aim:

·         To obtain the specific fuel consumption of an internal combustion engine used for unmanned air vehicle applications

Objectives:

·         Review work on existing dynamometer rig

·         Validate rig calibration (torque and fuel flow)

·         Obtain power specific fuel consumption plots as a function of rpm and power

·         Develop rig for measuring engine thrust

Description of Project:

Specific fuel consumption data for model aircraft engines is typically unavailable. This project will commission an engine dynamometer rig developed by a previous 4^th year project. The rig is designed for measuring engine speed, torque and fuel consumption. Most of the components have been fabricated but there is still some practical development work required. A four-stroke diesel engine is available for commissioning and test.

Data from this project will be used to support the third year aircraft design module.

Nature of Project (e.g. Computing, Experimental, etc.)

Experimental

Workshop Requirements and Time:

2 days

Experiment Facilities Required and Time:

Existing rig