Students rise to NASA electric aircraft design challenge

 

The one-and-only winner of the graduate section was Tom Neuman for his Vapor design (Credit: Tom Neuman/Georgia Institute of Technology) In a recent challenge issued by NASA, university students were asked to design an electric aircraft envisaged to enter service in the year 2020 and be commercially competitive with standard piston-engine craft. In response, the space agency received submissions from 20 universities across the United States that not only met the brief but, in many cases, went above and beyond to really the impress the judges. We take a look at the top five prize winners. The designs were assessed not only on their merit, but also considered in regard to the student university level. As such, submissions were categorized into graduate and undergraduate design studies and judged accordingly.   Graduate Level The one-and-only winner of this section was Tom Neuman, a graduate student with a Master’s of aerospace engineering at the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His design brought in twin 8 ft (2.5 m) tail-mounted propellers that, according to Neuman, were computer-modeled to achieve 92 percent efficiency. With an efficient laminar flow fuselage design and retractable landing gear to further reduce drag, Vapor has a claimed 25 percent reduction in parasitic drag when compared to a Cirrus SR22 aircraft used as a standard light-aviation benchmark. Designed to be powered by a proton exchange membrane fuel-cell (PEMFC), Neuman claims to have modeled a specific-energy of 800 Wh/kg in his design study at an impressive 55 percent efficiency. With this set-up, Vapor is expected to be capable of 800 nautical miles (1,482 km) at a cruising speed of around 150 knots (278 km/h).     Undergraduate Level Blade In first place in this category is a design produced by a team of students from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). The design is more conventional with twin wing-mounted motors. A puller-propeller concept intended to be built using composite materials, the electric power-plants are intended to be driven by a bank of rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries. Ethan Kellogg and team members produced a performance design claim of 135 knot (250 km/h) cruising speed and a range of 520 nautical miles (963 km) for Bladessa. With 270 horsepower (200 Kw) on tap, the Bladessa design is intended to have a maximum take-off weight of around 4,200 lb (1,900 kg), including up to 700 lb (317 kg) of payload. Again, laminar flows have been carefully modeled to achieve maximum efficiency and minimum drag on and around the fuselage of the aircraft. Areion In second place was another UC Davis design, this time a pusher-propeller type with a forward canard. Presumably named after the winged immortal horse born to the goddess Demeter, this contender's configuration is also designed to decrease the area and drag of the main wing by using a blended airfoil design and a set of imaginatively-named hyperelastic flaperons. According to the team led by fourth year undergraduate, Louis Edelman, this enables the usage of Natural Laminar Flow (NLF) technology to reduce energy requirements over the flight envelope. Again an all-electric aircraft, power and flight characteristic details are sparse, but the team does say that it would be a hydrogen-powered fuel-cell that provided the energy. BeamTree PH-10 Bringing up third place in the list of winners was a design from a team at Virginia Tech. With a 48.5 ft (14.7 m) wingspan, an AC induction motor, and three lithium-ion battery packs, the BeamTree PH-10 is designed to be capable of a cruise speed of 175 knots (325 km/h) for an impressive distance of 783 nautical miles (1,450 km). The large mass of the electric propulsion system was the main design driver for the Virginia Tech team who envisaged a tadpole fuselage to reduce profile drag along with winglets to help better aerodynamic efficiency. SCUBA Stingray Rounding out the top five is the SCUBA Stingray design – yet another entrant from UC Davis – which received an honorable mention. Designed to use a cutting-edge hybrid aluminum-air/lithium ion battery system for long range and heavy payload capacity. Design specifications include a four-passenger carrying capacity, along with a claimed range of at least 500 nautical miles (926 km), carrying a payload in excess of 400 lb (180 kg), all while cruising at a speed greater than 130 knots (240 km/h). The outstanding design aspects of the Stingray, according to the team, are tapered primary and horizontal wings, fixed tricycle landing gear, along with a substantial T-tail empennage. According to NASA, the ideas of these students are more than mere academic exercises; research at the space agency in aeronautics also includes finding ways to cut back on fossil fuel dependence and reduce the aviation sector's pollution emissions, including lessening noise around airports. "The research and critical thinking that went into each of these designs was very impressive," said Jaiwon Shin, NASA's associate administrator for aeronautics. "It's clear there is a new generation of aeronautical innovators nearly ready to make their mark on the future of aviation." Winners of this challenge will be invited to visit NASA in October to present their work. Source: NASA

Preparing for the ubiquitous technologies of tomorrow

 

NSF enlists National Academies experts to envision future multidisciplinary engineering research. August 5, 2015 What is needed to create ubiquitous future technologies that will enable new industries, and who will create them? Currently, NSF Engineering Research Centers address a variety of engineering and technological challenges as they pursue transformational research, education and innovation outcomes. This model has resulted in significant national returns on investment for 30 years. In consideration of significant, ongoing changes -- in science, engineering, education, economics, demographics, and the global landscape -- the National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to ensure future engineering research centers will continue to benefit the nation. To do so, the NSF Directorate for Engineering has awarded a grant to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences for a study to determine what center-based research, education and innovation models could be the most effective as the U.S. and global landscapes undergo future shifts. “Our Engineering Research Centers, first developed nearly 30 years ago with the help of the National Academies, have yielded great advances in manufacturing, communications, biomedical, and other sectors,” said Pramod Khargonekar, NSF assistant director for engineering. “Now we are thinking of the next 30 years, and how to ensure that our center-scale investments in engineering research, innovation and education continue to create innovators and catalyze new technologies and industries for the benefit of all Americans.” "This announcement highlights a continuation of over three decades of collaboration between the National Science Foundation and National Academy of Engineering on multidisciplinary, center-based engineering research, development and innovation,” said NAE president C. D. Mote, Jr. “Collaborations that advance multidisciplinary engineering and develop talent for the great problems of our time are mandatory for leadership in this world of accelerating change." During the next two years, forward-thinking experts appointed by the presidents of the NAE and National Academy of Sciences will envision potential future opportunities, missions, measures and models for engineering research centers. The committee will evaluate center designs and features for their ability to achieve breakthrough, multidisciplinary discoveries and innovations and to prepare an inclusive, innovative engineering workforce for success. They will also anticipate forms of university-industry partnerships that will spur translational research and accelerate real-world deployment in the future, allowing centers to maximize their contributions to the innovation ecosystem in the coming decades. As part of their collection of data and perspectives, the committee of experts anticipates holding a public symposium in 2016. At the end of the project, the committee will publish a peer-reviewed report. Media Contacts Sarah Bates, NSF, (703) 292-7738, sabates@nsf.gov Nicole Flores, National Academy of Engineering, (202) 334-2226, nflores@nae.edu Program Contacts Garie Fordyce, NSF, (703) 292-4603, gfordyce@nsf.gov Sohi Rastegar, NSF, (703) 292-5379, srastega@nsf.gov Principal Investigator James Lancaster, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, jlancaster@nas.edu Related Websites Previous engineering research center study by National Academies: http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/good-bye?http://www.nap.edu/catalog/616/the-new-engineering-research-centers-purposes-goals-and-expectations "This announcement highlights a continuation of over three decades of collaboration between the National Science Foundation and National Academy of Engineering on multidisciplinary, center-based engineering research, development and innovation,” said NAE president C. D. Mote, Jr. “Collaborations that advance multidisciplinary engineering and develop talent for the great problems of our time are mandatory for leadership in this world of accelerating change." The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2015, its budget is $7.3 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and other institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 48,000 competitive proposals for funding, and makes about 11,000 new funding awards. NSF also awards about $626 million in professional and service contracts yearly.   Useful NSF Web Sites: NSF Home Page: http://www.nsf.gov NSF News: http://www.nsf.gov/news/ For the News Media: http://www.nsf.gov/news/newsroom.jsp Science and Engineering Statistics: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ Awards Searches: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/