Below are a few of the research and projects I have worked on while I was a student at Arizona State University (2015-2023)
Formula 1 Racecar Aerodynamics and Designing Techniques
Scope: MS Thesis
Duration: January 2022 – December 2023
Goals: Develop an algorithm that utilizes panel methods to facilitate the synthesis of front and rear wings for Formula 1 racecars
Key Achievements: Successfully developed multiple scripts that enable the creation of input files onto VORLAX, runs the generated input files, organizes the results, optimizes the wing geometry for a target lift and pressure distribution and compares the expected performance to the actual performance. This algorithm relied on superposition principles and multiple iterations to hone in on a feasible design.
Lessons Learned: Sometimes, a theory that seems simple, actually ends up being complex. Be patient with the process but know when to ask for advice or move on to a different method. Coding might be easy (cough cough)…but getting pieces of code to run together without issues is a whole ‘nother process. At a research level, you need to be clever to automate things to save time and run more cases, but also realize at what point is this optimization of the workflow enough.
Tools Utilized: PYTHON, VORLAX, ANSYS, SOLIDWORKS, MATLAB, JMP, EXCEL
Multi-Robot Systems
Scope: MS Level Class Project
Duration: August 2023 – December 2023
Goals: Develop a program that simulates the delivery of packages using aerial robots from a delivery hub to a local neighborhood. (Note: The scope of the class was open but this was a project that interested me that was different from projects I had done in my past)
Key Achievements: Developed a script that simulates the movement of multiple aerial robots while ensuring safety of others and the robots. Speeds were controlled when approaching the pickup and drop-off locations and a collision avoidance system was programmed to ensure the safe movement between robots, even when in close proximity.
Lessons Learned: While there are existing controllers, making your own controller from scratch means you know the ins and outs of how your controller works. This gives you the fine tuning capabilities to achieve exactly what you desire. Make sure you run multiple tests to ensure everything works satisfactorily and make sure you don’t stop from your first success.
Tools Utilized: MATLAB
Improved Synthesis Method to Develop Conceptual Design Wing Lofts
Scope: MS Supervised Project
Duration: December 2019 – May 2020
Goals: Develop an algorithm based on superposition principles that can achieve a target lift and pressure distribution by scaling camber, thickness and twist of an airplane wing.
Key Achievements: Completed an EXCEL document that can read in multiple input files and synthesize a wing based on these inputs by determining how much of each input parameter to add. This helped reduce the time taken for a preliminary wing design significantly, from the range of 3 to 4 days to 3 to 4 hours.
Lessons Learned: Golpalott’s Third Law (from Harry Potter) seems to be true not only in potion making but also in aerodynamics of aircrafts. Specifically, superposition principles often lead to a wing design that generated slightly higher lift than expected and slightly more pressure than expected. My research continued on after graduating in May 2020 to explore this phenomena further.
Tools Utilized: EXCEL, MATLAB, JMP, VORLAX
Advanced Aerodynamics
Scope: MS Level Class Project
Duration: August 2019 – December 2019
Goals: Synthesize a wing design for an airplane cruising at 35,000 feet at a speed of Mach 0.78 with added constraints such as max length, max wingspan, min weight and more.
Key Achievements: Worked with classmate Bhargav Chaudhari under the guidance of Dr. Timothy Takahashi (faculty) and assistance from Philip Thomas (TA) to achieve a successful design that satisfied all requirements.
Lessons Learned: This was my beginning to my obsession with design optimization. During this project, myself and my teammate spent countless hours at the library synthesizing wings for aircrafts. This process took weeks to complete and verify and I had read research papers from “Jensen & Takahashi” and “Donovan & Takahashi” on methods they utilized to improve the conceptual wing design process of aircrafts. My future work was the result of me finding methods to minimize this time taken from weeks to just hours for a conceptual wing design using potential flow solvers.
Tools Utilized: VORLAX, EXCEL, MATLAB
Six Sigma Methodology
Scope: MS Level Class Project
Duration: January 2019 – May 2019
Goals: Perform the famous Six Sigma Catapult project to determine what factors were most important to varying the distance a projectile travelled and develop a model that predicts the behavior of the catapult.
Key Achievements: I worked alongside five other engineering students (Bradley Fox, Elissa Balbas, Hope Hill, Justin Duran and Vincent Davis) to complete the famous catapult project in Six Sigma twice. Once with the original equipment and once because the first catapult broke due to wear and tear over the years. We successfully determined the most important parameters when using the catapult and created a predictive model that tells what parameters to use to achieve a given target. We were able to hit the target (accurate to within 5 inches) for the 3 targets we were given during final demonstration.
Lessons Learned: Always start work early. We had plenty of time because we had done all the work early to not get into trouble when our catapult failed. We simply had to repeat the procedure and redo the analysis to develop a new model for the new catapult. It’s also easy to repeat work you are familiar with than when you are doing something for the first time.
Tools Utilized: JMP, MATLAB
Shark Attack Victim Response and Repellent System
Scope: Undergraduate Capstone Project
Duration: August 2018 – May 2019
Goals: Design, Model, Build and Test a shark repelling drone that can help save human lives in areas with high risk for shark attacks
Key Achievements: Our team consisting on myself, Abdullah Aldawood, Angelica Guzman, Derek Jensen, Joshua Morton, Kyaw Htoo and Michael Davis, successfully completed all the requirements for the project by designing, modeling, building and testing the shark repelling drone. I was mostly responsible for the manufacturing of physical components (where I learned how to use CNC machines, laser engravers, 3D printers, drill presses, band saws and various other tools) and analysis of components (such as conducting stress analysis and fatigue tests both by modeling and physical tests) to ensure the safe and successful operation of the drone.
Lessons Learned: Hands on experience is the best way to ensure you are learning and getting things done correctly. Don’t be afraid to try new tools and methods. Ask a lab manager and try out new machines to get things done faster and safer. Just because you can design something on the computer, doesn’t mean it will work in real life. Rapid prototyping and redesign leads to early failure but ensures final success later down the line.
Tools Utilized: SOLIDWORKS, ANSYS, EXCEL, CNC, DRILL PRESS, BAND SAW, 3D PRINTING, LASER ENGRAVING