Research Symposium

BIO

Adan Del Cid is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering at Florida State University. Through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, he is gaining hands-on research experience under the guidance of Dr. Ryan Gosse. His current work involves exploring Computational Fluid Dynamics for hypersonic flow. During his studies, which have included three appearances on the President's List, Adan has enjoyed developing practical skills with MATLAB and embedded systems. After graduation, he hopes to further his education in graduate school and contribute to the hardware engineering field.

Analysis of Hypersonic Flow Over Aircraft Pressure Sensors

Abstract

Flying at hypersonic speeds puts intense pressure on aircraft sensors. Analyzing this extreme environment using computer simulations known as Computational Fluid Dynamics is critical for aerospace safety. Understanding how air behaves at these high velocities helps engineers design more resilient measurement tools. This research is to understand if a pressure based sensor can be accurately modeled as a two dimensional wedge. This project focuses on generating various wedge models, running the airflow simulations, and analyzing the resulting aerodynamic data. Changing the bluntness and width of the wedge tip directly affects the shockwave standoff distance and the pressure reaching the sensor surface. Conducting this two dimensional simulation serves as a crucial step before running complex three dimensional simulations that capture the full geometry of the sensor for more accurate measures. Ultimately, this validated workflow reduces user error and provides a reliable computational baseline that can be referenced later when testing the physical models.

Keywords: Aerospace Plane Simulation Mechanical Engineering