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MENG 4313 Group9 FinalDraft
MENG 4313 Group9 FinalDraft
Fei Wu_____________________________________________________
We certify that the narrative, diagrams, figures, tables, calculations and analysis in this report
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
i
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The camera on the current Mars rover Curiosity, may have its view obstructed by rocks,
mounds or other higher obstacles when attempting to gather visual data for excavations or
The structure will be inflated using the CO2 found in the Martian atmosphere by
equipping a low-power positive displacement pump connected to a CO2 tank and a valve. Since
the most essential factor in determining the structures rigidity is the pressure head, the
difference in outside and inside pressure, a high performance fabric/material is not required;
however, since the structure must not allow gases from escaping, a material that can prevent
osmosis is necessary.
The inflatable tower has been designed as a somewhat conical structure with a height
of 10 meters and a base diameter of 0.6 meters. Since the cameras weight may cause the
internal gases to disperse away from the peak, a reinforced material may need to be placed on
This report took into account the external forces from the Martian atmosphere acting
upon the structure, the internal forces from the gases, the heat transfer and fluid mechanics of
the CO2 being pumped into the structure, the time to inflate and deflate the structure, and the
dimensionless Reynolds number for Earth-based experimentation. The purpose of this report
is to provide an achievable engineering design and analysis for an inflatable structure mounted
on top of a Mars rover. Fluid mechanics, heat transfer, structural forces, and a possible Earth-
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
iii
INTRODUCTION
Since the beginning of space exploration, the possibility of another planet having the
capability to support life has always been a matter of interest to scientists. This curiosity led
to an unrelenting quest to explore planets for signs of it supporting life. Mars has become a
planet of interest due to the fact that the planet is believed to have once supported life due to
the evidence of permanent polar ice caps. However, the fact that the planet contains water
does not exclude its harsh environment. The planets extremely low temperatures provide a
cold and thin atmosphere, further complicating manned missions to the Red Planet [2, 3].
Humans are not capable of settling on Mars without the aid of robots, drones, and rovers. In
order to better understand the composition of the Martian atmosphere and geology, the
Curiosity rover was sent to Mars in order to retrieve data and aid scientists with their research.
This first step is essential in setting up preparations for a Martian habitat or colony.
Since a rover on Mars greatly assists scientists in conducting their research, it plays a
significant role in helping humans understand the conditions of the planet before deciding to
colonize it. NASAs curiosity rover is dependent on its cameras for a variety of reasons: from
surveying the Martian surface for rock samples to the preventative measures it takes in order
to avoid falling into a crater. The current design has four pairs of engineering hazard avoidance
cameras, two pairs of engineering navigation cameras, four scientific cameras for various types
of data analysis, and one descent imager [4, 5]. The rovers design is lacking in one aspect; the
fact that it cannot gather images above an obstacle in its path has proven to be a challenge that
must be addressed.
1
METHODOLOGY
All the data, results and calculations are theoretical and cannot be tested
experimentally. The outline for this project plan begins by researching all of Marss
ambient temperature, and composition of gases in the atmosphere. Once this information has
been researched, then the required mathematical equations derived from engineering textbooks
such as William Jannas Design of Fluid Thermal System, Moran Shapiros Fundamentals of
Hibbelers Mechanics of Materials along with online resources such as Wolfram Alpha will be
gathered and used in order to produce a logical engineering model representing the inflation
and deflation times, structural forces, and heat transfer between the system and the atmosphere.
Finally, a dimensionless analysis will be used to compare the results on Mars and Earth.
Calculations under certain assumptions will be made in order to deliver a somewhat accurate
representation of the fluid mechanics, heat transfer and other forces affecting the tower
Martian environment
Given that the Martian atmosphere is very thin, the temperature and pressure can be
extremely low compared to Earths atmosphere, therefore inflating the structure could prove
to be a challenge using the atmospheric gasses. Also since the majority of the atmosphere
(approximately 96%) is composed of Carbon Dioxide or CO2, and because CO2 is non-
flammable, selecting it as the gas to inflate the structure would be the best choice [1]. In order
to raise the camera above obstacles, the tower must be inflated using a pump, tank, or
2
compressor. Researching the Curiosity rover shows that this specific rover can generate up to
140 watts when fully illuminatedup to four hours per sol (Martian day), and uses 100 watts
of that energy to drive around. Therefore, integrating a compressor onto the rovers system is
not possible. The only other viable options would be to either have a low power pump, a
Due to the low atmospheric temperatures, pressure ranges on Mars from 0.3 mbar to
11.55 mbar [1]. Taking into consideration that there are no positive displacement pumps that
operate at such low pressure ranges, a specially designed pump must be made in order to inflate
the structure using the CO2 from the Martian atmosphere. This specific pump could either be
a positive displacement pump, a rotary vane pump, or a centrifugal pump as long as it operates
within pressure and temperature ranges above 6 millibars and -55o C. The main concern in the
pump design would be the pressure head and flow rate. Inflation and deflation times can be
reduced using a pump with a higher flow rate, and the pressure head will determine how rigid
As the rover is exploring Mars, the inflatable structure will be ready to deploy from the
rover while it remains attached to the rovers base. When the rover encounters an object
obstructing its view, the pump can be engaged to inflate the structure using the outside CO2
Material Selection
After researching the Martian atmosphere and selecting an appropriate pump, a suitable
material must be selected for the inflatable structure. This material must be able to remain
and be able to prevent gasses from escaping. A suitable material that can withstand high wind
3
velocity and the potential of flying debris/rocks from dust storms would be Kapton.
Kapton polyimide film possesses a unique combination of properties that make it ideal for
a variety of applications in many different industries [18]. The double aluminized version
has a tensile strength of 2.5 GPa [18] so filling up the inflatable structure should not be a
retaining 80% of its strength [18]. Kapton provides a good balance of properties minimal
Pump Design
The purpose of these calculations are to help design a pump that will inflate a tower of
three meters on Mars in a span of ten to fifteen minutes, where the tower has an inlet diameter
of 0.008 meters. Graphs representing RPM vs Power, as well as RPM vs Pressure Head were
constructed. The first step was to calculate the velocity using the following equation,
2
= = (1)
60
With the velocity, the Reynolds number was calculated and the flow was determined
= (2)
64
= (3)
Assuming the inlet-outlet pressures and the inlet-outlet velocities to be the same,
Equation 4 was used to calculate the change in pressure head. The revolutions per minute vs
the pressure head of the pump propeller was then plotted on Figures 3 & 5 The propeller speed
was calculated by optimizing the radius based on 1000 revs/min using equation (5).
4
1 = 2
1 = 2
2
= ( + ) 2 (4)
60
= 2 (5)
where is,
2
= (6)
60
Finally another graph was created comparing the propellers revolutions per minute to
the power being used. These results are shown on Figures 4 & 6. This was achieved by using
= (7)
Results show that the minimum required RPMs to inflate the 3 meter tower within 15
minutes would have to be a minimum 850 RPMs. A maximum of 1200 RPMs can be used to
fill the tower within 15 minutes. The RPM vs Time graphs are shown in Figures 7 & 8.
Inflating the structure to the maximum height will require a certain amount of CO2 to
be flowed into the control volume in order for the pressure head to rise to 30 feet. Depending
on the selected size and specific shape of the structure along with other variables such as the
structure materials density and the pumps flow rate (including frictional losses), the inflation
and deflation times can be calculated by solving for the inlet and exit velocities using
5
Bernoullis Equation. Assuming the use of a specifically designed pump for Mars missions,
the inflation and deflation time calculations will be done under the following conceptual pump
0.0630902 m3/second, it must be able to supply a pressure head up to 35 feet or 10 meters, and
it must weigh less than 6 kg and not be larger than 30x15x20cm (LxWxH).
Assuming a theoretical design of a reversible pump with a flow rate of a 1000 gallons
per minute or 0.0630902 m3/second, and a total dynamic head of 35 feet or 10 meters is feasible
on Mars, then the required time to inflate and deflate a 30 foot conical structure with an
approximate volume of 3.77m3 using equation 8 and equation 9 would be about 1 minute.
2
= (8)
3
= (9)
An alternative method would involve the process of inflating and deflating the structure
by using a combination of a pressurized CO2 tank, a bypass valve, and a vacuum pump. This
method would involve a piping system routing the compressed tank around the pump using a
bypass valve for the inflation process, and routing the pump into the tank during the deflation
process. During the inflation process, a bypass valve will open and allow the compressed CO2
to travel through a pipe connecting the tank to the pump and the structure, bypassing the pump
and directly inflating the tower; once the required pressure head is met and the structure is rigid
enough, a control system will close off the bypass valve and save the remaining CO2 in the
tank. Also, because the valve is the only component in the system that would have to be
controlled for the inflation process, the rover would not have to power down any of its systems
in order to support the inflation process. Another benefit of this system would allow the
6
reusability of the same CO2. Making sure the bypass valve is closed, the idea would be to turn
on the vacuum pump and deflate the structure while returning all of the CO2 back into the
pressurized tank. Since the vacuum pump requires 100 watts of energy, this process can be
done once the mission is over and the rover is safe to power down [4].
Comparing the tank/vacuum pump system to the 100 watt pump to inflate and deflate
the structure: the tank/vacuum pump may inflate the structure faster since the compressed tank
has a high initial internal pressure, causing the velocity through the valve to be high as well;
the conceptual pump design may have a fast inflation time as well, but using this approach
would force the rover to power down its systems during the mission in order to power up the
pump. Depending on how long the entire mission is on Mars, the leak rate for the structure
and solid tank may have to be taken into consideration but will be ignored for now.
Structural Forces
Accounting for the velocity and density of the winds near the surface along with the
atmospheric pressure and temperature, the structural integrity can be analyzed by using
equations such as the bending moment and drag force. Provided that the rover has a base 7
feet long by 2 feet wide, the proposed towers diameter should be approximately 2 feet wide
In this case, calculations are going to be derived and results calculated for both a 3
meter and 10 meter cone like structure that's to be inflated with the Mars atmosphere, mostly
made up of Carbon Dioxide. A theory going forward is that once the structure begins the
inflation process, there will be a drag force caused by the Carbon Dioxide flowing through the
structure. The cone structure presents an area perpendicular to the direction of the flow stream,
the gas moves around the structure causing pressure to be built within.
7
One of the first calculations to be determined is the Coefficient of Drag, this can be
24
= (10)
8
Figure 2 Cd versus Reynolds number
Since the stream of the fluid (wind) would be striking the cone from the side, the drag
coefficient can be assumed similar to a smooth cylinder because the drag coefficient for a
Figure 2 uses Reynolds Number and the shape of the object to then find the drag coefficient.
Once a drag coefficient has been obtained, calculations for the drag force can be done at
1
= (2 2 ) (11)
The maximum bending moment at the base of the structure can then be calculated using
equation 12.
= (12)
9
Heat Transfer
The same heat transfer principles that apply on Earth also apply on Mars. The three
components that will be analyzed in this project are the carbon dioxide tank, the pump and the
inflatable structure. To simplify the system, the pump and tank will be assumed as hidden
away from direct solar exposure, reducing the number of heat transfer equations concerning
radiation. Since these two main components will not be exposed to the suns radiation, the
only calculations for radiation will be done on the inflatable structure. Also, conduction and
The heat transfer analysis begins by obtaining the coefficient of convection. The
convection coefficient will be the same on all three components since they are all exposed to
Before calculations are made, the Reynolds number must be found in order to
determine whether the wind acting on the structure is behaving in a laminar or turbulent flow.
= (13)
the Reynolds number with a fluid density of 0.016 kg/m3, a velocity of 30 m/s, a diameter of
50 m (assuming a large number since the rover is out in the open) and a dynamic viscosity of
1.105x10-5 is calculated as 2.18x106. Based on the calculations above the system is turbulent,
therefore turbulent equations will be used for the heat transfer calculations.
Both the pump and tank and pump can be analyzed as cylinders where the area can be
10
= 2 + 2 2 (14)
The tank and pump will both be made out of aluminum 6160 with a thermal
conductivity k, of 167 w/mk. The inflatable structure will be treated as a truncated cone for
calculation purposed. First, the lateral area of the cone must be found by using equation 15,
= (1 + 2 )((1 2 )2 + 2 (15)
and then it will be substituted into the surface area equation 16.
= + (12 + 22 ) (16)
The surface area will be used in the conduction equation. Convection will be calculated
= (1 2 ) (17)
1 2
= 2 (18)
ln( 2 )
1
since the pump and tank can be approximated as cylindrical shapes. The ambient temperature
of Mars is 218.15 Kelvin, and will be used for T2 while 200 Kelvin the point before carbon
For radiation, the general equation to calculate the amount of heat radiated from one
= (19)
11
where I is the intensity of the radiation, A is the surface area of the sun, and is the solid angle
from the Sun to Mars. Knowing the surface area of the inflatable structure As and the distance
away from the sun L, the solid angle can be evaluated using equation 20.
= (20)
It is also important to determine the amount of radiation energy emitted by the sun, which can
4
= (21)
where is the Stefan Boltzmann constant 5.67x10-8 W/m2k4 and T is the temperature of the
sun. The amount of radiation energy emitted by the sun is then used to calculate the intensity
= (22)
2
12
RESULTS
The equations that were used to obtain the results in Tables 1 and 2 are all found in
Table A 2.1. The two long tables will be broken up into smaller tables. Further explanation
of each smaller table will be provided in the next report. These results show the various
calculations that were taken into consideration in order to determine whether the project can
be accomplished.
Parameters Value
13
Table 3 Selected results for the pump
14
Table 4 Mass properties and Bending Moment
15
Pump Design
16
Figure 4 RPM vs. Power of 3 m Tower
17
Figure 6 RPM vs. Power of 10 m Tower
18
Figure 8 - Time for 10 m Tower to inflate respect to RPM
19
Inflation and Deflation times
Inlet
Inflatable Structure
z1 = 0 m
0.7 m
Inlet
Inflatable Structure
20
Using a refillable 5 lb. compressed CO2 tank [3], commercial steel pipe with an inner
diameter of 8 mm, a bypass valve (assuming a loss coefficient similar to an angle valve, 2),
and two flanged 90o elbow bends, the calculated time required to completely inflate the
structure and achieve a final pressure head of 30 feet (or 10 meters) is approximately 266
minutes [A-3.2].
The following vacuum pump was selected for this design analysis because it meets
power requirements, has a decent flow rate, and is compact enough to fit on top of the rover.
The Rocker 500 Oil Free Laboratory Vacuum Pump has a maximum power rating of 100
Watts, a maximum flow rate of 28 L/min, a net weight of 5.2 kg and dimensions of
29.8x14.3x17.2cm (LxWxH). Since the volume of the structure V, is approximately 3.77 m3,
and the flow rate Q, is 28 L/min, then the time it would take to deflate the structure is
10 Meters
Structural Forces
The maximum moment, which included the maximum drag force and maximum
distance away from the rover (top of the structure), for the 3 m tall and 10 m tall structures
were approximately 40 Nm and 400 Nm, respectively. The drag coefficient Cd, of a cone
21
(with the fluid streaming from the side) is closely related to the drag coefficient of a smooth
cylinder.
1.40
1.30
D= 0.6m
1.20
D= 0.3m
1.10
1.00 D= 0.15m
0.90
0.80
1.00E+03 1.00E+04 1.00E+05
Reynolds Number
22
Table 8 Drag forces on structure.
40 400
30 300
20 200
10 100
0 0
0 10 20 30 0 10 20 30
wind speed (m/s) Wind Speed (m/s)
The pressure drop was calculated by multiplying the pressure head the height of the
tower by the density of CO2 and the gravitational force on Mars. The pump powers were
23
Heat Transfer
24
DISCUSSION
The height of the inflatable structure should be sufficient enough to rise above large
rocks, small hills and provide a viewing angle into craters and trenches. A wide viewing angle
can be provided by using a camera with a fisheye lens. The camera will be mounted on a flat
surface located at the top of the cone, and will be enclosed within a dome-like structure.
one option the best to pursue. The first pump design would require NASA contractor engineers
to research and certify pump requirements can be safely met for a long mission to Mars. This
setup in which the conceptual pump is included will not require a compressed CO2 tank or a
vacuum pump. Since the conceptual pump will be able to inflate the structure in a timely
manner and deflate it using its reversibility, this would be the leading system arrangement.
However, this approach would require a lot of time and money to invest in.
The alternative design including the compressed CO2 tank and vacuum pump has
proven to possess somewhat comparable results. Since the tanks internal pressure is much
greater than the atmospheric pressure, the initial assumptions were that the velocity and hence
the flowrate would have been a lot higher than using a pump to inflate the structure. However,
the results prove otherwise. Further analysis was carried out on Simulink, and the results are
Structural Forces
The density for CO2 and Kapton as well as the volume and surface area of the cone
were used to calculate the entire weight of the structure after inflation. The gravity on Mars
and the mass of the rover were used to calculate the weight of the rover. Figure 2 shows the
25
drag coefficients relative to the Reynolds number for a smooth cylinder (dashed line). Three
different diameters of the structure were taken into calculation due to the change in diameter
with respect to height. Table 3 shows the three different drag coefficients with respect to the
three different diameters. Table 4 shows the computed drag forces that were calculated for
both the 3 m and 10 m tower, where D. the diameter varies at 0.6, 0.3, 0.15 m. The drag force
The moment was calculated using equation (3); which was calculated with the smaller
diameter because that is where the highest moment would be calculated with the respect with
Maximum wind velocities and the surface area of the structure were used in order to
solve for the maximum drag force from the outside wind on the structure. This was taken into
consideration in order to determine whether the wind hitting the structure would flip the rover,
however the drag force equation concludes that a negligible bending moment occurs on the
rovers weight, even when using the 10 m structure; this could be due to the thin atmospheres
density or the drag coefficient value taken on the flat surface of a cones geometry.
26
Figure 16 - CAD Sketch of Conical Structure
27
Figure 16 shows a rough sketch of the inflatable structure. The flat surface on the top
will that will accommodate the camera has a diameter of 0.1 meters. Figure 17 shows the
conceptual pump design for particular use on Mars missions. This positive displacement pump
would have to be reversible and made from a certain material that is able to resist radiation.
Heat Transfer
was not taken into consideration, the entire system could potentially fail. Everything on the
rover is exposed to convection, conduction and radiation. The rover is made mostly out of
The results show that if a tank setup alone were used, then approximately 70 kW/m2K
of heat would be transferred away from the system. However, adding the pump into the setup
would generate 13 kW/m2K of heat, so the two components together would result in 57
kW/m2K of heat being lost. The heat generated by the inflatable structure assuming a material
thickness of 10 cm results in 337 W/m2K of heat being generated. Convection results were
significantly lower. The heat transfer from the atmosphere showed signs of heat being lost,
which was predicted due to the extremely low temperatures on Mars. Heat transfer from
radiation also seemed to have a noticeable effect on the system. The heat generated on the
structure alone due to the solar rays was calculated to be 22.5 kW.
Dimensionless Analysis
Geometric similarity was utilized to reduce the size of the prototype. The Mach number
similarity was avoided by assuming incompressible flow. Since there were no fluid interfaces,
the surface tension and therefore Webber number was not necessary. The Froude number was
28
not considered either since gravity was assumed not to affect flow patterns. Because the height
of the structure is 10 m, a geometric similarity limiting the height of the prototype is necessary.
Also, dimensionless analysis was used to solve for P2 to give a better idea of the tensile strength
required from the structures material. The entire analysis is shown in Appendix C.
29
CONCLUSION
Calculations proved that a 3 meter tall structure would not be feasible with the design
requirements due to the flow rate results containing imaginary complex numbers. However,
the calculations made on the 10 meter model in this research project, proved that the model
was indeed feasible and safe to design. The inflation & deflation times using a theoretical
pump are ideal, however the pump design would require a generous amount of power. Heat
transfer analyses showed that the structure and pump system are adequate enough to withstand
heat loss effects due to the harsh Martian environment. The reasoning for using a conical shape
is to limit the amount of bending force created at the tip of the structure. The reasoning for
using a conical shape is to limit the amount of bending force created at the tip of the structure.
The diameter of the base ought to be approximately 0.6 meters in order to endure a maximum
bending moment resulting from high wind velocities. Bending moments were calculated using
the drag coefficient & drag force, and were found to be relatively insignificant to the structural
Force calculations, along with heat transfer calculations and inflation times prove that
the 10 meter structure is safe enough and feasible to design on Mars. The dimensionless
Appendix C. The project description including detailed requirements and specifications for a
30
REFERENCES
[1] A. Seiff and D. Kirk, "Structure of the atmosphere of Mars in summer at mid-
[3] Mellon, J. T.; Feldman, W. C.; Prettyman, T. H. (2003). "The presence and stability
of ground ice in the southern hemisphere of Mars". Icarus. 169 (2): 324340,
Available:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103503003592.
[5] "Eyes and Other Senses - Mars Science Laboratory", Mars.nasa.gov, 2016. [Online].
2016].
[7] Mars Balloon Static Lift Calc.xlsx, BlackBoard.com Discussion Board [Online].
Available: https://blackboard.uttyler.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-107298-dt-forum-rid-
31
[8] "Carbon dioxide properties," in Engineering Tool Box. [Online]. Available:
2016.
http://faculty.dwc.edu/sadraey/Chapter%203.%20Drag%20Force%20and%20its%20
2016].
[11] "MER Technical Data". Hobbiton.thisside.net. N.p., 2016. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
http://www.newstarenvironmental.com/rocker-500-oil-free-laboratory-vacuum-pump-
28-liters-
minute.html?utm_source=google_shopping&prod_id=20&gclid=CjwKEAjwy8bABR
D5osXMovTHpmQSJACfZY0F44MgqGJFHMnpm1a8kZ8T32lWv4K4I-
[14] "5 lb CO2 Cylinder - Aluminum - New | Beverage Elements", Beverage Elements,
https://beveragelements.com/beverage_elements_shop/co2-cylinders/5-lb-co2-
cylinder-aluminum-
32
new/?gclid=CjwKEAjw7svABRCi_KPzoPr53QoSJAABSvxfvLeuUWor9eV7TuU45
[15] "Auto Bypass Valve 22mm - Toolstation", Toolstation, 2016. [Online]. Available:
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Plumbing/d20/Valves/sd2696/Auto+Bypass+Valve/
[16] "Mars Exploration Rover Mission: The Mission", Mars.nasa.gov, 2016. [Online].
Available: http://mars.nasa.gov/mer/mission/spacecraft_rover_energy.html.
[17] "Vertiflo 800 Series Pump - 1750 RPM Performance Chart", Vertiflopump.com,
http://www.dupont.com/products-and-services/membranes-films/polyimide-
http://asm.matweb.com/search/SpecificMaterial.asp?bassnum=MA6061t6.
http://www.mars.asu.edu/christensen/classdocs/Leovy_NoteThermalProp_icarus_66.
33
http://www.brighthubengineering.com/hvac/62074-combined-thermal-conduction-
Available: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-metals-
[23] Applied Thermal & Hydraulic Engineering, Gohel Vishal, Slideshare.net, 2016.
[24] "Volume of a circular truncated cone Calculator", High accuracy calculation for life
http://keisan.casio.com/has10/SpecExec.cgi?id=system/2006/1223372110.
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/fact_sheets/mars-science-laboratory.pdf. Accessed:
Dec. 01,2016
34
APPENDIX
A1:
A 1.1 Nomenclature
Ac = Cross sectional Area
As = Surface Area
2 = Density of CO2
2 = Viscosity of CO2
V = Volume
v = Velocity
Re = Reynolds Number
Cd = Drag Coefficient
Fd = Drag Force
M = Bending Moment
35
A 1.2 Assumptions
Environment on Mars [4, 6]
Rover
Weight: 899 kg
Inflatable Structure
Shape: Cone
Height, h = 10 m
36
Diameter, D = 0.6 m
37
A 2:
A 2.1 Formulas
1. Volume of a cone:
2
=
3
= 2 + 2
24
=
= 2
( )
= 2
38
=
9. Drag force:
1
= ( 2 )
2
11. Flowrate:
1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2
+ + 1 = + + 2 + ( + )
2 2 2
= + 2 +
= + 2 + 0.91
39
15. Convective Heat transfer:
= (1 2 )
1 2
= 2
ln (2 )
1
= 2 + 2 2
= (1 + 2 )((1 2 )2 + 2
= + (12 + 22 )
=
2
23. Intensity:
40
=
A 3:
A 3.1 Calculations
A 3.1.1 Inflation time for 10 meter structure
using theoretical pump
41
64
=
12.611
= 0.023 m/s
42
43
A 3.1.2 Inflation time for 3 meter structure
44
45
46
A 3.1.3 Inflation time for 10 meter structure
using compressed CO2 tank
47
A 3.1.4 Inflation time for 3 meter structure
using compressed CO2 tank
48
A 3.1.5 Deflation time for 10 m structure using Theoretical pump (reversible)
49
50
A 3.1.4 Forces acting on structure
51
A 3.1.5 Heat Transfer Equations
52
A 3.2 Pump Design Calculations
53
A 3.3 Simulink Results
54
Deflation of 3 m cone Pressure vs Time Deflation of 3 m cone Flowrate vs Time
55
Inflation of 10 m cone Pressure vs time Inflation of 10 m cone Flowrate vs time
56
B 1:
57
Physical Properties Value
58
B 2:
B 2.1 Equipment and materials list:
The project consists of an inflatable object that will lift the camera ten meters
high. The materials consist of a vacuum pump, KaptonTM polyimide film, and a valve.
Materials List
(US dollars)
Vacuum Pump Rocker 500 Oil Free Vacuum Pump, 28 L/min 1 $383.00
Total $752.40
59
C 1:
Dimensionless Analysis
The inflatable structure will be modeled using flow around immersed bodies. This will
allow a prototype to be tested on Earth inside of a wind tunnel in order to simulate atmospheric
conditions that occur on Mars. The key dimensionless group necessary for accurate modeling
is the Reynolds number, from which turbulent or laminar flows will help assess the flow rates,
pressure heads and drag forces since the density, velocity, and diameter are dependent upon
these equations;
Where and are diameter and height of prototype and and are diameter and height
Where , , , and are density, velocity, diameter and dynamic viscosity of the prototype
and , , , and are density, velocity, diameter and dynamic viscosity of the model
respectively. Once these conditions are met, then drag force similarity will also be met as
shown,
= ( )2 (/ )2
60
Where and are drag force and area of the prototype and and are drag force
The pressure inside the tube can be by limiting the pressure head , to the height of
the structure to find the pressure inside the tube. This can be achieved by using equation,
1 2
=
where P1 is the pressure within the compressor, P2 is the pressure inside the tube, is the
density of the fluid (carbon dioxide), and g is the acceleration due to gravity. For simplicity, P2
is only calculated for the 10 m structure in which case H equals 10m. The height of the
and solving for the velocity , = 72107 m/s. Because Mach number similarity is to be avoided
by assuming incompressible flow, testing the prototype in a wind tunnel filled with carbon
dioxide will defeat this purpose. Therefore, testing in a water tunnel may be appropriate. The
velocity required for water tunnel testing is = 0.84 m/s. This new velocity is low enough for
61
the assumption of incompressible flow to hold and thus avoid Mach number similarity. Using
equation, A 2.1.9, the drag force for the model on Mars on the 10 m structure is calculated
2 = 1 10
The pressure needed in the structure to fully inflate and maintain rigidity is 12.273 kPa on
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Project Description
As NASA prepares to send humans to Mars in the near future, the Curiosity rover was
designed to champion this cause. The life span of the rover is limited by its power supply
system so the ability to speed up exploration activities is critical. Two major components of
the rover designed to avoid unnecessary terrains and also steer towards places of interest are
the Mast Camera and the ChemCam. The Mast Camera is mounted at about human-eye height
to help the rover see elevated objects around its immediate surroundings. The ChemCam is
designed to see objects that are 7 feet away [25]. Although these two cameras perform as
expected, the presence of rocks and mountains over the height of the human eye level still
present a significant challenge that must be addressed. The position of the Mast Camera is
constrained by the overall height of the rover therefore an alternative solution is necessary. The
rover could be redesigned and made taller than the current height so that the Mast Camera can
be placed at a higher level but this is not feasible due to size and weight constraints. In the
absence of the height and weight constraints, a higher camera without the ability of height
adjustments will not be able to see objects that in-between the highest elevated camera and the
lowest mounted cameras that are on the body of the rover. This project seeks to mount a
secondary high elevation camera by using an inflatable tube of 10 meters high. Since the
average human eye level is below 2 meters high, the secondary camera will aid in detecting
any obstacle that is above the Mast Cameras sight. The secondary camera is a progressive
scan imager which will be able to detect objects from its lowest position all the way to the
highest position as the tube inflates. Currently, there is no known existing solution for the
problem described and that is why the idea of the inflatable tube needed to be pursued.
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E1
Michael 7 + 4 + 16 + 17 + 10 = 54
Brian 7 + 10 + 13 + 10 = 40
Fei 7 + 7 + 7 + 10 = 31
Ruben 7 + 18 + 10 = 35
Alex 7 + 17 + 10 = 34
Edgar 7 + 20 + 10 = 37
Benjamin 7 + 14 + 10 = 31
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