dc.contributor.author	Ivanco, Thomas Glen	en
dc.contributor.committeechair	Patil, Mayuresh J.	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Silva, Walter A.	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Kapania, Rakesh K.	en
dc.contributor.department	Aerospace and Ocean Engineering	en
dc.date.accessioned	2014-03-14T20:43:08Z	en
dc.date.adate	2009-09-02	en
dc.date.available	2014-03-14T20:43:08Z	en
dc.date.issued	2009-07-30	en
dc.date.rdate	2009-09-02	en
dc.date.sdate	2009-08-10	en
dc.description.abstract	An analytical modal response tool was developed to investigate the characteristics of and to estimate static and dynamic launch vehicle responses to ground wind loads (GWL). The motivation of this study was to estimate the magnitude of response of the Ares I-X launch vehicle to ground winds and wind-induced oscillation (WIO) during roll-out and on the pad. This method can be extended to other launch vehicle designs or structures that possess a nearly cylindrical cross-section. Presented in this thesis is an overview of the theory used, a comparison of the theory with wind tunnel data, further investigation of the data to support the assumptions used within the analysis, and a prediction of the full-scale Ares I-X response. Additionally, an analytical investigation is presented that estimates the effect of atmospheric turbulence on WIO response. Most of the wind tunnel data presented in this report is taken from the GWL Checkout Model tested in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) in April 2007. The objective of the GWL Checkout Model was to reestablish and evaluate the capability of the facility to conduct GWL testing and to operate the associated equipment. This wind tunnel test was not necessarily intended to predict the full scale Ares vehicle response to GWL; however, it can be used to help validate the newly developed analytical method described in this thesis. A detailed GWL test incorporating updated vehicle designs and launch pad configurations of the Ares I-X flight test vehicle was also conducted in the TDT during the fall of 2008. This test provides more accurate predictions of the second bending mode response of the Ares I-X, and it models effects of the nearby tower and support structures. The proposed analytical method is also compared to select data from the Ares I-X GWL test; however, it is presented as normalized values to protect the sensitivity of the data. Results of the proposed analytical method show reasonable correlation to wind tunnel data. Also, this method was the first to determine that second bending mode WIO response was not only possible for the Ares I-X, but will also produce the most critical loads. Finally, an explanation is offered in this thesis regarding discrepancies between wind tunnel and full-scale WIO response data.	en
dc.description.degree	Master of Science	en
dc.identifier.other	etd-08102009-143637	en
dc.identifier.sourceurl	http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-08102009-143637/	en
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10919/34462	en
dc.publisher	Virginia Tech	en
dc.relation.haspart	Ivanco_permission_photos.pdf	en
dc.relation.haspart	Ivanco_Export_Control_Authorization.pdf	en
dc.relation.haspart	Ivanco_permission_for_government_pubs.pdf	en
dc.relation.haspart	Ivanco_Thesis_GWL_v13_corr.pdf	en
dc.relation.haspart	Ivanco_permission_MIT_publication.pdf	en
dc.rights	In Copyright	en
dc.rights.uri	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/	en
dc.subject	Ground Wind Loads	en
dc.subject	Aeroelasticity	en
dc.subject	Launch Vehicle	en
dc.subject	Vortex Shedding	en
dc.title	Development and Validation of an Aeroelastic Ground Wind Loads Analysis Tool for Launch Vehicles	en
dc.type	Thesis	en
thesis.degree.discipline	Aerospace and Ocean Engineering	en
thesis.degree.grantor	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	en
thesis.degree.level	masters	en
thesis.degree.name	Master of Science	en

Development and Validation of an Aeroelastic Ground Wind Loads Analysis Tool for Launch Vehicles

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