Configuration Design for High Speed Vehicles

The Air Force Institute of Technology is a graduate school and provider of professional and continuing education for the United States Armed Forces and is part of the United States Air Force. It is located in Ohio at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton. AFIT is a component of the Air University and Air Education and Training Command. For more information about USAFIT, go to https://www.afit.edu/.

This learning experience will provide participants the opportunity to collaborate with a mentor in Hypersonic Vehicle development. Participants will collaborate with a mentor in developing new configuration geometries in CAD, modeling and simulation of the vehicle response to aerodynamic, structural, and thermal loading conditions. The research project will focus on developing optimized vehicle configurations, topology aspects of hypersonic while considering the aerodynamic, thermal, and structural performance requirements in a multidisciplinary optimization environment.

In predicting the vehicle response under multiple flight paths as well as determining the vehicle's sustainability and resilience, participants will be taught to use computer packages such as, MAST, ABAQUS, MatLab, DAKOTA, FUN3D for data generation, post-processing and response interpretation. Under the guidance of the mentor, the participants will collaborate in documenting findings and presenting research to other DoD scientist and engineers.

This appointment is a three month research appointment, with the possibility to be renewed for additional research periods. Appointments may be extended depending on funding availability, project assignment, program rules, and availability of the participant.

Participants will receive a stipend to be determined by USAFIT. Stipends are typically based on the participant’s academic standing, discipline, experience, and research facility location. Other benefits may include the following:

The participant will not enter into an employee/employer relationship with ORISE, ORAU, DOD, or any other office or agency. Instead, the participant will be affiliated with ORISE for the administration of the appointment through the ORISE appointment letter and Terms of Appointment.

 

Completed B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related fields. Advanced graduate work in Finite Element modeling, solid mechanics, vibrations, structural reliability, and design optimization. Knowledge of the tools such as MatLab, Microsoft.

Office, statistical software, and CAD packages are beneficial.