Theses and Dissertations from UMD

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2

New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

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    STRANDED AND SANDED IN: DRONE MOUNTED AERIAL MAGNETOMETER IDENTIFICATION OF BURIED AND SUBMERGED SHIPWRECKS ON THE NEW JERSEY COAST
    (2022) Davis, Cullan Matthew; Palus, Matthew; Anthropology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    An estimated 3,000 to 7,000 shipwrecks have occurred off the coast of New Jersey, with hundreds occurring within the littoral zone. These sites have subsequently been buried by natural sand movement and beach replenishment projects or exist in a partially buried state within the surf zone. While terrestrial and vessel-mounted magnetometer surveys are not feasible in this shallow environment, the development of ultra-sensitive drone and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based remote sensing platforms has provided the potential ability to rapidly identify these cultural materials for compliance and planning of weather and climate change resiliency projects. This thesis proves the capabilities of a MAGPi ML-4 atomic magnetometer, initially designed to detect small, buried munitions and unexploded ordinance of approximately eight pounds of ferrous material, to accurately and rapidly identify multiple of types of shipwrecks in the high energy coastal environment where traditional survey methods are precluded when coupled with a Matrice 600 Pro 6-rotor drone. This thesis also proved the ability for this setup to effectively bridge the gap between terrestrial and underwater archaeological surveys as presented in the littoral zone, while producing data of sufficient quality to promote the development of the theoretical understanding of the relationship between shipwrecks and the larger maritime cultural landscape. Three shipwrecks were used for data collection, representing vessels comprised of iron, wood, and steel. Additional measurements of individual ferromagnetic objects commonly found in association with shipwreck archaeological sites were taken and analyzed using predictive modeling based on magnetic detectability algorithms created from prior remote sensing surveys to determine what material can be detected using the magnetometer and UAV platform. The results of this thesis confirm the predicted capabilities of the equipment used and provides detection ranges to establish a framework to future research, including a determination on the minimum amount of wooden hull material with iron fasteners required to exist in an archaeological context to be detectable.
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    Revolutionary Flight Vehicle Based on Leonardo da Vinci Aerial Screw: A Paradigm Shift in VTOL Technology
    (2022) Prete, Austin Christopher; Chopra, Inderjit; Aerospace Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Aerial screws are rotors that consist of continuous large solidity single surface blades, which are able to provide significant thrust and control authority at increased power consumption when compared to traditional rotor blades. By leveraging a unique bound tip vortex, also observed in delta-wings, aerial screws are able to attain figure of merit values nearing 0.7 or higher, comparable to a modern rotorcraft. To prove the function of aerial screws, physical models were fabricated and flight tested. The primary objective of this paper is to explore the performance of a 6-in (0.152 m) diameter aerial screw and compare its performance with a 6-in (0.152 m) diameter traditional rotor, to demonstrate its feasibility in a quadrotor configuration and to show its efficiency as determined in the student designs from the 2019-2020 VFS student design competition.
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    MICRO AIR VEHICLE SCALE GUST-WING INTERACTION IN A WIND TUNNEL
    (2018) Smith, Zachary Francis; Jones, Anya R; Hrynuk, John T; Aerospace Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Studying isolated gust effects on simple airfoil models in a controlled environment is a necessity to further the development of MAV gust response and control laws. This work describes the creation of a vertical gust generator in a low speed, low turbulence wind tunnel through the use of an actuated fan placed below the tunnel and ducted through its floor. Gusts of up to 40% of the freestream velocity were created. Characterization of the gust generator is shown, and its interaction with a stationary wing at several angles of attack is evaluated. The actuated gust profile is also compared to that of a pitched wing in a gust-less environment with many visible similarities.