First formed as an Aeronautical Engineering Department in 1927, the Aerospace Department has continually been at the forefront of Hands On and Learn-by-Doing education. The purpose of the program was to teach students about the maintenance and repair of aircraft and their engines. Today, the Aerospace Engineering Department prepares students for work in the exciting field of aerospace engineering. Students are prepared for engineering work dealing with aerodynamics, propulsion, stability and controls, and structures of aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft.
Modified from aero.calpoly.edu
Senior Projects from 2012
Control Experiment: Model Helicopter, Matthew D. Lattanzi
Three-Axis Stabilized Earth Orbiting Spacecraft Simulator, Alan F. Ma and Nikola N. Dominikovic
Manufacturing Processes in an All-aluminum Airframe, Stewart McDougall
Preliminary Design of a Laboratory Cylindrical Hall-Effect Thruster, Scott McGrail and Sam Parker
A Study on Organic Epoxy and Hemp Composite Plates with an Emphasis on Mechanical and Finite Element Analysis, Alma Melendez
Analysis and Testing of Heat Transfer through Honeycomb Panels, Daniel D. Nguyen
Accelerating Lambert's Problem on the GPU in MATLAB, Nathan Parrish
Effect of Multifunctional Material on the Mechanical Behavior of Composite Structure Using Finite Element Analysis, Nicholas A. Romonoski
Interstellar Mission to Gliese 581, Brock Schmalzel and Brian Tsoi
Ramjet Fuel System, Kelsey Selin
The Study of Natural Composite I-Beam in a Three Point Bending Test, Abdel Shabbar
Empennage Sizing and Aircraft Stability using Matlab, Ryan C. Struett
Global Launch Vehicle Selector, Keisuke Suzuki
Performance Effects of Damage Arrestment Devices on Sandwich Composite Beams under Monotonic Loading, Yvette Vanessa Wood
Senior Projects from 2011
The Effects of Damage Arrestment Devices in Composite Plate Sandwiches with Fastener Holes, Mark Anderson, Nancy Hung Choy, Lacey Jones, and Rita Kourskaya
Performance Analysis of a Variable Conductance Heat Pipe, Herron Arreola
Flight Testing in a Simulation Based Environment, David W. Babka
An Analysis of Stabilizing 3U CubeSats Using Gravity Gradient Techniques and a Low Power Reaction Wheel, Erich Bender
Design, Manufacturing and Testing of an Environmentally-Green Bipropellant Thruster, Alex Bendoyro, Gabriel Sanchez, Erin Stearns, and Phillip Takahashi
Analysis and Design of an Affordable High Altitude Rocket System, Brian Cooper
Hybrid Rocket Based Combined Cycle Test Rig Design, Construction, and Testing, Mark Costa and Matthew Handfelt
Two Element Linear Strength Vortex Panel Method, Clifton A. Cox
Study of the Effect of Different Lay-up Methods on the Composite Mechanical Characteristics, Veronica Cuevas and Walter Ely Salguero
Analysis and Design of a Propulsion System Trade Study Tool for a Boeing 376 Series Communications Satellite, Kevin Dunk