Structures, Mechanisms and Thermal Design

Purdue Space Program, as a Structures, Mechanisms and Thermals member on the Satellites team building the BoilerBus, a 3U CubeSat developed with approximately 40 engineers.

Used Fusion 360 to design a 3U CubeSat estimated at ~$100K, producing walls, end plates, and bulkhead prototypes for the BoilerBus. Applied manufacturing techniques including metal laser cutting and VF3 milling for the end plates, and developed trade and research studies for the structural components, materials, designs, and fabrication methods behind the satellite structure.

Result: The walls, end plates, and bulkhead prototypes were developed and manufactured for the BoilerBus, with the work documented on the Purdue Space Program page.

Resilient Extraterrestrial Habitat Institute (RETHi), a Purdue research institute developing resilient habitat systems for long-duration lunar missions, where Aaryan worked on vibration isolation.

Conducted finite element analysis simulations to test the structural loads on the vibration-isolation device, then ran tensile tests on Vectran straps with different stitching patterns to characterize and compare their behavior under load, tying the experimental material results back to the structural design of the isolation system.

Result: The FEA and Vectran tensile-testing work is presented in the RETHi research summary and accompanying poster on this site.

Structures and structural-testing coursework in Purdue's aeronautical and astronautical engineering program, including AAE 352 Structures and the AAE 33401 Aerodynamics Lab.

Completed AAE 352 Structures for the fundamentals of aerospace structural analysis, and in the AAE 33401 Aerodynamics Lab tested the shock characteristics of different supersonic airfoils, including a diamond airfoil, a stepped wedge, and delta wings, to study how their geometry drives the shock structure.

Result: The supersonic-airfoil shock report is available from the Academia section of this site via OneDrive.

Single Piston Sterling Engine, a personal mechanical-design project modeled from the mechanism outward.

Designed the engine mechanism in Siemens NX, working through the moving assembly and its structural detailing, and applied GD&T across the model to define the tolerances and fits needed for the mechanism to function as designed.

Result: The Sterling engine and related CAD work are collected on the project page.