Mauricio Bautista Aguilar
MIT Department: Aeronautics and Astronautics
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Wesley Harris
Research Supervisor: Hillel Dei, Madison Hobbs
Undergraduate Institution: Arkansas State University
Website:
Biography
Mauricio Bautista is a rising senior studying Mechanical Engineering atArkansas StateUniversity. He has been interested in space exploration from a very young age. He recently acquired his L2 high-powered rocketry certification and is passionate about continuing research in the area. He had the opportunity to participate in an internship with The University of Alabama in Huntsville, the South African Space Agency, and the German Aerospace Center, where he collaborated with students from each institution on various research projects, guided by PhD candidates and professors. He hopes to one day become a principal investigator in computational fluid dynamics, propulsion, and hypersonic research.
Abstract
Ignition and Combustion of Bare Stainless Steels in Hypersonic Flows
Mauricio Bautista1, Hillel Dei2, and Madison Hobbs2
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Arkansas State University
2Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The high speeds reached by hypersonic vehicles can lead to extreme temperatures around their surfaces which can start ignition and even combustion of metals, posing a significant threat. Many airframes are made out of metals such as stainless steel and cotted with heat resistant materials such as silica. In order to reduce costs and weight, it is important to understand what the limitations of bare metals like stainless steel at these speeds are. In these high temperature regimes, metal oxide can occur, leading to the separation of metal and oxide nanoparticles. Previous experiments have been conducted to analyze the combustion of metal nano particles and at the surface of a metal but none of them have been done in a Mach four or above regime. This is why it’s important to adapt current models, starting with bare stainless steel. In this analysis, a nanoparticle combustion model was adapted for flows at hypersonic speeds. Ultraspherical spectral methods were employed to solve the governing equations. The results will provide a more accurate understanding of where ignition and combustion are likely to occur on stainless steel surfaces, guiding manufacturing vehicles that are both fast and safe.
