Jayden Christmas

Jayden Christmas

Biography

Jayden Christmas is an Honors Senior Mechanical Engineering student with anAerospace concentration at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, originally from Rahway, New Jersey. As a 2023 Patti Grace Smith Aerospace Fellow, she interned at Redwire Space as a Mechanical Engineering Intern, focusing on model design and drafting, and recently at Northrop Grumman, where she implemented a laser scanner to improve manufacturing quality. Jayden served as an Undergraduate Advisory Board member for the National Science Foundation. Through this she led Black EpiSTEMologies project which researched the experiences of Black students in STEM. She is actively involved in the AIAA, NSBE, SWE, and Tau Beta Pi. Passionate about representation in STEM, Jayden volunteers with Girls Like Me Inc., mentoring young girls in Greensboro, NC, and serves asTreasurer for her campus chapter. Her academic and professional interests lie in aerospace structures, sustainable aviation, and materials science, with a focus on improving aerospace vehicle design, advancing renewable energy technologies, and enhancing the longevity of aerospace systems. Jayden aspires to address global challenges through aerospace research, with plans to pursue a master’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics followed by a Ph.D.

Abstract

Particle Impact Ignition

The next generation of reusable heavy-lift launch vehicles will use superior performance rocket engine power cycles that rely on oxygen-rich turbomachinery. However, the use of pressurized oxidizers introduces a heightened risk of metal ignition. This work addresses the need to identify and mitigate significant contributing factors to Particle Impact Ignition (PII), filling a critical gap in literature where detailed modeling of particle behavior post-impact under realistic engine geometries is lacking. By examining a bent tube geometry, representative of geometry common in pressurized oxygen tubing, I analyze the highest risk locations and predict that the wall segment projected downstream from the inlet is the most likely site for ignition to occur. Using computational fluid dynamics, followed by a debris transport analysis with one-way coupled Lagrangian particle tracking, I generate statistical measurements of impact, particle ignition and target ignition risk. Experimental video from NASA White Sands Test Facility is analyzed and compared to statistical predictions from the debris transport analysis. This work aids in developing design strategies and safety protocols for mitigating PII risk in oxygen-rich turbomachinery used in high-performance propulsion systems.