Simulation and Modelling

Collaborated on development of a software tool designed to perform long-duration spacecraft orbit propagation. My role included implementing an adaptive integration scheme to control error growth and incorporating perturbations like non-spherical Earth gravity, third-body effects, atmospheric drag, and solar radiation pressure. I interfaced the tool with JPL ephemerides using the ‘CSPICE’ package to integrate planetary and lunar state vector data. This project was successfully validated against NASA’s GMAT program, showcasing my expertise in aerospace software development and validation.

Conceptualized a rendezvous and landing mission to comet 46P/Wirtanen. Preliminary trajectory designed using methods of Hohmann transfer and Lambert conics. Landing approach designed through successively shrinking triangular orbits, followed by semi-circular arcs and a terminator circular orbit. Carried out spacecraft system integration, allocating space for necessary payloads and subsystems.

An automated TIG welding system has been designed with a robotic arm featuring precise degrees of freedom, cross slide, carriage, manipulator arms, nozzle, and bed. The machine is coded for actions like rapid traverse, linear and circular motion, and rotation of the welding head. Actuation systems are modeled using Matlab Simulink with PID control. SolidWorks integration aids in design, and the simulation offers a 3D representation. The system finds applications in seam welding fuselage and pressure vessel welding in industries like power plants and refineries.

In this project, I integrated an Xbox controller and FlightGear visualization with the MATLAB/Simulink Non-Linear model of the Research Civil Aircraft Model (RCAM). I incorporated an optimization-based trimming module to facilitate control adjustments. Results demonstrate successful replication of user control inputs, stable flight under trim conditions. Despite challenges such as small joystick travel and manual trimming complexities, managed to effectively adjust the aircraft’s trim in the event of an engine shutdown, demonstrating the resilience of the system.