Students design vehicle faster than the speed of sound
Team 26053 is validating their design using the hypersonic wind tunnels.
Interdisciplinary Capstone Team 26053 competed in the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics undergraduate competition (UCAH), where engineering students design a hypersonic flight vehicle capable of traveling between Mach 5 and Mach 8 – five to eight times the speed of sound – while meeting strict performance and maneuverability requirements.
What started as a summer opportunity became a fast-paced project supported by defense company Lockheed Martin and university researchers.
“This was a little different than the average senior capstone project,” said Finn Gerber, systems engineering student and team lead. “From around 80 applicants, only 16 students were selected across two teams. Being chosen and then leading one of those teams made it a unique and rewarding opportunity.”
Starting with a blank slate, the team developed multiple design concepts before narrowing its focus. The team advanced to the semifinal round of the national competition, presenting their design virtually to experts and government stakeholders. Though they did not advance to the final phase, the project continued.
The team shifted to hands-on testing, preparing their design for validation in the aerospace and mechanical engineering building’s hypersonic wind tunnels.
Faculty adviser and AME associate professor Alex Craig said the team’s ability to take on such a complex challenge stood out.
“They started from nothing and built a complete design, from the vehicle itself to how it would actually be used in the field,” Craig said. “It’s been very impressive, not just technically, but how they’ve worked together as a team.”
Watch interdisciplinary capstone teams showcase their work at the Craig M. Berge Design Day on May 4.