This week, the FLARE team tested the hot plate heating capabilities and identified major limitations in the current design. The hot plate was unable to reach the required testing temperature and posed a safety concern, as it could potentially damage or melt sections of the wind tunnel. Following this discovery, we discussed a new heating solution and reviewed updates to the testing setup design. The meeting concluded with assigning tasks to execute the revised heating approach, marking a shift toward a safer and more effective thermal input strategy.

This week, the FLARE team presented our first Quarterly Review Board (QRB 1), where we outlined our testing plan, current design direction, and overall project outlook. The presentation allowed us to clearly communicate our progress and receive targeted feedback on both our experimental approach and risk management strategy. Following QRB 1, we reflected on the discussion and identified areas where further validation and clarification are needed moving forward.

In parallel, the team reviewed heat transfer modeling results and discussed discrepancies between 1D and 2D predictions. Plans were made to conduct a sanity-check experiment to validate temperature assumptions and measure actual hot plate power consumption. We also continued refining efficiency-tracking software, mechanical mounting strategies, and insulation concepts to strengthen our experimental design and prepare for upcoming prototype work.

This week, the FLARE team met to develop and finalize our Bill of Materials (BOM), resulting in the ordering of most major components needed for our prototype. We met with our GE Aerospace liaisons to walk through the progress we have made, including the heat transfer models developed during the previous week, and discussed how these analyses inform our design choices. Additionally, we met with our coach, who assigned individual follow-up tasks related to the BOM, including further heat transfer calculations and load analyses to determine appropriate insulation and fastening methods.

On Monday, 1/20/2026, the FLARE team met up to kickstart our preparations for the second semester of IPPD, outlining our plans and scheduling our meetings for the rest of the semester. The mechanical engineers of the team later met again to discuss the heat transfer models that we developed over the break, refining our methods and compiling them into an easily modifiable Excel spreadsheet for further use. We also made sure that the parts we had ordered before the break were delivered and in suitable condition. 

This week, we reviewed feedback from both our Peer Review SLDR and our coach. We were commended for implementing PID revisions effectively and delivering a more polished presentation. Our coach recommended adding an airflow-direction arrow to our model and expanding the background on device design to better clarify scope, including how TEG efficiency correlation informs GE Aerospace’s future decisions. We also explained our use of the Raspberry Pi for additional DAQ channels. Sketches for the aluminum wind-tunnel insert are nearing completion, and our next steps focus on addressing all SLDR comments. 

On Tuesday, 11/18/2025, the FLARE team met to finish preparing for our Peer Review SLDR presentation. We worked on finishing both our SLDR report draft and the presentation to clearly communicate our current design and testing plan. Moving forward, we will calculate heat transfer models and finalize our SLDR materials.

On Monday, 11/10/2025, the FLARE team met to continue preparing for our Peer Review SLDR presentation. We worked on drafting our SLDR report and refining the presentation to clearly communicate our current design and testing plan. We also met with our coach and liaison to review content and consult on testing procedures. Our coach confirmed flexibility in how we attach our system to the wind tunnel, and we shared this update with our liaisons to give them a clearer picture of our approach. Moving forward, we will calculate heat transfer models and finalize our SLDR materials.

This week, we presented our current design iteration for Prototype Inspection Day. We received a lot of beneficial feedback from subject matter experts. We’d like to thank all who attended. Moving forward, we plan on developing a CAD model for our testing setup and working on preliminary heat transfer calculations. In our coach and liaison meetings we outlined some updated testing procedures and gathered new information on the wind tunnels we will use. This will directly influence the testing process next semester.

On Tuesday, 10/28/25, we met as a group to discuss updating our plan for protype inspection day (PID). We used our coach meeting to discuss preliminary testing schematics we created and got beneficial feedback. A large part of this discussion focused on flow characteristics. During our liaison discussion we covered topics related to data acquisition. Today, we submitted our first batch of 3D prints today to aid in visual demonstration of our proposal.

On Tuesday, 10/21/25, we met as a group to discuss updating our PDR, create a testing plan, and outline our required materials for prototype inspection day. We ordered a TEG demonstrator with an LED light attachment to demonstrate the concept of the Seebeck effect for an easy to understand, in person demo. On Thursday, 10/23/25 we met with our coach, Dr. Carroll, in person to explore testing facilities. We explored multiple wind tunnel test facilities, rooms where we could work on our prototype, and areas we can use for storage. We wrapped up the week with a meeting with one of our liaisons to discuss these updates.