It’s official! Team A.R.C. has completed our Final Design Review (FDR) for the IPPD program, and we couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished over these past two semesters.

When we set out to tackle the growing problem of low Earth orbit space debris, we knew we needed an innovative approach. Through our custom S.M.A.R.T. (Simulation and Machine-learning Assisted Redesign and Testing) methodology, we successfully replaced traditional trial-and-error with an automated, data-driven design loop. By utilizing Kriging algorithms and rigorous hypersonic simulations, our team converged on an optimal Magnesium chassis with deployable flaps engineered to induce violent shock-shock interference intentionally. Proving that our architecture can capture 64.5 megawatts of heat and spike structural temperatures to 1,555 K during a Mach 20 descent is a massive win for the future of sustainable Design for Demise aerospace engineering.

Of course, this milestone would not have been possible without the support of Honeywell Aerospace Technologies. We also want to extend a massive, heartfelt thank you to our liaison engineers: Joseph McMahan and Caleb Sjoquist. Thank you. We also owe a huge thanks to our Faculty Coach, Dr. Rick Lind, for guiding us every step of the way.

As we hand off our baseline geometries and physical prototypes, we are incredibly excited to see where Honeywell takes this technology next. Here’s to a cleaner orbit and a successful end to an unforgettable project!

This week, our team shifted focus toward final deliverables as the project approaches completion. We finished the first draft versions of both our project video and poster, along with a full draft of the Final Design Report (FDR). These milestones mark a major step toward wrapping up the project and preparing for final presentations.

Looking ahead, we plan to continue refining the internal chassis with a fourth iteration while also moving forward with CNC machining and assembly of the metal body prototype. Additionally, we will revise and improve our video/poster based on peer feedback and continue preparing for the FDR presentation.

With all major components coming together, the project remains on schedule as we finalize both the physical prototype and supporting deliverables.

This week, we participated in Prototype Inspection Day (PID), where we presented our design and prototype to faculty and industry peers. A key takeaway was the need to better communicate the purpose of our project, specifically emphasizing that our system is designed to fail safely during re-entry and clearly connecting our simulations to the physical prototype.

On the technical side, we completed the fourth and final rounds of both ANSYS Fluent and vibrational simulations, giving us a complete dataset to support our design. We also printed and tested the internal chassis version 2, allowing us to evaluate and prepare for further design improvements.

Next week, we will iterate to chassis version 3, begin CNC machining of the metal body, and continue working on final deliverables, including the video, poster, and Final Design Report (FDR).

Overall, the project remains on schedule as we move into final refinement and assembly.

This week, we are getting ready for the PID. Machining, 3D prints, and electronics systems are all completed, and now we just need to put everything together. PID is next Tuesday, so we’ll be assembling our build and finalizing our presentation this weekend!

Our ANSYS runs are all complete, so the modeling team is right there at the finish line with the prototyping team.

It’s been a long process, but everything is finally coming together!

This week, our team continued to make strong progress on both the simulation work and the preparation for the physical prototype. We completed the second round of vibrational testing and ANSYS Fluent simulations. These additional simulation datasets help further validate our design and provide more insight into the structural and thermal behavior of our system.

On the manufacturing side, we finalized and sent the manufacturing plans for the body of the prototype to the waterjet. This marks an important step toward producing the physical prototype and transitioning from purely simulation-based work to fabrication.

We also completed the initial outline for our Final Design Report (FDR). Establishing this structure will now help streamline the writing process as additional simulation results and prototype data become available.

Looking ahead, the PCB arrived on March 12 and will be assembled in the coming week. We also plan to complete the third round of vibration and Fluent simulations after spring break while continuing to expand the FDR.

The project remains on schedule as we move closer to prototype assembly and final validation of our design.

This week, our team made significant progress in both simulation analysis and prototype preparation. One of our major milestones was completing the PCB design and placing the order. The board was designed in Altium Designer and represents the electronic system that will deploy our flaps, the board will be 4×4 inches. The board is expected to arrive next week, allowing us to begin integrating the finalized electrical hardware into our system.

On the analysis side, we completed our first round of vibrational testing using ANSYS. The results from these simulations allowed us to finalize our cost function and evaluate the performance of our initial design runs. These results will guide further iterations as we continue refining the design.

We also began coordinating with the lab machinist to plan the manufacturing process for our prototype. Initial waterjet cutting and CNC machining steps were discussed to ensure smooth fabrication once the design is finalized.

Next week, our focus will be on completing the second and third datasets for both ANSYS Fluent and vibrational analysis. We will also begin generating the CAM files needed for CNC machining of the prototype components.

Week seven was a strong progress week for our team. We successfully integrated the servos into our electrical system, enabling us to move toward full system functionality and coordination between mechanical actuation and control.

We also presented QRB2, which helped us refine our design decisions and clearly communicate our progress in analysis and next steps. The feedback from this review will guide our final prototype planning.

On the analysis side, we ran vibrational testing in ANSYS to compare natural frequencies and validate our structural behavior. We are continuing to complete the second dataset for both ANSYS Fluent and SOLIDWORKS vibrational simulations.

Looking ahead, we plan to finalize the PCB by Monday, establish clear success metrics for our demisable prototype demonstration, and solidify the manufacturing plan for our final prototype.

Overall, week seven focused on integration, validation, and setting the foundation for final prototype development.