Swamp Launch Rocket Design and CFD

I built the Swamp Launch IREC competition vehicle in SolidWorks, the geometry that everything else keys off of. The same CAD model became the basis for the CFD study and the wind tunnel test planning, so the simulation and the physical test were checking the same shape.

I develop Cd-versus-Mach lookup tables and mesh-independent ANSYS Fluent CFD models on UF's HiPerGator supercomputer from Mach 0 to 1, optimizing nosecone, fin, and boattail geometry and producing drag estimates within 15% of RASAero predictions.

I refine the mesh and boundary-layer setup around the rocket before each run and documented the workflow for each regime: physics setup, wall Y-plus targets, drag calculations, and which equations apply, so it is repeatable by the rest of the team.

To check the CFD against reality, I designed a dual-load-cell wind-tunnel test assembly with precision-machined couplings and Arduino-based real-time data acquisition, then mounted the rocket in a subsonic wind tunnel so measured drag could be compared directly against the ANSYS CFD data.

As Responsible Engineer for flight-dynamics simulation and aft-plane pressure sensing, I validate the models against flight data and refine the boattail instrumentation to calculate pressure drag, supporting the team's 10,000-ft IREC apogee target.