Capstone project sponsorship success leads to new wind tunnel for Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company

Engineering students in Paul Mittan 's #PennStateESM "Multidisciplinary Design" capstone course partnered with Sikorsky to design a wind tunnel from scratch to help calibrate a Kiel probe, used to measure temperature and pressure changes in air flow. The project was sponsored through the The Penn State Learning Factory .

We chatted with Jason Satira , chief engineer for Sikorsky Innovations, the rapid prototyping group within Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company. In the Q&A, Jason discussed how the capstone project and partnership with Penn State engineering students brought value to the company.

Q. What was the need for the company for this wind tunnel? What were the pain point(s) that you hoped it would address?

Satira: Small air data (pressure) probes are used to measure air velocity and/or flow angles on new air vehicle designs and wind tunnel models.?Due to the small size of the probes, minor manufacturing differences can result in similar probes having different readings for a given flow condition. These differences are traditionally accounted for by conducting a calibration of each individual probe across the expected operating speeds and attitudes seen in service. If the calibration is not supplied with the probe, it must be conducted using either a calibration jet or a wind tunnel, which adds schedule and cost to a program.?The ability to perform the calibration in-house with an automated system provides significant value.

Q. Was the project successful in this regard?

Satira: Yes! The wind tunnel that the team designed and fabricated provides a complete calibration solution.?Their use of sound engineering principles ensured the project met the flow speed, quality, and angular accuracy requirements set forth at the start of the project.?The team demonstrated the system’s ease of operation, and provided exceptional documentation. Their work will allow us to modify the system to meet future needs.?

Q. There are numerous ways you could have found a solution. What ultimately drove you to partner with Penn State engineering students on the project? What has made this partnership valuable to the company?

Satira: As a part of Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, I have been fortunate enough to have sponsored more than 10 Penn State senior capstone projects over the years.?Throughout these projects, we have repeatedly been impressed with the students’ abilities to dissect a complex problem and arrive at a viable solution.?The collaboration also provides us the opportunity to introduce rising seniors to the career options available across Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin.

Q. What were your interactions with students like during the project? Did anything surprise you about these interactions or their work?

Satira: The students came to the project kickoff well prepared and excited for the semester’s work.? Meeting ?weekly, the students presented their research and concepts for the project.? We were very impressed with the students’ resourcefulness to bring in PSU faculty to validate the performance methodology of the fan and physical size of the wind tunnel.?Furthermore, the team prioritized their understanding of the wind tunnel requirements, working with us to refine the use case and actual operation.? The Learning Factory provided the manufacturing tools and capabilities to prototype and fabricate the complete wind tunnel assembly. The result was a project that was tailor made for its application.

Watch the team's video:

Team Members

• Suleiman Qarmout
• Ronald Vena
• Zachary Martoccio
• Patrick Driscoll
• Chris Esposito
• Jie Chen