Nicholas A's Senior Project Blog

Project Title: Applications and Viability of Graphene Oxide in Structures of Orbital Launch Vehicles
BASIS Advisor: Akash Joseph
Internship Location: Embry Riddle Prescott
Onsite Mentor: Wahyu Lestari



Project Abstract

Spaceflight faces an extremely import limiting factor: mass. Composite materials have seen increased use in the structures of spacecraft because of their higher strength to density ratio compared to metals. However, the benefit of composites could potentially be extended further with graphene oxide (GO) reinforcement. I will compare composite samples made with and without GO using a variety of physical testing. Based on previous data, I expect the GO samples to be mechanically stronger than the other samples. Then, I will input the test data into simulation software to draw conclusions about whether this new material is a good choice for structural rocket parts.

    My Posts:

  • Conclusion

    Hello everyone! This was the final week of the project. I’ve finished the report and I’m excited to be presenting on May 8th. This project has been a long journey, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the support from my teachers and mentors. I want to first thank Ms. Bennett for coordinating the Senior... Read More

  • Writing the Report

    Hello everyone! Now that I’ve covered almost all of the project, I want to share a little about my final product. I have been working on a report since last year that covers the background, my experiments, and the results of the project. This blog covers a lot of what the structure of the report... Read More

  • Numbers, Spreadsheets, Graphs

    Hello everyone! I’ve done a lot more data analysis and I’ve found a few more interesting things. I’ve made as many graphs as I can to visualize the data.  First, these are the stress strain curves for every test I did.  These graphs show how closely the test specimens performed compared to each other. All... Read More

  • Data!

    I finally have the test data! However… The graphene group actually had an average ultimate tensile strength about 500 psi lower than the standard group. I have a few ideas why we got the opposite of what we hoped for. Here's the data summary: Standard Length (in) Width (in) Thickness (in) Cross-section (in^2) Failure Code... Read More

  • Testing Complete

    Hey everyone! I have finished testing both groups of composites. The process for doing the tensile test is surprisingly simple.  In the material testing lab, I first measured the length, width, and thickness of each specimen with a caliper. Then, with the help of another student, we placed each specimen into the grip clamps on... Read More

  • Ready for Testing

    Hello everyone, I’ve finished preparing the test specimens and all that’s left to do is the actual tensile testing next week.  To do a tensile test, the sample is placed in the top and bottom grips of the tensile tester. Then, the machine hydraulically adds force to pull the specimen apart while keeping track of... Read More

  • New Batches with Graphene Oxide

    Welcome back everyone! Last week, I did the layup for the two main composite panels I will be testing. This is the first time I have used the graphene oxide we have. For these composites, I used a slightly different, thicker fiberglass 2/2 twill weave. This allows my test samples to be slightly thicker so... Read More

  • Measuring, Cutting, and Kitchen Chemistry

    Hi everyone! I finished cutting and adding grips to the first composite panel this week. To do this, I first measured and cut the panel to 10.5 in x 10.5 in. Then, from a large panel of phenolic linen, I cut four identical 10 in x 2 in grip tabs. With a belt sander, I... Read More

  • First Layup

    Hello everyone! This week, I made the composite panel for the control group that I will cut and test next week. The hand layup process is fairly simple. First, I do my best to cut 12 inch by 12 inch squares from the roll of fiberglass. This can be difficult because the weave can stretch... Read More

  • Step by Step

    Hello and welcome back! I’ve been a little sick lately, so this past week was a lot of me binging Todd Coburn’s series of video lectures on composites and researching GO dispersion methods. Since there’s still a lot I don’t know, I’m trying to prepare as much as possible for once I start my analysis.... Read More

  • The Chemistry Stuff – Graphene and Graphene Oxide

    Hello everyone! This week, most of my time is going into learning as much as I can about dispersion methods for graphene oxide (GO) and composites so I will be ready once I head up to ERAU. I promised I would go into more detail about GO, so I’ll do that today. Monolayer graphene, initially... Read More

  • Making Rockets Stronger with Graphene Oxide

    Hello! I’m Nicholas Armistead and welcome to my Senior Project Blog. I will be investigating the viability of reinforcing composite structural parts in rockets with graphene oxide.    First of all – what is graphene? Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal pattern, like a honeycomb. Graphene has some extremely... Read More