Active Control Surface

Through my time as Mechanical Team Lead, I had the opportunity to pursue my passion for developing an in-flight active control surface for high-powered rocketry applications. The project was a significant undertaking, requiring months of mechanical iteration, controls modeling, and avionics integration. However, the team I led and I are extremely proud of the performance and reliability of our first-generation active airbrake system.

• Iterative Prototyping Cycles: Developed multiple generations of active airbrake mechanisms, progressively refining linkage geometry, actuation clearances, structural stiffness, and deployment repeatability. Incorporated lessons learned from ground tests, CFD checks, and vibration assessments into each revision.

• Simulink Dynamics Modeling: Built a full 6-DoF trajectory and control model in Simulink to predict braking authority, deployment timing, and drag impulse requirements. Used Monte-Carlo simulations to size control margins across wind profiles, motor variability, and mass changes.

• Avionics Integration: Coordinated closely with the flight-computer team to embed barometric and IMU-based feedback into the control logic. Ensured reliable signal routing, power budgeting, and software synchronization between airbrake actuators and the rocket’s main avionics stack.

• Motor Torque & Load Calculations: Performed detailed aerodynamic load analyses at max-Q to determine torque and stall requirements. Selected and validated a compact, high-efficiency actuator capable of meeting deployment speed constraints under peak drag forces.

• Lightweight Mechanical Design: Designed all airbrake components with mass-critical flight requirements in mind—using carbon-fiber skins, aluminum hardpoints, and optimized hinge geometries. Leveraged topology reduction and FEA to maintain stiffness while minimizing weight.

• Manufacturer Collaboration: Worked directly with external machine shops and composite manufacturers to ensure tolerance precision, surface finish quality, and material compatibility with our CFRP airframes. Adjusted CAD models to meet manufacturability and tooling constraints.

• In-Flight Testing & Validation: Conducted full flight tests to confirm deployment reliability and drag performance. Correlated flight-data telemetry with predicted trajectories, identifying small control-law refinements for future iterations.

By driving all phases, from Simulink modeling and mechanical prototyping to avionics integration and real-world flight testing. I built a fully custom, lightweight, and flight-proven active airbrake system tailored to high-altitude rocketry.