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Engineer's Handbook for Modders


CaptainKipard

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Engineer's Handbook for Modders

Here you will find reference information, diagrams and other snippets pertaining to mechanical/electrical devices/systems/concepts/principles to help you develop mod parts based on real-world engineering principles.

If you come across any information that you think should be added to this thread, or need help looking for a specific concept, please post a reply here.

If you'd like to contribute to this thread on an on-going basis by answering technical questions, please let me or sumghai know in this thread. All other general discussions regarding the thread itself should go there as well.


Contents

1.0 Common Aircraft / Spacecraft Components

1.1 Aircraft Engines

1.2 Cargo / Payload Bays

1.3 Cockpits and Interiors

1.4 Ground Vehicles, Wheeled

1.5 Landing Gear, Wheeled

1.6 Reaction Control Systems

1.7 Rocket Engines

2.0 Technical Manuals, White Papers and Standards

2.1 NASA

2.2 Other

3.0 Miscellaneous Mechanical Devices and Principles

 


1.0 Common Aircraft / Spacecraft Components


1.1 Aircraft Engines

 
Internal combustion engine where each piston cylinder "radiates" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. Commonly used for early propeller-driven aircraft prior to the advent of turbine engines.
W2jFva7.gif

1.2 Cargo / Payload Bays

 
Uses leadscrews to actuate door mechanism.
 

A detailed document describing various components of the Shuttle's payload bay doors.

Space Shuttle Program Payload Bay Payload User's Guide

A document describing the Shuttle's payload bay and payload operations.

1.3 Cockpits and Interiors

Evolution of the Fighter Jet Cockpit

Galley of cockpit photos, from first through to fifth generation fighter jets.

1.4 Ground Vehicles, Wheeled

Ackermann Steering

Mechanical linkage geometry that ensures center of rotation of forward steering wheels coincide at a point shared with the rear wheel axis, enhancing controllability. Real life automobiles do not use pure Ackermann steering, but for low speed applications in some planetary manned rovers, this configuration is adequate.
320px-Ackermann_turning.svg.png
 
spacer text
170px-Ackermann_simple_design.svg.png

1.5 Landing Gear, Wheeled

Retractable landing gear, rearwards
 
Uses four-bar linkage for compact stowage of landing gear on aircraft.
zhFdzLb.gif

Retractable landing gear, sidewards

folds sideways to stow the wheel at the wing root of the aircraft.

600px-Landing_gear_schematic.svg.png

1.6 Reaction Control Systems

Coming soon

1.7 Rocket Engines

Coming soon
 
 

2.0 Technical Manuals, White Papers and Standards


2.1 NASA

 
Document describing an androgynous, low-impact common docking system to support future manned spaceflight to the International Space Station.

NASA Docking System

NASA's implementation of the International Docking Standard.

Nasa Space Vehicle Design Criteria: Entry Vehicle Control

The figures in this monograph show the locations of RCS jets for control during re-entry for Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and X-15 vehicles.

Design of Liquid Propellant Rocket Engines

Long document. To search for specific figures use your browser's search function.

Some items of interest include:

  • Figs 3-2, 3-4, 3-7, 3-10, 10-10 to 12: biprop liquid engine layouts (both pump and pressure-fed)
  • Figs 4-20 to 23: thrust chamber layouts
  • Figs 8-1 to 3: tank and engine configurations
  • Figures 9-1 to 5: engine mounting and interconnecting components
  • Figure 9-19: possible propellant duct routing for a gimballing engine
  • Figures 9-23 to 25: gimbals; Figures 10-26 and 27: photos of engine clusters.

2.2 Other

Skylon Technical Documents

Reference material for the single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) spaceplane currently being developed by British company Reaction Engines Limited (REL), as well as associated hardware, payloads and applications.

  • SKYLON Users' Manual
  • The SKYLON Spaceplane - Progress to Realisation
  • SKYLON - A Realistic Single Stage Spaceplane
  • Application of Carbon Fibre Truss Technology to the Fuselage Structure of the SKYLON Spaceplane
  • SKYLON Trajectory Data
  • A Comparison of Propulsion Concepts for SSTO Reusable Launchers
  • Heat exchanger design in combined cycle engines
  • Heat exchanger development at REL
  • The Sensitivity of Pre-cooled Air-breathing Engine Performance to Heat Exchanger Design Parameters
  • An Experimental Pre-cooler for Air-breathing Rocket Engines
  • Considerations for Passenger Transport by Advanced Spaceplanes
  • Project TROY - A Strategy for a Mission to Mars
  • Solar Power Satellites and Spaceplanes: The SKYLON Initiative
  • Design of an orbital base facility for complex missions

 


3.0 Miscellaneous Mechanical Devices and Principles


Constant-velocity (CV) Joint

Coupling between two driveshafts that permit the transmission of mechanical rotary power at variable angles and constant velocity without any significant increases in friction or play. Typically used on front-wheel drive vehicles, as well as rear-wheel drive vehicles with indepedent suspension systems.

LeZd0oV.gif

Leadscrew

Mechanical linkage that converts rotational motion to linear motion; when driven using electric motors, they have the advantage of being precise, lightweight and self-locking compared to hydraulic/pneumatic pistons, at the cost of some friction between the screw surfaces (A variant, dubbed

 

uses ball bearings inside the driven nut to reduce this friction). Can be used for gantry robots or lightweight cargo bay door / ramp mechanisms.

Rigid Chain Actuator

Mechanical linkage that converts rotational motion to linear motion; the actuating member is a chain that can be stowed compactly in a slackened state, but becomes stiffened when extended without the need for external supporting rails. Can be used for motorised open/close mechanisms for doors/hatches, extend/retract telescopic panels/structures and actuate heavy lift platforms.
Rigid_Chain_Actuator.gif

Stewart Platform

Type of parallel robot where six hydraulic/pneumatic pistons or linear actuators allow a top plate to move with six degrees of freedom (three translation and three rotational axes) with great force and shock attenuation capabilities, at the cost of a limited motion envelope. This has been used on the NASA Docking System for precise position, orientation and force control of docking rings.
Hexapod_general_Anim.gif

Universal Joint

Coupling between two driveshafts that permit the transmission of mechanical rotary power at variable angles, but with a non-uniform velocity.
Universal_joint.gif
Edited by CaptainKipard
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Tidbit of info that's more to do with surface coatings rather than mechanical engineering, but could be useful nonetheless:

Avocado Green Paint is Zinc Chromate paint primer, used to protect internal aircraft structures made of Aluminium Alloy 2024 from corrosion (due to the latter's significant Copper content)

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Yes unfortunately. I'm aware of it and I'm following the thread again. Give me some time. I have a few big threads to fix.

edit

Done-ish. The table of contents had to go since ID tags don't work any more.

Edited by Cpt. Kipard
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Here are some pictures of assorted rocket engines for modeling reference. 

Rocket Engines

There are more on google( i also keep an archive on my computer that is much more comprehensive and higher res ). but this should suffice for anyone looking a condensed library of rocket engine references.

Edited by landeTLS
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NASA just published their goals for future spaceflight. There's a lot of stuff in it but they talk about various technologies, their uses, benefits/drawbacks, and how well they perform.

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/2015_nasa_technology_roadmaps_ta_2_in-space_propulsion_final.pdf

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