The goal of this project was to develop and test a self-aspirating aerovalve pulsejet and measure its operating characteristics. An investigation of pulsejets developed by previous experimenters revealed design trends associated with the engine geometry. These trends were followed in the development of an aerovalve pulsejet engine entitled the Astra. The engine employed variable fuel injection methods, ignition location and exhaust pipe length to show that certain combinations of geometry relations and fuel injection methods were more conducive to pulse combustion. Even though the engine pulsed with forced inlet air, the Astra did not self-aspirate as did the engines on which its design was based due to insufficient mixing of fuel and air. Data regarding combustion chamber pressures and temperatures were collected to verify pulsing behavior. The project also included extensive documentation of engine design changes and experimentation to serve as a guideline for future aerovalve pulsejet developers.
","abstract_html":"<p>The goal of this project was to develop and test a self-aspirating aerovalve pulsejet and measure its operating characteristics. An investigation of pulsejets developed by previous experimenters revealed design trends associated with the engine geometry. These trends were followed in the development of an aerovalve pulsejet engine entitled the <em>Astra</em>. The engine employed variable fuel injection methods, ignition location and exhaust pipe length to show that certain combinations of geometry relations and fuel injection methods were more conducive to pulse combustion. Even though the engine pulsed with forced inlet air, the <em>Astra</em> did not self-aspirate as did the engines on which its design was based due to insufficient mixing of fuel and air. Data regarding combustion chamber pressures and temperatures were collected to verify pulsing behavior. The project also included extensive documentation of engine design changes and experimentation to serve as a guideline for future aerovalve pulsejet developers.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Meholic, Gregory V."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering","degree_level":"Thesis - Open Access","degree_discipline":"Aerospace Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["L. L. Narayanaswami","Tej R. Gupta","R. Luther Reisbig"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1995,"date_issued":"1995-10-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"1995-10-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:16Z","subjects":["aerovalve","pulsejet","engine","testing","Aerospace Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.erau.edu/db-theses/142","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["L. L. Narayanaswami","Tej R. Gupta","R. Luther Reisbig"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Meholic, Gregory V."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Aerospace Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["aerovalve","pulsejet","engine","testing","Aerospace Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.erau.edu/db-theses/142"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The goal of this project was to develop and test a self-aspirating aerovalve pulsejet and measure its operating characteristics. An investigation of pulsejets developed by previous experimenters revealed design trends associated with the engine geometry. These trends were followed in the development of an aerovalve pulsejet engine entitled the Astra. The engine employed variable fuel injection methods, ignition location and exhaust pipe length to show that certain combinations of geometry relations and fuel injection methods were more conducive to pulse combustion. Even though the engine pulsed with forced inlet air, the Astra did not self-aspirate as did the engines on which its design was based due to insufficient mixing of fuel and air. Data regarding combustion chamber pressures and temperatures were collected to verify pulsing behavior. The project also included extensive documentation of engine design changes and experimentation to serve as a guideline for future aerovalve pulsejet developers.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Evolution and Testing of an Aerovalve Pulsejet Engine"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["L. L. Narayanaswami","Tej R. Gupta","R. Luther Reisbig"],"dc:creator":["Meholic, Gregory V."],"dc:description.abstract":["The goal of this project was to develop and test a self-aspirating aerovalve pulsejet and measure its operating characteristics. An investigation of pulsejets developed by previous experimenters revealed design trends associated with the engine geometry. These trends were followed in the development of an aerovalve pulsejet engine entitled the Astra. The engine employed variable fuel injection methods, ignition location and exhaust pipe length to show that certain combinations of geometry relations and fuel injection methods were more conducive to pulse combustion. Even though the engine pulsed with forced inlet air, the Astra did not self-aspirate as did the engines on which its design was based due to insufficient mixing of fuel and air. Data regarding combustion chamber pressures and temperatures were collected to verify pulsing behavior. The project also included extensive documentation of engine design changes and experimentation to serve as a guideline for future aerovalve pulsejet developers.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.erau.edu/db-theses/142"],"dc:subject":["aerovalve","pulsejet","engine","testing","Aerospace Engineering"],"dc:title":["The Evolution and Testing of an Aerovalve Pulsejet Engine"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Aerospace Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:16Z"}