Variable Area Ratio Petal Nozzle

Final year project designing an altitude-compensating nozzle using 8 telescopic petals that deploy from stowed to fully open, continuously varying the exit area ratio (8.08 to 22.10) as altitude increases. Modeled the full deployment mechanism (Stages 1-3) in CAD, ran CFD in ANSYS Fluent across 5 petal angles from sea level to vacuum, confirming zero flow separation throughout, exit Mach up to 4.22, and Isp rising to 408s. Also performed FEA on the petal/support structure under aerodynamic and actuation loads. Supervised by Dr. Ihtzaz Qamar.