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MCoRDS Antenna Assembly

ISO Front
Isometric Front View of Attached Structure.
Front View
Front View.
ISO Back
Isometric Back View.
Cargo Door
Back View with Cargo Door Open.
Stress Plot
FEMAP: Stress Plot.
CFD Pressure Contours
CFD: Pressure Contours. (Front View)
ISO View I
CFD: Pressure Contours and Velocity Streaklines. (Isometric View I)
ISO View II
CFD: Pressure Contours and Velocity Streaklines. (Isometric View II)

A team of University of Kansas CReSIS researchers and DARcorporation engineers, under the guidance of Dr. Richard Hale & Dr. Chris Allen, developed a five-element ground penetrating antenna array for the MCoRDS (Multichannel Coherent Radar Depth Sounder) installation on the DC-8 in support of NASA’s Operation ICE Bridge to use a radar-mounted DC-8 jet to study polar ice sheets and the effects of climate change on those sheets.

DARcorporation engineers analyzed the aerodynamic characteristics and the structural configuration. The array is suspended beneath a ground plane and housed in composite fairings. The installation is designed to withstand the extreme temperatures at cruise and loiter altitudes in Antarctica.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) cases were analyzed to check for supersonic flow in the vicinity of the installation. And a series of performance studies were also conducted to see the implications of the installation on drag and hence range and endurance. An aerodynamically optimized shape of the fairing was developed based on the results from the performance trade studies and the CFD studies.

A finite element model of the fairing was developed and various load cases were simulated. The attached structure experiences extreme sizing conditions because of operatong conditions. The attached structure is sized to not only survive the extreme load conditions by itself, but also to not introduce unacceptable additional loads to the DC-8 fuselage. Structural stability and dynamics are also checked to ensure a safe flight.

DARcorporation engineers were also involved in the fabrication of the composite fairing for the installation. The fabrication and installation were based on the results from this finite element analysis.

The MCoRDS Antenna Assembly was flown successfully on the DC-8 for the first time on September 11, 2009.