Engineering Creativity Award: Investigation of Laminar Flows

本研究是对海豚边界层特征的研究，涉及到格雷悖论。在鲸类流体力学领域，利用流动可视化技术研究了主动推进海豚的边界层。通过观察流动和皮肤表面的运动和轮廓，可以确定流体和皮肤之间相互作用的精确性质。还可以确定过渡区域的范围和分离点的位置。这种实验方法是必要的，因为海豚流场的复杂性——一个以三维非定常运动为特征的流场。对具有运动边界的物体上的三维流动进行建模，以辅助理论方法。本项目为“工科本科生创意奖”资助项目。

The research is an investigation of dolphin boundary layer characteristics and deals with the Gray's paradox. In the field of cetacean hydrodynamics, the boundary layer of an actively propulsing dolphin is studied using flow visualization techniques. By observing the flow and the skin surface motion and contour, it may be possible to determine the precise nature of an interaction between the fluid and the skin. It would also be possible to determine the extent of a transition region and location of a point of separation. This experimental approach is necessary due to the complexity of the flow field about the dolphin--a flow field characterized by three- dimensional, unsteady motion. Modelling of three-dimensional flows over a body with moving boundaries is done to assist in the theoretical approach. This project is one supported under the Creativity Awards for Undergraduate Engineering Students.