Standing on the Fourth Pillar: Data Enabled Understanding of Flapping Flight

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Flapping flight is known to be the single most successful mode of animal locomotion that is exhibited by over 1000 species of bats, more than 9000 living species of flighted birds, and somewhere between millions and tens of millions of flying insects. Inspired by animal flight mechanics, proven capabilities of the Fast Multipole Methods to study vortex interactions in fluid-structure interaction problems, and advances in General Purpose computation on Graphics Processing Units, an interdisciplinary team of applied mathematicians, mechanical engineers, and computer scientists from Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science has been assembled to pursue a three-year data intensive program to further our understanding of flapping flight. The overall goal of the proposed effort is to conduct creative computational studies informed by data from experimental studies to advance computational algorithms for understanding complex fluid-structure interactions associated with flexible structures as well as to discover biological clues related to flapping flight. These clues can help answer fundamental questions, to address which, advanced computational modeling and simulation are needed in concert with experimental observations of flapping wing insects. Computational studies coupled with parallel computing are required to investigate and interrogate the system in ways that nature does not permit. From simple parameter sweeps to flow field analyses, computational studies can educate the analyst in ways that experimental studies alone cannot. The specific goals of this work range from using experimental studies as a guide for computational modeling and simulation to leveraging advanced computing for carrying complex fluid-structure interaction simulations and applying advanced computational architectures and algorithms to accelerate these simulations.A salient broader impact of the proposed efforts will be the advancement of tools associated with the fourth pillar, data intensive investigations into multidisciplinary, complex, and subtle systems. By demonstrating how the power of experimental data and computational analyses can be harnessed to a degree not attempted before, the efforts are expected to pave the path for transformative investigations into important and diverse fluid-structure problems such as flows interacting with small-scale micro-air-vehicles, blood flow through arteries, and flows through biological organs. Beyond data mining in the natural sciences, this work will usher in a new generation of engineers and scientists trained to use the tools presented by the fourth pillar, data intensive investigation. The cross-disciplinary research will provide exceptional learning opportunities for all involved including a postdoctoral researcher and two graduate students across programs and contribute to the nation's talent pool. Furthermore, computational modeling and sciences curriculum across departments will be enriched by the research findings of the proposed efforts and lead to exciting new additions in undergraduate and graduate courses such as computational dynamics and Fast Multipole Methods. Art-in-science displays featuring captivating fluid-structure interactions and flapping flight will be used to stimulate and nurture the interests of K-12 students who visit campus for different events including the annually held Maryland Day that draws nearly 75,000 visitors each spring semester to campus.