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

扑翼飞行被认为是唯一最成功的动物运动模式，1000多种蝙蝠，9000多种飞行的鸟类，以及数百万到数千万的飞行昆虫都展示了这种模式。在动物飞行力学、快速多极方法研究流体-结构相互作用问题中涡旋相互作用的成熟能力以及图形处理单元通用计算的进展的启发下，一个由应用数学家、机械工程师和来自机械工程和计算机科学的计算机科学家组成的跨学科团队已经聚集在一起，进行一个为期三年的数据密集型计划，以加深我们对扑翼飞行的理解。拟议工作的总体目标是根据实验研究的数据进行创造性的计算研究，以改进计算算法，以了解与柔性结构相关的复杂流体-结构相互作用，以及发现与扑打飞行有关的生物学线索。这些线索可以帮助回答基本问题，以解决这些问题，需要先进的计算建模和模拟与拍打翅膀昆虫的实验观察相结合。计算研究与并行计算相结合，需要以自然不允许的方式调查和审问系统。从简单的参数扫描到流场分析，计算研究可以以单靠实验研究无法培养分析师的方式进行。这项工作的具体目标从使用实验研究作为计算建模和模拟的指导，到利用先进计算来进行复杂的流固相互作用模拟，并应用先进的计算体系结构和算法来加速这些模拟。拟议工作的一个显著的更广泛的影响将是与第四支柱相关的工具的进步，即对多学科、复杂和微妙系统的数据密集型调查。通过展示如何利用实验数据和计算分析的力量达到前所未有的程度，这些努力有望为对重要和多样化的流体结构问题的变革性研究铺平道路，例如与小型微型空气飞行器相互作用的流动、通过动脉的血液流动和通过生物器官的流动。除了自然科学中的数据挖掘，这项工作还将迎来新一代工程师和科学家，他们接受过培训，能够使用第四个支柱--数据密集型调查--提供的工具。这项跨学科的研究将为所有参与者提供特殊的学习机会，包括一名博士后研究员和两名跨项目的研究生，并为国家人才库做出贡献。此外，各系的计算建模和科学课程将因拟议努力的研究结果而得到丰富，并导致在本科生和研究生课程中增加令人兴奋的新课程，如计算动力学和快速多极方法。以引人入胜的流体结构互动和拍打飞行为特色的科学艺术展示将被用来激发和培养来校园参加不同活动的K-12学生的兴趣，包括每年春季学期吸引近75,000名游客到校园参观的每年一度的马里兰日。

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.