CAREER: Smart Morphable Surfaces for Aerodynamic Drag Control

这个教师早期职业发展（CAREER）计划奖的研究目标是设计和形式化一类新的智能变形表面（或Smorphs），可以通过扭曲不稳定性获得可逆和按需定制的地形。Smorphs的这一功能将用于具有复杂形状表面的结构上的可切换和可调气动阻力减小和控制。这项研究首先要求一个基本的理解后屈曲制度和相关的几何非线性的图案形成过程中的力学。此外，将进行详细的风洞试验，以量化Smorphs的空气动力学性能。虽然研究的中心是在结构力学，利用螺旋形态增强空气动力学将需要一个多学科的方法，并在流体-结构相互作用开辟新的方向。更广泛地说，拟议的研究将深深植根于认识到结构力学实验是一种有价值的发现工具的基础上，由计算和理论努力支持，在科学支持的工程和工程驱动的科学的愿景。智能可变形表面为各种工程应用提供了增强空气动力学性能的机会，包括：雷达罩、风力涡轮机塔架、汽车和飞机结构。对于所有这些，设计减阻机制对于提高基础设施的弹性、提高燃油效率和新的机动性机制具有重要的工程相关性。Smorphs的基本机制类似于高尔夫球的工作原理，与光滑的球体相比，高尔夫球的酒窝图案将阻力减少了两倍，尽管增加了可切换和可调的功能。与工业合作伙伴的密切互动将提供一个可行的渠道，将基础研究转化为可实施的工程应用。 与此同时，本研究将探讨工程设计与实验力学之本科实验教学策略。此外，还将通过可索引和可浏览的视频内容，为力学和材料的在线教学开发创新的网络工具。与非营利组织夏季搜索的合作伙伴关系将为波士顿地区的低收入内城学生提供指导，教练和研究实习。

The research objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program award is to devise and formalize a new class of Smart Morphable Surfaces (or Smorphs), that can acquire reversible and on-demand customizable topography through a wrinkling instability. This functionality of Smorphs will be exploited for switchable and tunable aerodynamic drag reduction and control on structures with complex-shaped surfaces. This research first calls for a fundamental understanding of the mechanics of the post-buckling regime and associated geometric nonlinearities of this pattern formation process. Moreover, detailed wind tunnel testing will be performed to quantify the aerodynamic performance of Smorphs. Whereas the epicenter of the research is in structural mechanics, utilizing wrinkling morphologies for enhanced aerodynamics will require a multidisciplinary approach and open new directions in fluid-structure interaction. More broadly, the proposed research will be strongly rooted in the basis of recognizing experiments in structural mechanics as a valuable tool for discovery, supported by computational and theoretical efforts, in a vision of science-enabled engineering and engineering-motivated science. Smart Morphable Surfaces offer the opportunity for enhanced aerodynamic performance in a variety of engineering applications, including: radomes, wind turbine towers, automobiles and aircraft structures. For all of these, devising mechanisms for drag reduction is of significant engineering relevance for better resilience of infrastructure, increased fuel efficiency, and new mechanisms for maneuverability. The underlying mechanism of Smorphs is analogous to the workings of a golf ball whose dimpled pattern reduces drag by up to a factor of two, when compared to a smooth sphere, albeit with added switchable and tunable capabilities. Close interactions with an industrial partner will provide a feasible channel to translate the fundamental research into implementable engineering applications. Concurrently to the research, novel pedagogical strategies will be explored for undergraduate laboratory-based education in engineering design and experimental mechanics. Moreover, innovative web-based tools will be developed for the online teaching of Mechanics and Materials, through indexable and browsable video-content. Partnership with the non-profit Summer Search will provide mentoring, coaching and research internships for low- income inner-city students of the Boston area.