CAREER: Flow Physics of Aerodynamic Forcing in Unsteady Environments

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PI: Jones, AnyaProposal Number: 1553970The proposed research is focused on the experimental investigation of the fundamental fluid dynamics phenomena that occur when a wing is subject to gusty flows. In unsteady flow, the gusts result in an additional buoyancy force (i.e., the added mass effect), as well as an unknown change in the flow structure and aerodynamic forcing due to the interactional aerodynamics. The PI has established experimental capabilities that allow her to explore these issues in detail. The results of this research could have an impact on the design of air vehicle wings and wind energy turbines. Previous work on transient flows has focused on a wing driven in unsteady motion rather than the more realistic problem of a steady wing encountering sudden disturbances. The proposal is about identifying known and unknown mechanisms and phenomena, and about designing and conducting careful experiments to elucidate the unknown. For the flow regimes with large disturbances, a framework for a low-order model of separated flow will also be constructed, completing the approach to investigating these phenomena. There are also plans to reach out to K-12 students by demonstrating that science is exciting, fun, and to leverage outreach efforts with organizations like Women in Engineering.