MRI: Acquisition of an Advanced Three-dimensional Flow Measurement System

该主要研究仪器（MRI）奖支持购买最先进的三维流量测量系统，以增强普渡西北大学进行基础研究和促进多学科研究合作的能力，包括与地区工业的合作。该奖项将为教师和50多名本科生和研究生，特别是女性和第一代大学生，提供最先进的仪器。这项研究将为可再生能源、再生医学和微型飞行器的发展提供新的知识。该仪器将成为复杂流动基础研究的催化剂。流动现象是一系列重要的多学科研究问题的基础，包括湍流、生物流体力学和风能。这些现象自然是三维的，其复杂性是以前的流量测量技术（如数字PIV）无法解决的。该仪器的粒子跟踪功能可以测量复杂的三维流动，并具有高空间分辨率和精度。这将使研究人员获得三维基本流动物理的新认识，例如扑翼飞行中的升力产生/增强机制。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of a state-of-the-art three-dimensional flow measurement system to enhance Purdue Northwest's capacity to conduct fundamental research and foster multidisciplinary research collaborations, including those with regional industries. The award will give faculty and more than 50 undergraduate and graduate students-- particularly female and first-generation university students-- access to state-of-the art instrumentation. The research will provide new knowledge leading to advances in renewable energy, regenerative medicine and the development of micro air vehicles.The instrumentation will serve as a catalyst for fundamental research on complex flows. Flow phenomena are fundamental to a range of important multidisciplinary research problems including turbulence, bio-fluid mechanics, and wind energy. These phenomena are naturally three-dimensional with complexities that previous flow measurement techniques, such as digital PIV, were unable to resolve. The instrumentation's particle tracking capabilities allow complex three-dimensional flow to be measured and characterized with high spatial resolution and accuracy. This will enable the researchers to gain a new understanding of three-dimensional fundamental flow physics, such as the lift generation/augmentation mechanisms in flapping flight.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.