CAREER: Understanding and Harnessing the Dynamics of Complex Fluid-Structure Interactions

流固耦合描述了流体动力对柔性结构(如机翼、桥梁或船体)的影响，反之亦然。流体-结构相互作用的预测、建模和监测是在对运输和基础设施至关重要的工程系统中避免流体引起的故障所必需的能力。与此同时，定向结构振动作为一种流量控制方法前景看好，其应用包括改善飞机机翼的失速阻力或减少拖拉机拖车或大型海事船只等钝体的阻力。目前的实验方法没有描绘出流体-结构相互作用的潜在危险或可实现的好处的完整图景。这项研究的主要目的是更深入和更具可操作性地了解柔性结构和流体之间的相互影响，以及如何利用这些影响来提高安全性和性能。这项研究还鼓励研究生和本科生的研究助理共同参与，在校园和农村高中提供有偿助学金、课堂项目和学生推广活动。拟议的研究有助于实现流体结构相互作用实验的执行和利用方式的范式转变，以进行更智能、更安全和更有效的设计、建模和监控。具体地说，计划中的方法将(1)产生新的工作流程，用于量化柔性物体上的空间流体负荷；(2)推导出以前未被认识到的流体流动结构和流体-结构动力学之间的因果联系；(3)量化结构振动在控制湍流分离方面的有效性；(4)生成一个大型的、有充分文件记录的实验数据库，供其他研究人员使用；(5)评估混合教学-经验学习在提高学生在流体-结构相互作用主题中的能力方面的使用。利用新型全场变形传感技术，对水下结构物进行系统实验，建立流体加载的空间模型。这项研究将利用粒子跟踪测速仪对正则振动剖面上的流动进行测量，以评估结构共振对流动分离和再附着的影响。将在现有的本科课程中开发和试行开放式教学模块，通过动手实验向工科学生介绍流体-结构相互作用。这项工作将产生可推广的物理见解，提高航空航天、民用和海事系统的安全性和效率。此外，通过让工程学学生更容易接触到此类研究，这项工作促进了对跨工程学科的流体-结构相互作用的认识，帮助未来的工程师做出更智能、更安全、更高效的设计。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Fluid-structure interaction describes the effects of fluid dynamic forces upon flexible structures – such as wings, bridges, or ship hulls – and vice versa. Prediction, modeling, and monitoring of fluid-structure interactions are necessary capabilities for avoiding fluid-induced failures in engineered systems critical to transportation and infrastructure. At the same time, targeted structural vibration holds promise as a method of flow-control, with applications that include improved stall resistance of aircraft wings or drag reduction on bluff-bodies such as tractor trailers or large maritime vessels. Current experimental methods do not paint a complete picture of the potential hazards or the realizable benefits of fluid-structure interaction. The principal aim of this research is a deeper and more actionable understanding of the mutual effects of flexible structures and fluids upon one another, and how those effects can be leveraged for improved safety and performance. The research also encourages and thrives upon the collaborative involvement of both graduate and undergraduate research assistants, with pipelines for paid assistantships, class projects, and student outreach initiatives on campus and at a rural high school.The proposed research contributes toward a paradigm shift in the way that experiments in fluid-structure interactions are performed and leveraged for smarter, safer, and more efficient design, modeling, and monitoring. Specifically, the planned approach will (1) produce new workflows for quantifying spatial fluid loads on flexible bodies; (2) deduce previously unrecognized causal links between fluid flow structures and fluid-structure dynamics; (3) quantify the efficacy of structural vibration in controlling turbulent flow separation; (4) generate a large and well-documented experimental database for use by other researchers; and (5) evaluate the use of blended didactic-experiential learning for improving student competency in the topic of fluid-structure interactions. Spatial models of fluid loading will be developed through systematic experimentation on submerged structures, using novel full-field deformation sensing. The study will utilize particle tracking velocimetry of flow over canonical vibrating profiles to assess the effects of structural resonances upon flow separation and reattachment. Open-access educational modules will be developed and piloted in existing undergraduate courses to introduce engineering students to fluid-structure interactions through hands-on experimentation. This work will produce generalizable physical insights that improve the safety and efficiency of aerospace, civil, and maritime systems. Moreover, by making such research more accessible to engineering students, this work facilitates awareness of fluid-structure interactions across engineering disciplines, helping future engineers produce smarter, safer, and more efficient designs.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.