Aerospace engineering assistant professor to study flow-induced vibrations of 3-D structures
Published: May 30, 2024 8:30 AM
By Dustin Duncan
Nek Sharan, assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, seeks to understand how 3D geometries vibrate when exposed to fluid flows.
Through his $300,000 National Science Foundation project titled “Three-dimensional Geometry Effects on Flow-induced Vibrations,” Sharan will conduct novel simulations to investigate 3D structural vibrations in fluid flows, establish links between specific shapes and vibration behaviors and develop methods to modify shapes for controlling those vibrations.
“There is a lot of interest in drones delivering packages in urban communities, and those environments tend to be more chaotic because of buildings, cars and other disturbances,” Sharan said. “These aerial vehicles should be able to withstand severe winds and gusts. So, what geometric modifications can be implemented to enhance their stability and robustness?”
Sharan’s research can improve the design of various structures that are susceptible to vibration during heavy winds/precipitation, such as buildings, bridges and construction cranes. Additionally, the findings can be used to improve the design of energy harvesting technologies, which thrive on unstable vibrations to produce electricity from ocean waves.
The groundbreaking aspect of Sharan’s work is the novel computational method to accurately simulate flow over moving 3D geometries. Sharan said there has been extensive work on 2D structures, like circular cylinders, but very few studies on 3-D geometries due to high computational cost and low simulation accuracy.
“Typically, thousands of processors are required to run these simulations, taking days or weeks to do so, making it cost-prohibitive,” Sharan said. “We have developed high-order methods that can handle complex geometries at a reasonable computational cost.”
Sharan said his team will formulate approaches to modify the shapes to control vibrations by analyzing the geometry facing the flow (forebody) versus those trailing behind (afterbody). He’ll experiment with different shapes to evaluate how such modifications influence flow and vibration dynamics. Additionally, the project involves studying the influence of structural degree-of-freedom on vibration stability.
“I’m excited to work on this project to hopefully provide insights on improving a wide variety of structures worldwide,” Sharan said. “We have the computational capabilities to help applications across numerous engineering disciplines.”
Media Contact: , dzd0065@auburn.edu, 334-844-2326
Nek Sharan, assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, seeks to understand how 3D geometries vibrate when exposed to fluid flows.
