Experimental Aerodynamics Expert Group
The Aerodynamics special interest research group has broad research interests that extend beyond aerodynamics into all aspects of aerospace engineering and fluid mechanics. There are presently in excess of 20 full time PhD students and 6 post-doctoral researchers within the Group.
Group members
Group Leader: Dr William Crowther
Membership: Dr Shan Zhong
The Group maintains a portfolio of research in excess of £2M. It is involved in a number of major national and international research activities that include being a member of the FLAVIIR Integrated Research Programme sponsored by BAE Systems and EPSRC and a launch partner of the Airbus AiRNET Research Partnership in Flow Control with Madrid, Poitieers and TU Berlin. It is recognised as a Primary Academic Capability Partner within the BAE Systems Virtual University.
Much of the work is experimentally based but extensive use is made of numerical simulation to complement the experiments and formulate test strategies. The main research facilities include the 2.1x2.6m low speed wind tunnel that is fully supported with laser diagnostics and extensive conventional instrumentation. Other smaller wind tunnels also have dedicated LDA and PIV capabilities for detailed fluid mechanic investigations.
Research interests
The Group maintain a broad and diverse range of research interests. The key theme to the activities is use of the experimental facilities and advanced optical diagnostics available at the Goldstein Research Laboratory. The Group has been identified as a Primary Academic Capability Partner within the BAE Systems Virtual University with specific responsibilities in Experimental Aerodynamics and Dynamic Loads. It has also been selected to be part of the launch cluster for the Airbus International Research Network on Flow Control. Key research topics include flow control, unsteady aerodynamics, flight mechanics and the aerodynamics of novel configurations.
This group contributes to the teaching of the MSc Course in Thermal Power and Fluids Engineering. |