Elliptical nozzles: the shape of silence? This project aims to leverage the aeroacoustic properties of elliptical nozzle geometries to significantly reduce installed jet noise. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding methods to reduce installed jet noise, a serious problem for the aerospace industry. Regulatory constraints inhibit the implementation of efficiency-increasing configurations but still fail to eliminate public health impacts. Expected outcomes include a set of tools ....Elliptical nozzles: the shape of silence? This project aims to leverage the aeroacoustic properties of elliptical nozzle geometries to significantly reduce installed jet noise. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding methods to reduce installed jet noise, a serious problem for the aerospace industry. Regulatory constraints inhibit the implementation of efficiency-increasing configurations but still fail to eliminate public health impacts. Expected outcomes include a set of tools for optimizing nozzle designs capable of significantly reducing installed jet noise. This will provide significant benefits, as jet noise is a serious health issue for the Australian public. This project represents an opportunity to reduce its impact while improving fuel efficiency.Read moreRead less
Wake dynamics of oscillating cylinder in steady currents. This project aims at advancing knowledge in flow/structure interactions and developing improved methodology for predicting wave and current loading on marine structures, which are vital in many practical applications such as extraction of oil and gas resources and renewable energy from the ocean. The improved methodology and much-needed database of hydrodynamic force coefficients developed through this project for estimating hydrodynamic ....Wake dynamics of oscillating cylinder in steady currents. This project aims at advancing knowledge in flow/structure interactions and developing improved methodology for predicting wave and current loading on marine structures, which are vital in many practical applications such as extraction of oil and gas resources and renewable energy from the ocean. The improved methodology and much-needed database of hydrodynamic force coefficients developed through this project for estimating hydrodynamic loading on marine structures will significantly reduce the high, costly uncertainly levels that are being experienced in the design, construction and maintenance of marine structures (and facilities) and increase the competiveness of Australian relevant industries. Read moreRead less
Genesis and evolution of coherent structures in wall-bounded turbulence. This project aims to capture conditions responsible for the generation of the coherent structures that are formed in wall-bounded turbulent flows, through the use of variational data assimilation and adjoint-based optimisation techniques. The project is expected to provide knowledge and intellectual property that is essential for the accurate modelling and prediction of the interaction between the ground-level activities li ....Genesis and evolution of coherent structures in wall-bounded turbulence. This project aims to capture conditions responsible for the generation of the coherent structures that are formed in wall-bounded turbulent flows, through the use of variational data assimilation and adjoint-based optimisation techniques. The project is expected to provide knowledge and intellectual property that is essential for the accurate modelling and prediction of the interaction between the ground-level activities like pollutant emissions and the atmosphere and the flow over vehicles through pipes, turbines and compressors. This project will provide benefits such as reducing the risk in environmental and commercial design and decision making and will facilitate new opportunities for the commercial development of devices to reduce drag and enhance mixing and heat transfer via the direct manipulation of coherent structures.Read moreRead less
Understanding turbulent heat transfer with practical surface conditions. Heat transfer dictates the efficiency of energy and transport systems such as gas turbines, high-speed generators and turbochargers. These are among many applications where heat transfer involves turbulent fluid flow over solid surfaces, but where poor understanding of surface conditions leads to dubious models, suboptimal designs and cost penalties. This project therefore aims to advance our fundamental understanding of he ....Understanding turbulent heat transfer with practical surface conditions. Heat transfer dictates the efficiency of energy and transport systems such as gas turbines, high-speed generators and turbochargers. These are among many applications where heat transfer involves turbulent fluid flow over solid surfaces, but where poor understanding of surface conditions leads to dubious models, suboptimal designs and cost penalties. This project therefore aims to advance our fundamental understanding of heat transfer accounting for the practical surface conditions of roughness, solid-fluid pairing and uneven heating. Building on capabilities that now place systematic data within reach, this project will deliver physics-based models that can robustly predict heat transfer, leading to reduced costs of energy and transport.Read moreRead less
Fluid-structure-acoustics interactions of bio-inspired flapping wings. This project aims to produce a deeper understanding of the role of wingtip feathers in the remarkable abilities of birds to fly in unsteady and unpredictable aerodynamic environments, and in some cases to do so almost silently. This is achieved by developing novel numerical methods integrating fluid, structure and acoustics interactions for large deformations and complex geometries. The numerical results are validated and com ....Fluid-structure-acoustics interactions of bio-inspired flapping wings. This project aims to produce a deeper understanding of the role of wingtip feathers in the remarkable abilities of birds to fly in unsteady and unpredictable aerodynamic environments, and in some cases to do so almost silently. This is achieved by developing novel numerical methods integrating fluid, structure and acoustics interactions for large deformations and complex geometries. The numerical results are validated and complemented by using flow, structure and acoustics experiments on dynamically scaled models. The insight gained provides design guidance for more efficient, robust and stable flight of bio-inspired micro air vehicles, and in reducing the noise impact of wind turbines by innovative blade leading edge and tip shaping.Read moreRead less
Dynamics of Suppressed Mixing Regimes in Australian Rivers. This study aims to further the fundamental science of turbulent mixing in the context of flow in Australian rivers. The focus is on prolonged low flow conditions which when coupled with warm surface temperatures cause the water column to become thermally stratified which then suppresses turbulent mixing. The extreme scale of the river systems has made investigating the true dynamics of the strongly stratified mixing regimes particularly ....Dynamics of Suppressed Mixing Regimes in Australian Rivers. This study aims to further the fundamental science of turbulent mixing in the context of flow in Australian rivers. The focus is on prolonged low flow conditions which when coupled with warm surface temperatures cause the water column to become thermally stratified which then suppresses turbulent mixing. The extreme scale of the river systems has made investigating the true dynamics of the strongly stratified mixing regimes particularly challenging. By taking world first in-situ measurements of turbulent mixing and undertaking high resolution numerical simulations this study will provide definitive data which will allow correct characterization of the mixing regimes and how they are associated with river flow conditions.Read moreRead less
The fluid mechanics of dynamically constricted tubes in pulsatile flow. This project is aimed at advancing the fundamental understanding of flow instability, the transition to turbulence and the effect on wall shear stress, in a dynamically constricted tube flow. The project will provide the first accurately resolved experimental flow analysis, using tomographic particle imaging velocimetry and 3D laser doppler anemometry, conducted on a novel experimental model, and will resolve, for the first ....The fluid mechanics of dynamically constricted tubes in pulsatile flow. This project is aimed at advancing the fundamental understanding of flow instability, the transition to turbulence and the effect on wall shear stress, in a dynamically constricted tube flow. The project will provide the first accurately resolved experimental flow analysis, using tomographic particle imaging velocimetry and 3D laser doppler anemometry, conducted on a novel experimental model, and will resolve, for the first time, turbulence characteristics of the dynamic constriction, using direct numerical simulation with a novel moving boundary implementation. The outcomes will provide the key link between fluid mechanics and wall shear stress, allowing future progress to be made in elucidating the causes of cardiovascular disease.
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Harnessing sperm dynamics in microfluidic sorting technologies. Mammalian reproductive tract is a complex microenvironment that has evolved to select the best sperm for fertilisation using a range of rheological, biochemical and geometrical cues. The project aims to engineer the first multiplexed platform, informed by the natural process, for fully automated and rapid selection of sperm based on all key selection criteria: morphology, swimming behaviour, and DNA integrity. The expected outcome i ....Harnessing sperm dynamics in microfluidic sorting technologies. Mammalian reproductive tract is a complex microenvironment that has evolved to select the best sperm for fertilisation using a range of rheological, biochemical and geometrical cues. The project aims to engineer the first multiplexed platform, informed by the natural process, for fully automated and rapid selection of sperm based on all key selection criteria: morphology, swimming behaviour, and DNA integrity. The expected outcome is the next generation technology for sperm sorting and analysis. This should provide significant benefits, such as new biophysical insights into mammalian reproduction, with potential for future improvement of assisted reproduction technologies – a field in which Australia has a world leading history.Read moreRead less
Unravelling the mysteries of turbulent drag at the air-sea interface. 70% of the Earth's surface is the air-sea interface. A huge amount of energy and gas is exchanged between the atmosphere and ocean; exchanges that are crucial for life on earth. Climate models, weather and wave forecasts depend on oversimplified models for these exchanges. Oversimplification limits accuracy, with outcomes ranging from inaccurate climate predictions to costly and unnecessary rerouting of ships or evacuations of ....Unravelling the mysteries of turbulent drag at the air-sea interface. 70% of the Earth's surface is the air-sea interface. A huge amount of energy and gas is exchanged between the atmosphere and ocean; exchanges that are crucial for life on earth. Climate models, weather and wave forecasts depend on oversimplified models for these exchanges. Oversimplification limits accuracy, with outcomes ranging from inaccurate climate predictions to costly and unnecessary rerouting of ships or evacuations of oil platforms. This project promises new knowledge of the turbulent air flow above waves through innovative, ambitious experiments in our laboratory wind-wave tanks. Concurrently, novel numerical simulations will enable new models for sea drag coefficient, the most critical component in air-sea interaction models. Read moreRead less