The objective of the proposed research is to employ theoretical techniques developed for network theory in the analysis of complex, unsteady fluid flows. The work proposed herein is exploratory in nature but is aimed to lay the foundation for examining a range of fundamental fluid flow networks and to incorporate uncertainty quantification, stability analysis, and active control techniques in future studies.

The proposed computational and theoretical work will examine the underlying vortical-interaction networks present in unsteady separated flows and their resilience to perturbations using network analysis. To achieve the goals of this work, we will establish network-based analysis techniques suitable for a continuous dense network representations of fluid flows. Complex nonlinear interactions in fluid flows pose challenges with traditional analysis techniques and have not been systematically analyzed in the past. Network analysis has a great potential for uncovering such important interconnections amongst vortical structures (eddies) in unsteady flows. With knowledge of which interactions are important on the vortical network, graph theory and network analysis can provide guidelines on how to describe the collective dynamics of unsteady fluid flows. The use of network analysis will provide a transformative change to how we examine vortical interactions and energy transfers in fluid flows. By developing the network formulation of fluid flows, we can analyze the resilience of fluid networks against perturbations and external forcing inputs. Understanding the resilience of vortex-interaction networks allows us to identify the sensitive vortical structures and types of disturbances that can globally affect the dynamics of unsteady fluid flows, in a manner complementary to the hydrodynamic stability analysis.

Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2016-05-15
Budget End
2018-04-30
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2016
Total Cost
$101,330
Indirect Cost
Name
Florida State University
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Tallahassee
State
FL
Country
United States
Zip Code
32306