Research proposal

My primary area of interest is fluid mechanics, as to me it seems a very exciting field, with a vast variety
of real world applications. It is a branch of science in which intuition has little place and one which is
filled with paradoxes and hence, human understanding of fluid mechanics has huge scope of growth.

As fluid mechanics is a vast field, my area of interest lies with its application in Aerodynamics.
Aerodynamics is a buzzing field, with lots of research being carried out around the world, with major
international companies being involved.

The research area that I am interested in pursuing is Analyzing flow over Aircraft elements. Analysis of
phenomena of flow, the instabilities associated with it, over various regions of the aircraft is of great
practical interest. The phenomena of Boundary layer, flow transition, flow separation, Stall are critical
factors that influence the design of aircraft, and phenomena that I personally feel are very intriguing.
Along with flow analysis, there is major onus on the control of the above mentioned phenomena using
effective techniques that are economically viable. Hence the research that I wish to do can be put down
as “Flow analysis over aircraft elements and their control”.

There are a variety of flow control techniques, basically divided into passive and active flow control. I
would like to research the field of active flow control. Under active flow control are also several
techniques such as, boundary layer suction, periodic excitation, synthetic and plasma jet actuators.

I would like to pursue flow control using periodic excitation. In this, air is alternatingly blown into or
sucked away from the boundary layer. Alternating blowing and suction, in the aircraft wing or flap that
consists of a pneumatic system, is done through a span wise-oriented small slot to enhance to transfer
high-momentum fluid from the shear layer to the wall, thus preventing boundary layer separation due
to the severe adverse pressure gradient. The stall angle is the angle, at which maximum lift coefficient is
obtained, but beyond this angle, increasing the angle of attack will not increase the lift coefficient, on
the contrary the pressure drag would be greatly increased. The application of flow control comes into
the fray when we try to reattach the flow that was originally separated due to the increase in the angle
of attack, and this reattachment would lead to an increase in the lift coefficient and hence the stall
angle. Hence we see that flow control leads to an enhancement in the aerodynamic performance.

Periodic flow control can be applied to both the main wing and the flap, to control separation that is
associated with both these elements. Flaps are passive flow control devices, and varying their deflection
would lead to an increase in lift coefficients, but this type of control has its limits and the advantage of
flaps can be realized only with double or triple slotted flaps, which a not desired due to the excess of
weight. Flow control can be applied to improve the performance of flaps and hence can rid us of the
above mentioned problem and can make the wing and single slotted flap system viable.

Investigating the variation in lift coefficient at different angles of attack, and the change in stall angle,
and the effect on flow separation due to periodic excitation seems like an interesting and worthy pursuit
which I would like to be a part of.
The type of research I am looking for is concerned with experimental investigation, rather than a
numerical simulation. I feel that an experimental investigation would contribute much more to my
understanding than a numerical one at this point in my under graduation, as I haven’t had a complete
introduction to computational fluid dynamics and the associated simulation software.

I have done a course in fluid mechanics in my 4 th semester, and am doing courses in Compressible flow,
Mechatronics in my current semester. I have also completed a laboratory courses in fluid mechanics. I
have a laboratory course in pneumatics in my current semester. I am also reading extensively in
aerodynamics and fluid dynamics.

Apart from those mentioned above, the most important thing that I can offer is my sense of curiosity
which makes sure that I always question the concepts that I have learnt, and makes me to wonder
where and how to apply the fundamentals that have been taught to me in my under graduation and my
education in school. It helps to keep the lethargy and laxness that comes with declaring any concept or
subject as familiar, at which point we stop asking questions.

I have a good foundation in the 3-D modeling software Pro/Engineer. I also am in the process of learning
mathematical simulation software MATLAB, and the simulation software Ansys CFX.

As experimental investigations are quite expensive, I would not mind being part of simulation based
research if I am properly guided. Also I would not mind being part of research that is concerned with the
other active flow control devices.

The main objective of the research project is to get myself formally introduced to the field of practical
aerodynamics research. It would be great experience to carry out experimentation with advanced
equipment’s, and to learn of various experimentation techniques that are carried out in major
aerospace labs. Though in the beginning I had made it sound as if the fluid mechanics was filled with
inexplicable phenomena, the fundamental concepts can be applied to explain everything, but the
application of the concepts to the different situations is where actual learning occurs. For me, the
objective of the research project is not to come out with answers, but to come out with more doubts, as
only doubts will lead to curiosity, which would give impetus to pursue higher learning in the field.

I wish to learn the application of my theoretical knowledge and concepts to real world situations. As
many of the experimental facilities that are freely available to students in the west are not so available
to an undergraduate student in India, a research project in such an advanced environment will go a
great way in increasing my self-confidence and would pave the way for me to pursue my higher
education in the field of aerodynamics.