Flow stability and transition
This research focusses on leveraging the high-order Navier-Stokes solver for building lower order nonlinear models for high-speed (supersonic and hypersonic) boundary layer transition, flow instability, and turbulent shear flows.
Turbulence and mixing
This research focusses on studying mixing of various scalars (passive and active) in compressible turbulence, unlocking the essential characteristics of a turbulent field through mixing. We are actively working on synthetic turbulence models, highly compressible homogeneous isotropic turbulence, mixing of active and passive scalars, and building models to understand turbulent mixing.
Aerodynamic and aeroacoustic optimization
We are actively developing end-to-end workflows for high-fidelity driven optimization of rotor blades for UAV applications combined with efficient prototyping and manufacturing methods. The research is funded by industry for developing propellers with low noise signature, higher fatigue life, and superior aerodynamic efficiency in various maneuvering modes of drones, including drone swarms. We design propellers using generative machine learning tools combined with high-fidelity DNS, 3D print them, and fly our drones regularly for testing.
Marine hydrodynamics and optimization
We are actively developing fast numerical solvers for estimating drag and sea-keeping of marine vehicles (ships and submarines), interfaced with state-of-the-art optimization techniques for efficient in-house shape optimization. The nonlinear coupling of free-surface with the potential flow and further viscous corrections to estimate the total drag, along with forces which result in motion of the ship make this field extremely rich with problems in numerics and applied mathematics.