Ref: AACE-AFM-116

Research group: Aerodynamics and Flight Mechanics, Faculty of Engineering and the Environment

Deadline: Applications will be accepted at any time until the position is filled.

Pressure fluctuations arising from turbulent flow can lead to excitation of flexible structures, such as panels and windows of cars and aeroplanes, and result in the generation of vibrational sound. This so called aero-vibroacoustic mechanism of noise generation mechanism can lead to passenger discomfort and sonic fatigue. Therefore, a detailed understanding of the fully coupled fluid-structure-acoustic interactions is required in order to devise successful strategies for controlling the noise levels.

To date, this problem has mainly been investigated experimentally lacking sufficient temporal and spatial resolution to get a highly accurate picture of all important mechanisms, or using numerical simulations relying on some form of turbulence modelling, with their associated uncertainties in prediction accuracy.

In the current project, fully coupled high-fidelity fluid-structure simulations will be conducted of configurations representative of those encountered in automotive and aeronautical applications. An in-house code specifically developed for high performance on supercomputers will be used for this research. The data from these simulations will then be used to develop and validate a novel flow-control framework in order to derive successful passive and active noise-control techniques.

If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact R.D. Sandberg, Aerodynamics and Flight Mechanics research group, Email: sandberg@soton.ac.uk, Tel: +44 (0) 2380 59 7386.

To apply, please use the following website: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/engineering/postgraduate/research_degrees/apply.page?