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Fluids

Research

Fluids research at U-M has a wide range of applications including:

  • Naval technologies
  • Automotive engineering
  • Manufacturing
  • Aircraft technologies
  • Biological models such as the mechanics of fish swimming
  • Energy Sciences
  • Biomedical Devices

We have strong ties to other U-M engineering programs, including Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. 

Projects 

  • Development of laser-based and other optical measurement techniques to study reactive and non-reactive flows such as those found in combustion and internal combustion engines
  • Multi-dimensional measurement of velocity during thermoplastic injection molding to understand the influence of processing parameters on final part properties and molding time
  • Testing photoacoustic techniques for leak detection and their possible application to the leak testing of automobile parts and other consumer products
  • Experiments to decrease the turbulent boundary layer skin friction of commercial and military transport ships

Funding

Sources include:

  • National Science Foundation
  • Office of Naval Research
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • Department of Energy
  • National Nuclear Security Administration
  • Biomedical Industry
  • Automobile and other commercial industries

Specialties

  • Turbulence physics
  • Nanoscale biofluidics
  • Multiphase flows
  • Electrical and radiation based tomography
  • Fluid structure interaction
  • Free-surface flows
  • Computational fluid dynamics
  • Spectral method development
  • Shock waves
  • Cavitation and Bubble Dynamics
  • High-Energy-Density Physics