Department of Mechanical Engineering
National Institute of Technology (KOSEN), Nara College, Japan
Principal Investigator
Hiroshi Fukuoka, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Email: fukuoka@nara-k.ac.jp
researchmap: https://researchmap.jp/read0151244
About the Institution
National Institute of Technology (KOSEN), Nara College is a national higher education institution in Japan, operated by the Institute of National Colleges of Technology, Japan. It offers a five-year associate degree program and a two-year advanced engineering course at the bachelor’s level.
Research Areas
Shock waves and supersonic flows — experiments with shock tubes and numerical simulation of shock wave interactions
Flow visualization — Background-Oriented Schlieren (BOS) combined with deep-learning super-resolution
Plant physiology sensing — sap flow measurement using the infrared stem heat balance method
AI and CFD — integration of deep learning with computational fluid dynamics
Members (2026)
Principal Investigator: Hiroshi Fukuoka
Advanced Course students (bachelor’s level): 6
Undergraduate students: 5
Selected Publications
K. Maeda et al., “Enhancing spatial resolution of background-oriented Schlieren using deep learning: An experimental and numerical approach,” Physics of Fluids 38(9), 096127 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0336285
M. Taniguchi et al., “Numerical calculation to elucidate effect of open elliptical reflector shape on underwater shock wave focusing phenomena,” Japanese Journal of Applied Physics 64(4) (2025).
T. Sakakura et al., “Numerical Analysis of Confinement Phenomenon with Reflected Shock Waves by Opposing Wall,” Journal of Research and Applications in Mechanical Engineering 14(1) (2026).
K. Maeda et al., “Improvement of Spatial Resolution of W-BOS Analysis Images in Supersonic Flow Using Super-Resolution Technique,” Journal of Research and Applications in Mechanical Engineering 13(3) (2025).
Collaborations
Joint research with Konan University and other academic and industry partners.