Research Areas

Hypersonic aerothermodynamics studies what happens when objects move through the atmosphere at speeds over Mach 5. At these speeds, the air around the object gets compressed, causing extreme heating, shock waves, and chemical reactions like dissociation and ionization. It is essential for designing spacecraft and vehicles that can survive the intense heat and pressure of atmospheric re-entry.

In hypersonic flow, gas-surface interaction involves surface ablation and surface catalysis, which are crucial for managing extreme conditions. Ablation removes material through erosion or vaporization, helping to dissipate heat and protect the structure beneath. Surface catalysis enhances chemical reactions on the surface, affecting gas composition and increasing heat transfer. These processes significantly influence the performance of thermal protection systems, ensuring spacecraft can withstand the intense heat and pressure of re-entry.

Atomic simulation with molecular dynamics (MD) involves simulating the behavior of atoms and molecules over time by solving Newton's equations of motion. The interactions between particles are modeled using interatomic potentials, which define the forces acting on each atom. MD is used to study material properties at the atomic scale, including diffusion, thermal conductivity, and phase transitions, or even gas-surface interaction in hypersonic flow.

Mesh deformation methods are computational techniques used to modify the shape of a mesh, which is a grid of nodes and elements that represent the geometry of a physical system. These methods are commonly applied in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), finite element analysis (FEA), and other simulations where the geometry changes over time or due to external forces. The goal is to adjust the mesh while maintaining its quality, ensuring that the elements remain well-shaped and avoid issues like distortion or inversion.