Fluids create interesting physical phenomena and whet our curiosity. Fluid mechanics is the study of how fluids move and how forces act on them. It has a wide range of applications in aircraft, automobile, turbomachinery, medical and other industries. The THEORY Lab analyzes complex flow phenomena, develops accurate models for them, and eventually controls fluid flows for engineering applications. The overarching research framework comprises theoretical and computational approaches. Research at THEORY Lab includes the development of turbulence models, turbulent flow analysis, and flow control applications.

Turbulent Flows

• Laminar-to-turbulent transition in boundary layer flows
• Boundary layer separation
• Turbulence modeling (RANS, LES, hybrid RANS/LES)

Flow Control

• Flow separation control
• Active manipulation of fluids flows

Rotorcraft

• Aerodynamic analysis of rotorcraft main rotor
• Blade stall control
• Innovative VTOL aircraft

Turbomachinery

• Impact of external disturbances on blade performance and heat transfer
• Boundary layer transition and transonic flow under the influence of upstream disturbances