Institution: Tennessee State University
Department: Mechanical Engineering
Proposed research ideas:
The biggest advantage of 3D manufacturing or rapid prototyping is a capability of enabling simple manufacturing process of highly complicated geometrical shapes of objects. However 3D manufacturing still has lots to be improved in material processing to enhance the quality of products and to guarantee strength of materials for practical purpose not just show a sample for display. Highly complicated geometry is popularly used in aerospace engineering applications. One of modern aerospace technology is morphing wings which enables aircraft to actively change the wings shapes to optimize overall performance and modify overall flight envelopes. When wings morph, they are under the influences of structural stresses in multiple axes at the same time of dynamic loading from aerodynamics. A simple pattern of topology or geometry would be enough or sufficient to meet dynamically changing coupled forces of structures and aerodynamics. One of solutions is to analyze them in simulation and also in macro level. The proposed idea is to optimize geometry using topology visualization techniques which is very innovative and not has been tried in aerospace engineering to simplify the geometry that considers coupled structure-fluid interactions in much more efficient ways. Another idea is to realize the optimized topology using visualization into 3d manufacturing process considering characteristics of a particular material since each printer uses normally one material for prototyping.
Motivation:
In aerospace engineering, the term, topology itself is a well-known subject when we design and optimize structure. However topology optimization in the subject is in macro scale approaches not data visualization levels. Topology visualization is heavily used computer science subjects but not in aerospace and manufacturing areas. Conventional aerospace engineering problems are solved in macro level material and stress analysis along with aerodynamics. Aeroelasticity is a term when structures and fluid mechanics are combined and it is considered on most of aerodynamics applications. However, current topology optimization is not through topology visualization. It is of interest to study possibilities of topology optimization of aerodynamic structures via topology visualization.