Seminar: Fluid-Structure Interactions: From Fundamentals of Flow-induced Vibration to Applications in Energy Harvesting

Banafsheh Seyed-Aghazadeh, PhD
Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth

When a flexible or flexibly-mounted structure is placed in fluid flow, it can deform or oscillate. The deformation or oscillation of the structure will result in the change of flow forces, which in turn will result in the change of the structure’s deformation or oscillation. This is called a Fluid-Structure Interactions (FSI) problem and the oscillation is called Flow-Induced Vibration (FIV). FIV has significant implications for a number of physical systems, from aeolian harps to power transmission lines, towing cables, undersea pipelines, drilling risers and mooring lines used to stabilize offshore floating platforms. The majority of studies on FIV have focused on symmetric systems, in which the structure, its geometry, its boundary conditions, and the incoming flow are symmetric. However, in many real-world applications, FIV occurs in asymmetric systems. In the first part of the presentation, I will talk about fundamentals of flow-induced vibration of structures with broken symmetry, and I will discuss how structure’s response is affected through different asymmetries introduced into the system. In the second part of my talk, I will discuss how flow-induced vibration-based energy harvesting from external sources available in the environment, such as wind or marine currents, has the potential to be used in novel energy harvesting techniques. I will also discuss how my research findings can lay the foundation for future research projects in the area of biomimetic fluidic sensor design with applications in ocean sensing.

***Please join us ten minutes early for a virtual coffee hour hosted by Dr. Deniz Gedikli.***

Zoom Meeting Link
Meeting ID: 915 4908 5495
Passcode: 486116