February 17, 2025, Galen W. Ng, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, University of Michigan

PhD Candidate, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, University of Michigan
4:00 p.m.
190 Goodwin Hall

"Fluid-structural Optimization of Hydrofoils and Marine Appendages"

Abstract:  Despite the progress in high-fidelity numerical simulations enabled by high-performance computing, challenges have remained in the use of these simulations for design optimization. This talk focuses on the developments to make it possible to perform design optimization of the appendages of marine vehicles and platforms such as hydrofoils, rudders, conning towers, turbine blades and propulsors. The challenges addressed include handling a large number of design variables and handling unsteadiness in fluid-structure interaction. To tackle these issues, we combine gradient-based optimization algorithms with adjoint gradient computation. The applications focus on hydrofoil design, but the methods have been applied to aerospace structures as well. We cover recent research in (1) sub-cavitating composite hydrofoil design and (2) adding simplified unsteady physics models to an optimization framework. We will also discuss the implications and related future work with regards to marine vehicle design and operation.

Bio:  Galen Ng is a Ph.D. candidate in the Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering Department at The University of Michigan and is a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellow. He has an M.S.E in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan and a B.Sc. in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering from Webb Institute. His current research focuses on optimizing the hydroelastic performance of composite marine appendages.