AE Seminar
Correlating Propeller Aerodynamics and
Aeroacoustics via Boundary Layer Flow Visualization
featuring
Shreyas Narsipur
Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering | Mississippi State University
Thursday, October 23
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Guggenheim 442
About the Seminar: Fundamentally understanding the relationship between propeller performance, boundary-layer behavior, and aeroacoustics of low Reynolds number (Re) propellers is crucial to the development of viable propulsion systems for manned and unmanned aerial systems vehicles operating at low altitudes and speeds (typical of urban operations). While rotating blade aerodynamics and aeroacoustics are relatively well understood for high-speed and large rotors, typical of helicopters, the same is not true for the low-speed propellers that are used in modern UAVs. Predominantly attributed to the laminar or transitional nature of the boundary layer at low-Re, the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic mechanisms and their correlation therein remains largely unexplained. Additionally, the roles of propeller geometry and operating conditions on the performance and noise have not been well explored. The current talk introduces an oil flow visualization method to capture boundary layer profiles of low-Re propellers. The boundary layer behavior is then used as the common denominator to connect performance (thrust and torque) and noise metrics, so as to enable the formulation of the design challenges for aerodynamically and aeroacoustically efficient propellers for low-speed applications.
About the Speaker: Dr. Shreyas Narsipur is an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the Mississippi State University. He is an experimental aerodynamicist, low-order method developer, and educator and has over 15 years of experience in the field of applied aerodynamics. His research centers around advanced air mobility aeromechanics with multiple efforts focusing on low-speed airfoil, wing, and propeller testing in steady and transient conditions, development of a test facility for UAV flight dynamics characterization in adverse weather, experimental characterization of low-speed propeller aerodynamics and aeroacoustics, wind tunnel testing of DEP aerodynamics, and low-order method development for aerodynamic predictions. Dr. Narsipur teaches courses in Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics, and serves as chair-elect on the AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Technical Committee. Dr. Narsipur holds a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University (2017), M.S. from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2012), and B.Tech. from Amrita University (2006).