I will receive my PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in June 1996. I am presently in absentia from Princeton, completing my thesis, "A Computational Study of Fluid/Structure Interactions: Flow-Induced Vibrations of Flexible Cables and Beams," under the guidance of Professor George Karniadakis in Applied Mathematics at Brown University.
My dissertation work concentrates on parallel simulations of three-dimensional incompressible flows. In particular, I investigate a prototype fluid/structure interaction problem: flow over flexible cables and beams. Flow-induced vibration is a major cause of component fatigue and failure in off-shore structures, deep-water petroleum production risers, heat exchangers, and the electric-power industry. By studying the relationship between the fluid's vortex shedding and the structure's vibration response, my research develops models to understand, predict and control flow-induced vibrations. I use direct numerical simulations to compute the vibration response in laminar to moderately turbulent flows (Re=100-500), and large-eddy simulations for some fully turbulent flows (Re=10,000). The results of these simulations extend and refine existing empirical models that predict vibration amplitudes and forces. All of these simulations have been performed on parallel supercomputers at various national supercomputer centers, as well as the IBM SP2 at the Center for Fluid Mechanics at Brown University.