Analysis and design of lightweight solutions for structural vibrations induced by subsonic confined flows

To reduce the fuel consumption and the material use, the use of lightweight materials is entering the industrial practice for flow-confining structures, such as ventilation ducts, automotive exhaust systems and car underbodies. Unfortunately, such lightweight constructions typically exhibit poor vibro-acoustic properties and unsteady pressure fluctuations in the flow can easily excite vibrations of the structure. These flow-induced vibrations lead to unwanted noise emissions and can even cause structural failures. Conventional mitigation measures rely on adding heavy damping layers, which conflicts with the lightweight design tendency. As a result, there is a stringent need for innovative solutions to tackle flow-induced vibrations in lightweight flow confining structures.

Flow-induced vibrations are the result of the interaction between the aerodynamics, the acoustic field and the dynamics of the structure. However, the physics driving these are not yet fully understood. This doctoral research project therefore aims at developing accurate numerical models, with an affordable computational cost, and experimental characterization tools, which enable an in-depth study of the different sources of flow-induced vibrations in subsonic confined flows. These insights and tools will then be used for the conceptual design and development of innovative metamaterial solutions for flow-induced vibrations in selected duct configurations.