Eric Blades

Bio: Eric Blades is an academic researcher from Mississippi State University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Aerodynamics & Computational fluid dynamics. The author has an hindex of 11, co-authored 35 publications receiving 490 citations.

A sliding interface method for unsteady unstructured flow simulations

Abstract: The objective of this work is to develop a sliding interface method for simulations involving relative grid motion that is fast and efficient and involves no grid deformation, remeshing, or hole cutting. The method is implemented into a parallel, node-centred finite volume, unstructured viscous flow solver. The rotational motion is accomplished by rigidly rotating the subdomain representing the moving component. At the subdomain interface boundary, the faces along the interface are extruded into the adjacent subdomain to create new volume elements forming a one-cell overlap. These new volume elements are used to compute a flux across the subdomain interface. An interface flux is computed independently for each subdomain. The values of the solution variables and other quantities for the nodes created by the extrusion process are determined by linear interpolation. The extrusion is done so that the interpolation will maintain information as localized as possible. The grid on the interface surface is arbitrary. The boundary between the two subdomains is completely independent from one another; meaning that they do not have to connect in a one-to-one manner and no symmetry or pattern restrictions are placed on the grid. A variety of numerical simulations were performed on model problems and large-scale applications to examine conservation of the interface flux. Overall solution errors were found to be comparable to that for fully connected and fully conservative simulations. Excellent agreement is obtained with theoretical results and results from other solution methodologies. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Visualization of fluid flows in virtual environments

Abstract: As computational methods keep improving and computational resources are entering a new era, the solution to physical problems is available at very high resolutions. Unfortunately, the computational resources that are available for interactive visualization of the solution at this resolution are not as accessible, hence the need to resort to alternative display techniques which can portray a better understanding of the solution, even at a lesser resolution. In this paper, we discuss methods for visualizing fluid data in a virtual environment. For steady-state data sets, we employ a feature-based streamline seeding technique. For time-variant data sets, we utilize view-dependent seeded pathlines. These methods address the aforementioned problems with high resolution data sets. In addition, we present the advantages of using virtual environments for flow visualization, and how analysts benefit from these advantages.© 2003 ASME

A Multiphysics Simulation Capability using the SIMULIA Co-Simulation Engine

Abstract: A multiphysics simulation capability suitable for fluid-structure interaction is presented that uses the Abaqus nonlinear structural dynamics solver and the Loci/CHEM computational fluid dynamics solver. The coupling is achieved using SIMULIA’s Co-Simulation Engine technology. The Co-Simulation Engine is a software framework that allows the coupling of multiple simulation domains by coupling solvers in a synchronized manner.

Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulations of Rocket Engine Side Loads

Abstract: The goal of this work was to simulate both the flow in a rocket engine nozzle and the resulting flow-induced transient loads on the nozzle. This unsteady nozzle flow results in structural dynamic excitation, which contributes not only to nozzle stress and deformation but also to the dynamic loads that are transmitted to the rest of the engine. This paper demonstrates the capability of a coupled fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulation for predicting side loads on a rocket engine nozzle. The capability was demonstrated using the space shuttle main engine (SSME) during a portion of the engine startup sequence. A comparison to the rigid nozzle baseline solution was made, and the FSI solutions demonstrate the effect of nozzle flexibility on the structural and fluid dynamic response. Abaqus/Standard was used to compute the unsteady structural responses, and the Loci/CHEM CFD program was used to simulate the unsteady, separated flow in the nozzle. The FSI simulations were performed using the Co-Simulation Engine (CSE) to couple the unsteady fluid and structural responses. Multiple fluid and structural cases were explored to achieve realistic and qualitatively correct flow and structural responses in preparation for the coupled solution attempts. These unsteady FSI results represent the first fully coupled, time-accurate, viscous FSI simulation for a rocket engine nozzle.

Bridging the gap between theories of sensory cue integration and the physiology of multisensory neurons

Abstract: The richness of perceptual experience, as well as its usefulness for guiding behaviour, depends on the synthesis of information across multiple senses. Recent decades have witnessed a surge in our understanding of how the brain combines sensory cues. Much of this research has been guided by one of two distinct approaches: one is driven primarily by neurophysiological observations, and the other is guided by principles of mathematical psychology and psychophysics. Conflicting results and interpretations have contributed to a conceptual gap between psychophysical and physiological accounts of cue integration, but recent studies of visual-vestibular cue integration have narrowed this gap considerably.