Fluids and Vehicles
Fluids and Vehicles brings together a number of leading researchers in a range of overlapping areas. These include power systems and aerospace, vehicle dynamics, mechatronics and robotics and environmental dispersion. The main areas of research are divided as shown below.
Fluids
Fluids Research brings together academic staff from all engineering disciplines, typically 30 researchers and several visiting and associate staff, in a dynamic group dedicated to all aspects of research on fluids, including applications in:
- Aerospace
- Turbulent flows
- Turbomachinery
- Wind engineering/atmospheric dispersion
- Environmental flows and dispersion
- Vehicle aerodynamics
The Environmental Flow Research Centre (EnFlo) is an NERC National Centre for Atmospheric Science and houses two major large-scale facilities that, together with our other wind tunnels, provide a nationally unique resource for studying a wide range of environmentally important flow and dispersion problems. Micro and local scale meteorology and dispersion are the current focus of the research activities, with growing interest in the characterisation and modelling of nano-particle emissions. Studies include the effects of single buildings and urban areas on flow and dispersion in their vicinity; buoyant plume interactions and dense gas dispersion. Developing research in wind power is supported through large multi-partner consortia. Other activities address higher speed flows, including new approaches for treating turbulent boundary layers.
The Thermo-Fluid Systems University Technology Centre (TFS UTC) is supported by Rolls-Royce and specialises in turbomachinery for aeroengine and power generation applications. The TFS UTC focuses on advanced computational modelling, and is involved in a number of national and international research collaborations. Recent and current research included interfacing CFD with automatic design methods, multi-physics fluid/structure interaction problems such as component thermal analysis and brush seal modelling and multiphase flow.
Vehicles
Surrey’s Advanced Vehicle Analysis Group (SAVAG) aims to provide a world class research technical capability function for vehicle analysis in the following key areas: hybrid powertrains, vehicle dynamics simulation, tyre dynamics simulation, design and simulation of vehicle subsystems (brakes, steering, suspension, chassis control systems design), design of experimental test benches and vehicle aerodynamics.
The University also has a long track record in mechatronics and robotics. While continuing its interest in terrestrial mobile systems, the Group is now concentrating on the development of robotic systems for space applications and works closely with the Surrey Space Centre.
