Our main research lines can
be easily deduced from our acronym:
Fluids,
Energy and Environment.
Being more specific:
- Computational
fluid dynamics (CFD)
We develop Computational Mechanics algorithms and
we write our own simulation codes, chiefly to solve
CFD problems. We work on problems like compressible
and incompressible flows, turbulence or thermal flows,
applied in different fields: external aerodynamics
of cars, planes and sailing boats, thermal flows in
architecture, bio-mechanics, and so on. We have close
research links with the Computational Science and
Mechanics Group of the Barcelona
Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), concerning algorithms
and code parallelization and optimal shape design.
- Optimization
Optimal shape design is in the core of what we understand
by Computational Design. We work on algorithms to
automatically search for the best possible aerodynamic
shapes, those with the optimum performance. These
algorithms are gradient-based ones, implemented also
in our Computational Mechanics codes. The possible
application problems cover a very wide range: sonic
boom reduction of projected civil supersonic jets,
stents and catheter optimization or aeolic generators.
- Experimental fluid dynamics
We manage three different small but well-equiped laboratories:
Pneumatics, Hidraulics and Oils and Lubricants. In
there, we both teach and perform measurements to validate
simulated cases.
