Recent flow visualisation inside the interior of a moving ambulance has shown a strong dependency of the flow field on the dynamic movement of the vehicle, including whether the vehicle is accelerating, braking or cornering.
Results showed that interior flow patterns were significantly disrupted during these manoeuvres, with the induced flow changes overcoming any existing flow patterns, generated from the ventilation systems inside the vehicle.
This presents challenges for vehicle interior design and has implications for safety critical environments, such as in an ambulance, where ventilation has been a serious consideration during the COVID pandemic. These flow effects are also relevant to other vehicle interiors, such as airliners, trains or buses.
Experimental modelling and measurement of this of this externally forced, dynamic flow, is the topic of this PhD research program. As little or no data seems to be available in this type of unsteady flow environment, this project will require a simple flow visualisation, scale model, to be constructed, including track and vehicle components.
The scaled system must allow a range of acceleration, deceleration and turning manoeuvres, under controlled conditions. The vehicle model will also need to provide optical access for mapping the flow inside a basic interior geometry, during the manoeuvres. As much as possible, the model must be constructed from commercially available, off the shelf items and may require a computer interface to control the vehicle manoeuvres.
Flow visualisation can be recorded using simple digital camera systems or an advanced particle image velocimetry (PIV) system, available at the university of Sydney. Any data from the project will be made available to the computational community, to aid any future numerical modelling of these systems.
We are looking for a talented and motivated individual to join our team to complete this 3-year PhD research project. It is essential that the candidate have a strong background, from their first degree, in aerospace or mechanical engineering and be prepared to complete the practical aspects of this project to a high level, including designing the vehicle and track system. Previous experience in engineering design methods is also preferred.
This is a fully funded scholarship for 3.5 years which covers tuition fees and a stipend for living expenses.
To apply, submit your resume to Associate Professor Nicholas Lawson - [Email Address Removed]
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