Text Box: Unit Day-2009 Text Box: The Engineering Mechanics Unit was established in October 2002, as the successor to the  Fluid Dynamics Unit which had been set up in 1988.  EMU pursues research on a variety of problems of fundamental and applied interest in fluid mechanics, nonlinear dynamics, heat transfer and solid mechanics, using a wide range of analytical, numerical and experimental techniques.  Fluid mechanics research conducted in the Unit spans a wide range of topics, from understanding flows on geo- and astro-physical scales to those at the nanoscale, from mechanical and real swimmers and fliers, including aircraft, submarines bacteria and insects, to flows of microstructured complex fluids such as clay suspensions, aerosols, emulsions, granular media and polymer solutions.  The emphasis in all cases is on gaining fundamental understanding of the physical mechanisms operating at different scales. The choice of problems is often inspired by potential applications, in understanding nature or in developing technology. The Unit’s technologically oriented studies primarily focus on aerospace and chemical applications. For example, studies on flow stability and transitions between laminar and turbulent states in a wide variety of situations have direct relevance in these areas. New insights into the action of polymers on turbulent flows – as well as the nature of transition on swept wings – have been obtained from such work. Another area of special interest is computational fluid dynamics, in problems connected with aerospace technology as well as a wide variety of other fields. Research on the dynamics of granular media explores fundamental scientific problems whose solution may have direct applications in chemical and related technologies.    

 

Text Box:   Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research

Text Box: Engineering Mechanics Unit