MSU Professor Receives $1.1M NASA Grant to Enhance Hypersonic Vehicle Design Tools

Vilas Shinde, a faculty member in MSU's Department of Aerospace Engineering, secured the funding to create a new tool for flow stability and transition analysis. This tool will help researchers and engineers better understand and predict boundary layer changes-specifically, the behavior of air flow close to an aircraft's surface during flight.

"Dr. Shinde has demonstrated the relevancy of his research by securing this award," stated Rani Sullivan, professor, department head, and the Bill and Carolyn Cobb chairholder. "The accurate prediction of boundary layer transition is critical for the aerodynamic design of aircraft, especially for the aerothermodynamic design of hypersonic vehicles. We are proud that Dr. Shinde and his collaborators at NASA Langley and the University of Mississippi will have the opportunity to study and develop new technologies to address important issues for aircraft systems."

The three-year grant is part of NASA's Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). It allocates $750,000 from NASA, while MSU and the University of Mississippi will contribute additional funds of $285,000 and $90,000, respectively. The primary theoretical and computational work will be conducted at MSU in collaboration with NASA, with the University of Mississippi handling experimental investigations.

"This is a very competitive award, so the happiest moment for me was when my abstract was selected for the full proposal development," said Shinde. "I'm fortunate to collaborate with some of the finest scientists in the field."

Shinde's project, titled "Development of a Lagrangian Stability Analysis Technique (LagSAT) Framework for High-Speed Boundary Layers," utilizes Lagrangian modal analysis to explore fluid flow stability and transitions in complex flow scenarios. Shinde noted that this method complements NASA's current simulation tools and could be instrumental in future aircraft development and space exploration.

"If we think of a spaceplane re-entering the Earth's atmosphere, it's essential for scientists to know how and where the air flow over the vehicle transitions to turbulence," Shinde explained. "Our goal is to develop this technique to provide new insights into the boundary layer stability and transition phenomena, an effort toward making space exploration safer."

As part of the grant, Shinde will work with researchers at NASA, the University of Mississippi, and colleagues within MSU's Computational Aerosciences and Multiphysics Laboratory (CAML).

EPSCoR was established to foster collaboration between government, academic, and industry entities, with the aim of significantly enhancing the research infrastructure, R and D capacity, and national competitiveness of a state or region.