MSc./PhD Research Title: Micro Propulsion System Design

 

Status: Ongoing...

             Supported by Sabanci University Internal Grant Program; Contract Number: IACF06-00418.

 

People:

              Primary Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Serhat Yeşilyurt

              Internal Grant: Electronics: Dr. Ayhan Bozkurt; Material Science: Dr. Melih Papila

              Ahmet Fatih Tabak, MSc. EECS/Mechatronics

              Didem Halime Çilingir, BSc. Material Engineering

              Mustafa Koz, BSc. Mechatronics

              There is an open spot for an electronics student !!!

 

Description: The aim of this research is to construct a waving action on a piezo-composite micro-structure, along with the structure which is capable of creating a desired propulsion effect while fully submerged. Project scope encompasses extensive design and analysis of structure-fluid interaction in micro realm. Theoretical background will cover mostly fluid mechanics and piezoelectric theory with a thermodynamic approach for both; as well as elasticity theory and wave theory up to some extend. COMSOL and MATLAB are the primary CAD-CAE tools for simulation purposes. Potential promising outcome of such a study may be a keystone for surgical micro robot development.

 

Keywords: Micro propulsion, piezoelectric, fluid structure interaction, thermodynamic, elasticity, wave propagation

 

Publication: As of August 2007 we have five publications.

                      We hope soon there will be more with some live demonstrations !!! …

 

Photos:

 

Fig.1: Kino, G. S., Acoustic Waves: Devices, Imaging and Analog Signal Processing, Prentice Hall, 1987, p/2.

 

Fig.2: Brennen, C. & Winet, H., Fluid Mechanics of Propulsion by Cilia and Flagella, Ann. Rev. Fluid Mech., 1977.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fig.3: COMSOL flow analysis for 3D waving boundary, Pressure field (second bar), Velocity field (first bar) & Instantaneous Streamlines (02.07, tabak@terminator.sabanciuniv.edu)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fig. 4: It is alive ! A snapshot from first real swimming simulations (20.03.07, tabak@ahtapot.sabanciuniv.edu)

 

 

Interested ? You can access my M.Sc. thesis here (hopefuly the final version :p ).