Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Hamid Hefazi, Ph.D., Head

Aerospace Engineering Program Chair
Chelakara S. Subramanian, Ph.D., P.Eng.

Flight Test Engineering Program Chair
Daniel R. Kirk, Ph.D..

Mechanical Engineering Program Chair
Hamid Hefazi, Ph.D.

Degree Programs

Professors

Martin Glicksman, Ph.D., Allen S. Henry Chair and University Professor of Engineering, solidification of metals and semiconductors, atomic diffusion processes, energetics and kinetics of material interfaces, microstructure evolution.

Hector M. Gutierrez, Ph.D., P.E., mechatronics, nonlinear control, electromechanical systems, electromechanical energy conversion, magnetic suspension systems, computer-based instrumentation, computer-aided engineering of control systems.

Hamid Hefazi, Ph.D., geophysical fluid mechanics, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in turbomachinery, aerodynamic design optimization, aeroacoustics, hydrodynamics, and advanced optimization methods.

Pei-feng Hsu, Ph.D., micro/nanoscale radiation transfer, radiative and multimode heat transfer, premixed combustion in porous ceramics, numerical methods in heat transfer, pulsed laser applications in medical imaging and material property diagnostics, thermal systems designs (heat exchangers, HVAC).

Daniel R. Kirk, Ph.D., fluid mechanics, heat transfer, combustion, airbreathing propulsion, chemical and nuclear thermal rocket propulsion, shock tube flow experimentation, high-speed aerodynamics, internal flows, superconductivity for launch assist, spacecraft shielding, energy storage and propulsion.

Pierre M. Larochelle, Ph.D., P.E., synthesis and analysis of mechanisms and machines, design and control of robotic manipulators, theoretical kinematics, design of spherical and spatial mechanisms, computer-aided design.

T. Dwayne McCay, Ph.D., low-density gas dynamics, high-speed flows, propulsion systems, laser interaction with materials.

Gerald J. Micklow, Ph.D., P.E., automotive engineering, thermodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, gas turbine engines, compressible gas dynamics, jet and rocket propulsion, external aerodynamics.

Kunal Mitra, Ph.D., thermal fluid science laser applications, thermal radiation, microscale heat transfer, material processing, bio-heat transfer, biomedical imaging, laser-based systems, photovoltaic and hybrid systems.

Yahya I. Sharaf-Eldeen, Ph.D., P.E., modeling/simulation/design of dynamic systems, advanced dynamics, vibration, design of machinery, thermal-fluid sciences, energy/power systems.

Chelakara S. Subramanian, Ph.D., P.Eng. (U.K.), FllE, complex boundary layer flows (LDV, PIV/PDA, PSP/TSP), energy systems, film cooling, turbulence measurement/analysis low/high speed wind tunnel testing, wireless sensor network for wind.

Ke-gang Wang, Ph.D., materials science and engineering, phase transformation, nanomaterials, statistical mechanics for different transport processes.

Research Professor

Mary H. McCay, Ph.D., P.E., metallurgy, crystal growth, laser interaction with materials.

Associate Professors

Mark R. Archambault, Ph.D., rocket combustion and propulsion, rocket fuel injector modeling, computational fluid dynamics, multi-phase fluid flow, spray and particulate dynamics.

David C. Fleming, Ph.D., structural mechanics, advanced composite materials, crashworthy aerospace vehicle design, finite element analysis, fracture mechanics.

Tiauw H. Go, Sc.D., aircraft and spacecraft dynamics and control, unmanned aerial vehicles, flight modeling and simulation.

Catalin Mandache, Ph.D., nondestructive inspection (testing/evaluation), condition monitoring, material characterization, quality assurance, probability of defect detection, electromagnetic sensor design.

Razvan Rusovici, Ph.D., structural dynamics, smart material applications, damping modeling, vibration and acoustics, sensors and instrumentation, experimental modal analysis, turbomachinery, biomechanics.

Paavo Sepri, Ph.D., fluid mechanics, turbulence, convective heat transfer, boundary layers, aerodynamics, wind tunnel testing, droplet combustion, computational fluid dynamics.

Assistant Professors

Matthew Jensen, Ph.D., automotive/transportation safety, electro-mechanical systems, data analysis strategies, dynamic modeling.

Brian D. Kaplinger, Ph.D., astrodynamics, trajectory and mission design, modeling and simulation of satellite systems, GPU computing, aerospace systems design.

Beshoy Morkos, Ph.D., complex system design, computational representation and reasoning, systems modeling, design theory, requirements analysis, computer-aided design and manufacturing, knowledge management, engineering education.

Chiradeep Sen, Ph.D., unified theory of design, knowledge-based engineering systems, experimental exploration (cognitive, behavioral and social design), computational/linguistic modeling, artificial intelligence reasoning in engineering design.

Markus Wilde, Ph.D., robotic space systems, orbital robotics, on-orbit servicing, orbital debris removal.

Shengyuan Yang, Ph.D., cell and tissue mechanics and mechanobiology, micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), bio-MEMS/NEMS.

Ju Zhang, Ph.D., computational fluid dynamics, combustion, detonation, solid rocket and propellant propulsion, planetary astrophysics.

Adjunct Faculty

J. Bustamante, Ph.D.; M. Guvendick, Ph.D.; Daniel Hoekstra, M.S.; B. Vu, Ph.D.; D. Willard, Ph.D.

Professors Emeriti

Thomas E. Bowman, Ph.D.; John J. Engblom, Ph.D., P.E.; John M. Russell, Sc.D.; Palmer C. Stiles, M.S.

Mission Statement

The mission of the mechanical and aerospace engineering department is to prepare our students to be successful professionals in the global industrial, research and/or academic environment. This is achieved via developing curricula that enable students to achieve four education objectives: academic fundamentals, engineering practices, teamwork and communication, and professional development. Graduates of the mechanical and aerospace engineering department are equipped with the knowledge and capabilities to solve real-world engineering problems and to advance the state-of-the-art in their selected fields.

Research

Mechanical and aerospace engineering facilities include laboratories for energy research, fluid mechanics and aerodynamics, combustion and propulsion, metallurgy and solid mechanics, system dynamics and control, instrumentation and applied laser research, computer-aided design and computational research. Other laboratories around the campus can also be used by mechanical engineering graduate students performing advanced research.

Funded research activities of mechanical and aerospace engineering faculty have recently included studies of efficient heat transfer/insulation mechanisms in building environments, advanced HVAC and fuel cell systems, integration of renewable energy sources into residential and utility applications, computation of radiative transport, computational mechanics with emphasis on nanodevices and damage mechanisms in laminated composite structures, development of experimental techniques for mechanical behavior of advanced materials systems, biomechanics, laser applications in bioengineering, turbulent boundary-layer structure, condition monitoring and fault diagnosis in rotating machinery and turbulent transport of moisture contained in air streams. Other studies have involved combustion in porous media, novel spatial and spherical mechanisms for part-orienting tasks, design and control of mobile robots, response of occupants in automobile collisions, smart composite structures with embedded sensors and optimization of composites. Research projects have been variously supported through grants from NASA, National Science Foundation, Defense Nuclear Agency, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Edith Bush Charitable Foundation, Florida Solar Energy Center, Florida Space Grant Consortium, Department of Energy and a number of industrial affiliations.

Laboratories include the Robotics and Spatial Systems Laboratory (RASSL); Laser, Optics and Instrumentation Laboratory (LOIL); Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and the Aerospace Structures Laboratory. RASSL is equipped with several industrial robots as well as a state-of-the-art autonomous mobile robot. In LOIL, the current technologies in continuous wave and short-pulse lasers and optics are used to develop new techniques for measuring and characterizing material properties for biomedical and material processing applications. The Fluid Dynamics Laboratory features a low-speed, low-turbulence wind tunnel of open-return type, with a square test section 0.535 m on a side and 1.7 m long. The speed range is from zero to 42 m/s. The mean turbulence level is a one-tenth of one percent at the lowest tunnel speeds. The Aerospace Structures Laboratory features a drop-tower for impact testing of structures and materials. This laboratory also has a shaker table for the vibration testing of structures. There are also ovens, vacuum pumps and other paraphernalia needed for the custom preparation of material specimens from advanced composite materials.

See the Institution Overview  section of this catalog for further information regarding the Dynamic Systems and Controls Laboratory; the Laser, Optics and Instrumentation Laboratory; and the Robotics and Spatial Systems Laboratory.