Smits
Alexander Smits,
Eugene Higgins Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering , Chair
Director, Gasdynamics Laboratory
Ph.D. University of Melbourne, Australia, (1975)
Fellow of the American Physical Society
Fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics
Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Member of the National Academy of Engineering
President's Award for Distinguished Teaching (2007)
Profile
Dr. Smits’s research interests are centered on fundamental, experimental research in turbulence and fluid mechanics. Particular aspects include the behavior of turbulent flows at subsonic, supersonic and hypersonic speeds, the response of boundary layers to extra strain rates and other strong perturbations; Mach and Reynolds number effects on turbulence; the effects of roughness, shock¬wave/turbulent boundary layer interactions; flow control; Taylor-Couette flows; fluid-structure interaction; sports ball aerodynamics and the development of new and improved measurement techniques.
He is the co-author (with J.P. Dussauge of IRPHE in Marseille, France) of “Turbulent Shear Layers in Compressible Flow,” Springer-Verlag, 1996 (2nd edition, 2005), author of “A Physical Introduction to Fluid Mechanics,” John Wiley & Sons, 2000, and co-editor (with T.T. Lim of the National University, Singapore) of “Flow Visualization: Techniques and Examples,” Imperial College Press, 2000 (2nd edition, 2011), as well as the author or co-author of more than 300 journal articles and papers in conference proceedings. He holds two patents on testing the aerodynamics of golf balls, with another three provisional patents on using femtosecond lasers in eye surgery.
In 2009, Dr. Smits received the Médaille de la Ville de Marseille, La Ville de Marseille, France. In 2007, he received the Fluids Engineering Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the Pendray Aerospace Literature Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), as well as the President's Award for Distinguished Teaching from Princeton University. In 2004, Dr. Smits received the Fluid Dynamics Award of the AIAA. He is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In 2008 he received the Miegunyah Distinguished Visiting Fellowship at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He was the Chair of the Division of Fluid Dynamics of the American Physical Society in 2007-2008, and the Chair of the Aerospace Department Chairman’s Association (ADCA), 2001-2002.
He is currently an Associate Editor of the Journal of Turbulence and he is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology. He is a past Associate Editor of the Journal of Fluid Mechanics and Physics of Fluids. From 1990 to 1995, he served as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Experimental and Thermal Fluid Science, and he was the Editor-in-Chief from 1995 to 1999. He is a Chief Editor, http://www.efluids.com, a specialty web portal for students and researchers in fluid dynamics.
Selected Recent Journal Publications:
Buchholz, J. H. J., Clark, R. P. and Smits, A. J., “Thrust performance of unsteady propulsors using a novel measurement system, and corresponding wake patterns.” Experiments in Fluids, DOI 10.1007/s00348-008-0489-1, 2008.
Buchholz, J. H. J. and Smits, A. J., “The wake structure and thrust performance of a rigid low-aspect-ratio pitching panel.” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 603, pp. 331-365, 2008.
Bailey , S. C. C., Hultmark, M. N., Smits, A. J. and Schultz, M. P. “ Azimuthal structure of turbulence in high Reynolds number pipe flow ,” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 615, pp. 121-138, 2008.
Green, M. A. and Smits, A. J. “Effects of three-dimensionality on thrust production by a pitching panel.” Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Vol. 615, pp. 211-220 2008.
Ringuette, M. J., Bookey, P., Wyckham, C. and Smits, A. J., “ Experimental study of a Mach 3 compression ramp interaction at Re q = 2400.” AIAA Journal, Vol. 47(2) pp. 373-385, 2009.
Bailey, S. C., Hultmark, M., Schumacher, J., Yakhot, V. and Smits, A. J., “ Measurement of local dissipation scales in turbulent pipe flow .” Physical Review Letters, Vol. 103 (1), 103.014502, 2009.
Wyckham, C. and Smits, A. J., “ Aero-optic distortion in turbulent compressible boundary layers .” AIAA Journal, Vol. 47(9) pp. 2158-2178, 2009.
Smits, A. J. and Miles, R. B., “ Recent developments in interrogation techniques for high-speed flows .” Aerospace Testing International , Showcase 2010. December 2009.
Green, M. A., Rowley, C. W. and Smits, A. J. “ Using hyperbolic Lagrangian Coherent Structures to investigate vortices in bio-inspired fluid flows .” Chaos , Vol. 20 (1), 2010 .
Jiménez, J., Reynolds, R. and Smits, A. J., “The effects of fins on the intermediate wake of a submarine model.” Journal of Fluids Engineering, Vol. 132(3), 031102 (7 pages) doi:10.1115/1.4001010, 2010.
Hultmark, M., Bailey, S. C. and Smits, A. J., “ Scaling of near-wall turbulence in pipe flow .” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 649, pp. 103-113, 2010.
Bailey , S. C. C. and Smits, A. J. “ Experimental investigation of the structure of large- and very large-scale motions in turbulent pipe flow .” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 651, pp. 339-356, 2010.
Yakhot, V., Bailey, S. C. C., and Smits, A. J., “ Scaling of global properties of turbulence and skin friction in pipe and channel flows .” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 652, pp. 65-73, 2010.
Marusic, I., McKeon, B. J., Monkewitz, P. A., Nagib, H. M., Smits, A. J. and Sreenivasan, K. R. “ Wall-bounded turbulent flows: Recent advances and key issues .” Physics of Fluids., DOI10.1063/1.3453711, 2010.
Marusic , I. and Smits , A. J. “ Anthony Edward Perry 1937-2001 .” Historical Records of Australian Science , Vol. 21, pp. 91-105, 2010.
Jiménez, J., Hultmark, M. and Smits, A. J., “ The intermediate wake of a body of revolution at high Reynolds number. ” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 659, pp. 516-539, 2010.
Cameron, J. D., Morris, S. C., Bailey, S. C. C. and Smits, A. J., “Effects of hot-wire length on the measurement of turbulent spectra in anisotropic flows.” Measurement Science and Technology, Vol. 21(10) 105407, 2010.
Hultmark M. and Smits, A. J., “Temperature corrections for constant temperature and constant current hot-wire anemometers.” Measurement Science and Technology Vol. 21(10) 105404 (4pp), 2010.
Bailey, S. C. C., Kunkel, G. J., Hultmark, M., Vallikivi, M., Hill, J. P., Meyer, K. A., Tsay, C., Arnold, C. B. and Smits, A. J., “Turbulence measurements using a nanoscale thermal anemometry probe.” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 663, pp. 160-179, 2010.
Leftwich, M. C. and Smits, A. J., “ Thrust production by a mechanical swimming lamprey .” Experiments in Fluids, DOI: 10.1007/s00348-010-0994-x, 2010.
Van de Sompel, D., Kunkel, G. J., Hersh, P. S. and Smits, A. J. “ Model of accommodation: Contributions of lens geometry and material properties to the development of presbyopia .” Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, Vol. 36(11), pp. 1960-1971, 2010.
Smits, A. J., McKeon, B. J. and Marusic, I. “High Reynolds number wall turbulence,” Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 43, pp. 353-375, 2011.
Hellstroem, L., Sinha, A. and Smits, A. J., “ Visualizing the Very Large Scale Motions in fully developed turbulent pipe flow .” In press, Physics of Fluids.
Smits, A. J., Monty, J. P., Hultmark, M., Bailey, S. C. C., Hutchins, N. and Marusic, I. “Spatial resolution correction for turbulence measurements.” In press Journal of Fluid Mechanics.
