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
President's Award for Distinguished Teaching (2007)
Profile
Dr. Smits's research interests are centered on fundamental, experimental research in turbulence, fluid mechanics. Particular aspects include the behavior of turbulent boundary layers 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; shockwave/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 has served as the Director of the Princeton University Gasdynamics Laboratory since 1989. From 1990 to 1995, he served as an Associate Editor for the journal of Experimental and Thermal Fluid Science published by Elsevier, and he was the Editor-in-Chief from 1995 to 1999. He was an Associate Editor of Physics of Fluids from 2000 to 2003. and he is currently an Associate Editor of the Journal of Fluid Mechanics and an Associate Editor of the Journal of Turbulence. He is Chief Editor, http://www.efluids.com , a specialty web portal for students and researchers in fluid dynamics, and a Founding Partner, iCentral LLC, a publisher of specialty web portals, 1999. 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, as well as the author or co-author of about 250 other journal articles and papers in conference proceedings. He is currently Chair-Elect, Division of Fluid Dynamics, American Physical Society. In 2007, Dr. Smits 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. In 2008 he will take up the Miegunyah Distinguished Visiting Fellowship at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He is a four-time recipient of the Princeton Engineering Council Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Principal Research Interests
- AFOSR "Understanding, Predicting and Controlling Shockwave/Turbulent Boundary Layer Interactions"
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ONR "High Reynolds Turbulence"
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NSF "Micro-Scale Turbulence Measurements Using a Nano-Scale Thermal Anemometry Probe"
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NIH "The Swimming Lamprey": Circuits, Biomechanics and Fluids"
Selected Publications
Langelandsvik, L. I., Kunkel, G. J. and Smits, A. J., “Flow in a commercial steel pipe.” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 595, pp. 323-339, 2008.
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. “Two-point velocity measurements in turbulent pipe flow,” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 615, pp. 121-138, 2008.
Green, M. A. and Smits, A. J. “Unsteady forces on flapping rigid foils.” 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 Req = 2400.” To appear AIAA Journal.
Allen, J., Shockling, M., Kunkel, G. J. and Smits, A. J. “Turbulent Flow in Smooth and Rough Pipes.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol. 365 (1852) pp. 699-714, 2007.
Zhao, R. and Smits, A. J., “Wall-normal turbulence statistics in high Reynolds number pipe flow.” Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 576, pp. 457-473, 2007.
Kunkel, G. J., Allen, J. J. and Smits, A. J. “Further support for Townsend's Reynolds number similarity hypothesis in high Reynolds number rough pipe flow.” Physics of Fluids.19, 055109, 2007.
Hultmark, M. N., Leftwich, M. and Smits, A. J., “Flowfield measurements in the wake of a robotic lamprey.” Experiments in Fluids, Vol. 43, pp. 683-690, 2007.
Buchholz, J. H. J. and Smits, A. J., "On the evolution of the wake structure produced by a low aspect-ratio pitching panel." Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 546, pp. 433-443, 2006.
Sinha, M., Kevrekidis, I. G. and Smits, A. J., "Experimental study of a Neimark--Sacker bifurcation in axially forced Taylor-Couette flow." Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 558, pp. 1-32, 2006.
Clark, R.P. and Smits, A.J., "Thrust production and wake structure of a batoid-inspired oscillating fin." Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 562, pp. 415-429, 2006.
Shockling, M. A., Allen, J. J. and Smits, A. J., "Effects of machined surface roughness on high-Reynolds-number turbulent pipe flow." Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 564, pp. 267-285, 2006.
McKeon, B. J., Zagarola, M. V. and Smits, A. J., "A new friction factor relationship for turbulent pipe flow." Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 538, pp. 429-443, 2005.
Allen, J. J., Shockling, M. A. and Smits, A. J., "Evaluation of a universal transitional resistance diagram for pipes with honed surfaces." Physics of Fluids, Vol. 17, 121702, 2005.
Smits, A. J. and Ogg, S., "Aerodynamics of the golf ball." Chapter 1, Biomedical Engineering Principles in Sports, eds. G.K. Hung and J.M. Pallis, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2004.
McKeon, B. J., Li, J., Jiang, W., Morrison, J. F. and Smits, A. J., "Further Observations on the Mean Velocity in Fully-Developed Pipe Flow." Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 501, pp. 135-147, 2004.
Li, J., McKeon, B. J., Jiang, W., Morrison, J. F. and Smits, A. J., "The response of hot wires in high Reynolds-number turbulent pipe flow." Measurement Science and Technology, Vol. 15, pp. 789-798, 2004.
Marusic, I, Kunkel, G. J., Zhao, R. and Smits, A. J., "Turbulence Intensity Similarity Formulations for Wall-Bounded Flows," Advances in Turbulence X, Proceedings of the Tenth European Turbulence Conference. H. I. Andersson and P.-A. Krogstad (Eds.) CIMNE, Barcelona 2004.
Morrison, J. F., McKeon, B. J., Jiang, W. and Smits, A. J., "Scaling of the Streamwise Velocity Components in Turbulent Pipe Flow." Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 508, pp. 99-131, 2004.
McKeon, B. J., Swanson, C. J., Zagarola, M. V., Donnelly R. M. and Smits, A. J., "Friction factors for smooth pipe flow." Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 511, pp. 41-44, 2004.
Delo, C., Kelso, R.M. and Smits, A.J., "Three-Dimensional Structure of a Low Reynolds Number Turbulent Boundary Layer." Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 512, pp. 47-83, 2004.
Poggie, J., Erbland, P. J., Smits, A.J. and Miles, R. B., "Quantitative visualization of compressible turbulent shear flows using condensate-enhanced Rayleigh scattering." Experiments in Fluids,Vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 438-454, 2004.
Zhao, R., Li, J. and Smits, A. J., "A New Calibration Method For Crossed Hot Wires." Measurement Science and Technology, Vol. 15, pp. 1926-1931, 2004.
McKeon, B. J., Li, J. D., Jiang, W., Morrison, J. F. and Smits, A. J., "Pitot probe corrections in fully-developed turbulent pipe flow." Measurement Science and Technology, Vol. 14, 1449-1458, 2003.
Poggie, J. and Smits, A. J., "Large-scale structures in a compressible mixing layer over a cavity." AIAA Journal. Vol. 41, No. 12, December 2003.
Morrison, J. F., Jiang, W., McKeon, B. J. and Smits, A. J., "Reynolds-number dependence of streamwise velocity spectra in turbulent pipe flow." Physical Review Letters, Vol. 88, #21, pp. 214501-214504, 2002.
McKeon, B. J. and and Smits, A. J., "Static Pressure Correction in High Reynolds-number Fully-Developed Turbulent Pipe Flows." Measurement Science and Technology, Vol. 13, #10, pp. 1608-1614, 2002.
Zagarola, M.V., Williams, D.R. and Smits, A.J. "Calibration of the Preston Probe for High Reynolds Number Flows," Measurement Science and Technology, Vol. 12, pp. 495-501, 2001.
Allen, J.J. and Smits, A.J. "Energy Harvesting Eel," Journal of Fluids and Structures, pp. 629-640, Vol. 15, 2001.
Auvity, B., Etz, M.R. and Smits, A.J. "Effects of Transverse Helium Injection on Hypersonic Boundary Layers." Physics of Fluids, Vol. 13(10), pp. 3025-32, 2001.
