arXiv subjects

Chih-Che Chueh

Publications and source records attributed to Chih-Che Chueh.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Numerical Study on Jet-Like Outwash Induced by Multi-Rotor eVTOLs and Engineering Approaches for Outwash Mitigation

This study presents a comprehensive computational investigation of outwash phenomena generated by electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with particular emphasis on how rotor geometry and alignment shape hazardous airflow patterns at vertiports. Using nondimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations with the k-omega SST turbulence model implemented in OpenFOAM, the research systematically characterizes jet-like outwash across a range of multi-rotor configurations. Results demonstrate that propeller count and inter-propeller spacing are primary determinants of outwash intensity, orientation, propagation range, and boundary-layer structure. For power-lift eVTOLs, low propeller counts combined with narrow spacing produce highly directional, intensified jet-like outwash with propagation ranges far exceeding current FAA EB105a safety standards. Conversely, higher propeller counts and larger spacings reduce peak velocities and propagation distances, enabling safer and more compact vertiport layouts. High-propeller-count designs further exhibit vertically stratified and thickened outwash boundary layers, requiring tailored mitigation strategies. Targeted engineering solutions-such as modular blast deflectors aligned with predicted outwash directions-are shown to reduce required vertiport safety areas by up to 82% without compromising operational safety. These findings establish a direct link between aircraft design, regulatory compliance, and infrastructure optimization, offering practical pathways for safe and scalable urban air mobility. The study also provides a foundation for future research on optimal mitigation device geometries and system-level integration of eVTOL operations within urban environments.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2022

Self-mixing in microtubule-kinesin active fluid from nonuniform to uniform distribution of activity

Active fluids have applications in micromixing, but little is known about the mixing kinematics of systems with spatiotemporally-varying activity. To investigate, UV-activated caged ATP was used to activate controlled regions of microtubule-kinesin active fluid and the mixing process was observed with fluorescent tracers and molecular dyes. At low P\'eclet numbers (diffusive transport), the active-inactive interface progressed toward the inactive area in a diffusion-like manner that was described by a simple model combining diffusion with Michaelis-Menten kinetics. At high P\'eclet numbers (convective transport), the active-inactive interface progressed in a superdiffusion-like manner that was qualitatively captured by an active-fluid hydrodynamic model coupled to ATP transport. Results showed that active fluid mixing involves complex coupling between distribution of active stress and active transport of ATP and reduces mixing time for suspended components with decreased impact of initial component distribution. This work will inform application of active fluids to promote micromixing in microfluidic devices.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2021

Flow coupling between active and passive fluids across water-oil interfaces

Active fluid droplets surrounded by oil can spontaneously develop circulatory flows. However, the dynamics of the surrounding oil and their influence on the active fluid remain poorly understood. To investigate interactions between the active fluid and the passive oil across their interface, kinesin-driven microtubule-based active fluid droplets were immersed in oil and compressed into a cylinder-like shape. The droplet geometry supported intradroplet circulatory flows, but the circulation was suppressed when the thickness of the oil layer surrounding the droplet decreased. Experiments with tracers and network structure analyses and continuum models based on the dynamics of self-elongating rods demonstrated that the flow transition resulted from flow coupling across the interface between active fluid and oil, with a millimeter-scale coupling length. In addition, two novel millifluidic devices were developed that could trigger and suppress intradroplet circulatory flows in real time: one by changing the thickness of the surrounding oil layer and the other by locally deforming the droplet. This work highlights the role of interfacial dynamics in the active fluid droplet system and shows that circulatory flows within droplets can be affected by millimeter-scale flow coupling across the interface between the active fluid and the oil.

physics.flu-dyn↗