arXiv subjects

Rajat Mittal

Publications and source records attributed to Rajat Mittal.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Wave-Assisted Propulsion in Bimodal Sea States: Hydrodynamic Performance and Hydroelastic Tuning

Wave-assisted propulsion (WAP) systems harvest ocean wave energy to generate propulsive thrust, offering a promising approach for improving endurance and energy efficiency of marine vehicles. Previous studies have focused primarily on monochromatic or unimodal wave conditions, leaving WAP performance in realistic ocean environments largely unexplored. This study investigates the hydrodynamic and hydroelastic response of a submerged flapping hydrofoil operating in bimodal sea states generated by the coexistence of swell and wind-sea wave systems. High-fidelity fluid--structure interaction simulations are performed for representative calm, transitional, and storm conditions, with passive pitching provided through a torsional spring. Simulations show that, despite increased complexity of bimodal wave forcing, propulsion performance follows the same effective peak frequency scaling previously established for monochromatic and unimodal waves, demonstrating the robustness of this scaling framework across a broad range of sea states. The findings further reveal that while the optimal normalized tuning ratio remains within a narrow range, dimensional torsional spring stiffness varies with sea state characteristics, highlighting the need for adaptive hydroelastic tuning to maximize thrust. Overall, the results demonstrate that WAP systems provide a robust means of generating wave-powered thrust under realistic ocean conditions while providing practical guidance for improved design of wave-powered marine propulsion systems.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2026

Flow-Mediated Regulation of Pathogen Survival in the Human Stomach

Foodborne diseases remain a major public-health burden, and the gastric acid barrier serves as the body's primary chemical defense against ingested microbes. Yet experimentally investigating pathogen survival within this environment is highly challenging. Although recent computational stomach models have provided insights into gastric disorders, none have coupled fluid flow, acid transport, and pathogen population kinetics in a realistic stomach to assess gastric acid barrier function. Here, we develop an imaging-based stomach model that tracks 10,000 massless particles representing pathogen colonies ingested with a liquid meal as they are advected through a dynamic, spatially heterogeneous pH field. The model incorporates acid secretion, peristaltic mixing, and gastric tone-driven emptying. Using this framework, we quantify how hypomotility and altered gastric tone influence pathogen survival. Motility emerges as the dominant factor governing pathogen fate. The hypomotile stomach exhibits weaker mixing, retaining nearly 50% of the initial pathogen population alive 6 minutes after ingestion, compared with less than 30% in healthy cases. It also produces broader acid-dose distributions and more heterogeneous survival outcomes. Counterintuitively, among healthy-motility cases, increased gastric tone delivers the highest concentration of viable pathogens into the duodenum, revealing a trade-off between transport and acid-mediated inactivation. These findings demonstrate that conventional metrics such as average pH or gastric emptying rate are insufficient for assessing gastric sterilization. Instead, the present flow-transport-kinetics framework provides new mechanistic insights into pathogen survival and gastric infection risk.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2026

Energy Transfer Mechanisms in Wake-Modulated Transonic Flutter

Transonic flutter is a detrimental aeroelastic instability that can generate large-amplitude structural oscillations, leading to severe vibration, fatigue damage, reduced operational limits, and potentially catastrophic structural failure. Incoming wake disturbances can further amplify this instability, making it critical to identify the underlying aerodynamic mechanisms responsible for predicting and controlling flutter onset. The underlying flow physics is complex with nonlinear interactions between the wake and the wing, shock motion, shock-induced flow separation, vortex shedding and the wing motion. In this study, we perform high-fidelity direct numerical simulations of a sinusoidally pitching NACA0012 airfoil with an underwing cylinder at various transonic Mach numbers and a Reynolds number of 10,000. Through energy maps, we identify that the addition of the cylinder significantly expands flutter boundaries compared to an airfoil-only system. We extend the force partitioning method to partition the power transferred between the flow and the airfoil for compressible flows. Application of this approach to distinct regions of the flow domain indicates that the gap flow between the wing and the cylinder is the dominant contributor to the energy transfer from flow to the wing. The blockage effects due to the cylinder cause flow acceleration on the wing which further enhances the tendency for flutter. We investigate cylinder placement relative to the airfoil to reveal that flutter is enhanced only when the cylinder is placed upstream of the pivot point on the airfoil. The current study highlights how such partitioning methods can parse force and energy transfer mechanisms in complex, unsteady high-speed flows.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2026

GPU-Accelerated Simulations of Moving Boundary Problems and Fluid-Structure Interaction at Extreme Scales

Computational fluid dynamics and fluid-structure interaction simulations involving moving and deforming bodies is extremely hard. In this work, we present a graphical processing unit (GPU) optimized implementation of the sharp-interface immersed boundary method. The method allows performing simulation around complex stationary as well as moving bodies on a Cartesian grid. We base our implementation on the ViCar3D framework and make use of OpenACC, CUDA, NCCL and MPI. We test the implementation across grid sizes ranging from O(10million) to O(1billion) points and achieved a 20X speedup compared to existing CPU implementation. We next present our multi-GPU implementation by utilizing CUDA streams and NCCL communicators. This enables us to obtain a >90% strong and weak scaling efficiencies. Next we demonstrate the capability of the developed software to simulate a turbulent fluid flow and coupled fluid-structure interaction in flapping bat wing in flight at Re=5000.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2026

Bounds for Hardness Condensation in the Query Model

For any Boolean function $f:\{0,1\}^n \to \{0,1\}$ with a complexity measure having value $k \ll n$, is it possible to restrict the function $f$ to $\Theta(k)$ variables while keeping the complexity preserved at $\Theta(k)$? This question, in the context of query complexity, was recently studied by G{\"{o}}{\"{o}}s, Newman, Riazanov and Sokolov (STOC 2024). They showed, among other results, that query complexity can not be condensed losslessly. They asked if complexity measures like block sensitivity or unambiguous certificate complexity can be condensed losslessly? In this work, we show that decision tree measures like block sensitivity and certificate complexity, cannot be condensed losslessly. That is, there exists a Boolean function $f$ such that any restriction of $f$ to $O(\mathcal{M}(f))$ variables has $\mathcal{M}(\cdot)$-complexity at most $\tilde{O}(\mathcal{M}(f)^{2/3})$, where $\mathcal{M} \in \{\mathsf{bs},\mathsf{fbs},\mathsf{C},\mathsf{D}\}$. This also improves upon a result of G{\"{o}}{\"{o}}s, Newman, Riazanov and Sokolov (STOC 2024). We also complement the negative results on lossless condensation with positive results about lossy condensation. In particular, we show that for every Boolean function $f$ there exists a restriction of $f$ to $O(\mathcal{M}(f))$ variables such that its $\mathcal{M}(\cdot)$-complexity is at least $\Omega(\mathcal{M}(f)^{1/2})$, where $\mathcal{M} \in \{\mathsf{bs},\mathsf{fbs},\mathsf{C},\mathsf{UC}_{min},\mathsf{UC}_1,\mathsf{UC},\mathsf{D},\widetilde{\mathsf{deg}},\lambda\}$. We also show a slightly weaker positive result for randomized and quantum query complexity.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2025

Hydrodynamics of Flapping Foils Undergoing Irregular Motion with Application to Wave-Assisted Propulsion

Flapping foils are widely studied as bioinspired propulsors, yet most investigations have focused on regular, sinusoidal kinematics. In realistic environments, however, irregular motions arise naturally due to environmental disturbances, fluid-structure interactions, and control inputs, but their hydrodynamic consequences remain largely unexplored. One system where response to irregular forcing is particularly relevant is wave-assisted propulsion (WAP) systems where free-to-pitch submerged foils generate thrust due to wave-induced heaving. We employ time-accurate flow simulations of elliptic WAP foils subjected to irregular waves at three different sea-states to gain insights into this system. Our results demonstrate that irregular heaving and pitching can generate greater mean thrust than energetically equivalent sinusoidal heaving. Moreover, a spring-based pitch-limiting mechanism yields higher thrust than an angle-limiter under the same conditions. By leveraging a previously developed leading-edge vortex (LEV) model, we uncover the mechanisms driving this thrust enhancement and highlight the critical interactions between unsteady flow structures and foil dynamics. These findings provide new insights into flapping-foil propulsion in irregular environments and have direct implications for the design and optimization of WAP systems.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2025

Non-invasive Assessment of Pancreatic Duct Hypertension Using Computational Flow Modeling

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a progressive inflammatory disease frequently associated with severe, treatment-resistant abdominal pain, which is hypothesized to result from pancreatic ductal hypertension (PDH) secondary to ductal strictures or obstructions. However, direct measurement of pancreatic duct pressure (PDP) remains technically demanding and invasive, thereby significantly limiting its routine clinical application. Here, we propose and validate a novel, non-invasive approach for estimating PDP. The method integrates patient-specific magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) imaging with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. Three-dimensional ductal models reconstructed from MRCP data enabled simulation of intraductal pressure distributions with high anatomical fidelity. The simulated pressure gradients showed strong correlation with in vivo measurements obtained via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), as well as with clinical outcomes such as pain relief following ductal decompression. To improve clinical usability, we developed a quasi-one-dimensional analytical model that accurately predicted PDP from ductal geometry and flow parameters, showing strong concordance with CFD results. These findings establish the feasibility and clinical relevance of MRCP-based PDP estimation, and underscore its potential as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for detecting PDH and informing therapeutic decisions in patients with CP.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2025

From vortices to forces - a data-driven framework for unsteady lift generation in three-dimensional vortex-dominated flows

Time-varying flow-induced forces on bodies immersed in fluid flows play a key role across a range of natural and engineered systems, from biological locomotion to propulsion and energy-harvesting devices. These transient forces often arise from complex, dynamic vortex interactions and can either enhance or degrade system performance. However, establishing a clear causal link between vortex structures and force transients remains challenging, especially in high-Reynolds number nominally three-dimensional flows. In this study, we investigate the unsteady lift generation on a rotor blade that is impulsively started with a span-based Reynolds number of 25,500. The lift history from this direct-numerical simulation reveals distinct early-time extrema associated with rapidly evolving flow structures, including the formation, evolution, and breakdown of leading-edge and tip vortices. To quantify the influence of these vortical structures on the lift transients, we apply the force partitioning method (FPM) that quantifies the surface pressure forces induced by vortex-associated effects. Two metrics - $Q$-strength and vortex proximity - are derived from FPM to provide a quantitative assessment of the influence of vortices on the lift force. This analysis confirms and extends qualitative insights from prior studies, and offers a simple-to-apply data-enabled framework for attributing unsteady forces to specific flow features, with potential applications in the design and control of systems where unsteady aerodynamic forces play a central role.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2025

Scaling Laws for Caudal Fin Swimmers Incorporating Hydrodynamics, Kinematics, Morphology, and Scale Effects

Many species of fish, as well as biorobotic underwater vehicles, employ body caudal fin propulsion, in which a wave-like body motion culminates in high-amplitude caudal fin oscillations to generate thrust. This study uses high fidelity simulations of a mackerel-inspired caudal fin swimmer across a wide range of Reynolds and Strouhal numbers to analyze the relationship between swimming kinematics and hydrodynamic forces. Central to this work is the derivation and use of a model for the leading edge vortex on the caudal fin. This vortex dominates the thrust production from the fin and the LEV model forms the basis for the derivation of scaling laws grounded in flow physics. Scaling laws are derived for thrust, power, efficiency, cost-of-transport, and swimming speed, and are parameterized using data from high fidelity simulations. These laws are validated against published simulation and experimental data, revealing several new kinematic and morphometric parameters that critically influence hydrodynamic performance. The results provide a mechanistic framework for understanding thrust generation, optimizing swimming performance, and assessing the effects of scale and morphology in aquatic locomotion of both fish and biorobotic underwater vehicles.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2025

Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics of da Vinci's Aerial Screw

Leonardo da Vinci's aerial screw, conceived in the 15th century, represents one of the earliest conceptualizations of lift-generating rotary flight. Despite its historical significance, the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performance of this rotor has received limited scientific attention. In this study, we employ direct numerical simulations to analyze the aerodynamic forces and acoustic emissions of a modernized da Vinci aerial screw design across a range of Reynolds numbers (2000, 4000, 8000, and 16000). These results are compared against those from a canonical two-bladed rotor producing similar lift. The aerial screw demonstrates 42.2% lower mechanical power consumption and 72.3% lower acoustic intensity per unit lift, primarily due to its larger wetted area and correspondingly lower rotational speed. Although the aerial screw exhibits a lower lift coefficient and much of its surface contributes minimally to lift generation, the net performance under iso-lift conditions highlights its efficiency and reduced noise signature. The continuous spiral geometry of the aerial screw also helps suppress blade-vortex interaction noise common in multi-bladed systems. These findings support previous scaling analyses and point toward unconventional rotor designs as viable options for low-noise aerial platforms.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2025

A GPU-Accelerated Sharp Interface Immersed Boundary Solver for Large Scale Flow Simulations

Immersed boundary methods (IBMs) facilitate the simulation of flows around stationary, moving, and deforming bodies on Cartesian grids. However, extending these simulations to the large grid sizes required for realistic flow problems remains a significant computational challenge. In this work, we present the implementation and acceleration of ViCar3D, a sharp-interface immersed boundary solver, on graphical processing units (GPUs). We utilize OpenACC, CUDA Fortran and MPI to reprogram \emph{ViCar3D}, a sharp-interface immersed boundary solver, on multi-GPU architectures. Verification and scalability studies are performed for two benchmark cases: two-dimensional flow past a circular cylinder and direct numerical simulation (DNS) of flow past a finite rectangular wing. For the latter, we observe an approximately 20X speedup (node-to-node comparison) relative to the CPU-based implementation. The GPU-accelerated solver is capable of simulating complex 3D flows with up to 200 million mesh points on a single node equipped with four GPUs. Strong and weak scaling tests demonstrate maximum scaling efficiencies of 92\% and 93\%, respectively, on multi-GPU systems. We further test the code to simulate fluid flow past complex-shaped single-body and multi-body cases.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2025

Harnessing Leading-Edge Vortices for Improved Thrust Performance of Wave-Induced Flapping Foil Propulsors

This study employs high-fidelity fluid-structure interaction simulations to investigate design optimizations for wave-assisted propulsion (WAP) systems using flapping foils. Building on prior work that identified the leading-edge vortex (LEV) as critical to thrust generation for these flapping foil propulsors, this work explores pitch control mechanisms and foil geometries to improve performance across varying sea states. Two pitch-limiting strategies $\unicode{x2014}$ a spring-limiter and an angle-limiter $\unicode{x2014}$ are evaluated. Results show that while both perform similarly at higher sea states, the angle-limiter yields superior thrust at sea-state 1, making it the preferred mechanism due to its simplicity and effectiveness. Additionally, foil geometry effects are analyzed, with thin elliptical and flat plate foils outperforming the baseline NACA0015 shape. The elliptical foil offers marginally better performance and is recommended for WAP applications. A fixed pitch amplitude of 5{\deg} provides thrust across all sea states, offering a practical alternative to more complex adaptive systems. These findings demonstrate how insights into the flow physics of flapping foils can inform the design of more efficient WAP systems.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2025

Flow-induced dorso-ventral deformation enhances propulsive efficiency in flexible caudal fins

Fish swim with flexible fins that stand in stark contrast to the rigid propulsors of engineered vehicles. Using numerical simulations of the dynamics of flow-structure interaction, we have found that dorso-ventral deformation in flexible caudal fins results in a 70% increase in efficiency of caudal fin swimmers compared to a rigid fin generating the same amount of thrust. By correlating fin deformation to the flow physics, we find that the greater power requirements of rigid fins can be largely attributed to their propensity to generate high-magnitude lateral forces. In contrast, flexible fins achieve high efficiency local-redirection of force where deformations orient pressure forces on the fin in fore-aft and dorso-ventral directions to reduce the power demand of generating thrust forces. These deformations occur at phases in the tail-beat cycle where the fin experiences large lateral velocities and pressure differentials and this reduces the net power expended by the flexible fins. In this way, the flexibility of a caudal fin offers a simple and elegant solution for efficient locomotion which does not require sensing, computation and control that might otherwise be provided by the nervous system of a fish or a computer within a underwater vehicle. These flow-induced dorso-ventral fin deformations therefore imbue a mechanical intelligence in these fins that provides propulsive advantages to caudal fin swimmers and they also offer solutions for efficient propulsion in engineered systems.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2025

Hydrodynamically Beneficial School Configurations in Carangiform Swimmers: Insights from a Flow-Physics Informed Model

Researchers have long debated which spatial arrangements and swimming synchronizations are beneficial for the hydrodynamic performance of fish in schools. In our previous work (Seo and Mittal, Bioinsp. Biomim., Vol. 17, 066020, 2022), we demonstrated using direct numerical simulations that hydrodynamic interactions with the wake of a leading body-caudal fin carangiform swimmer could significantly enhance the swimming performance of a trailing swimmer by augmenting the leading-edge vortex (LEV) on its caudal fin. In this study, we develop a model based on the phenomenology of LEV enhancement, which utilizes wake velocity data from direct numerical simulations of a leading fish to predict the trailing swimmer's hydrodynamic performance without additional simulations. This approach enables a comprehensive analysis of the effects of relative positioning, phase difference, flapping amplitude, Reynolds number, and the number of swimmers in the school on thrust enhancement. The results offer several insights regarding the effect of these parameters that have implications for fish schools as well as for bio-inspired underwater vehicle applications.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2025

Modal Force Partitioning -- A Method for Determining the Aerodynamic Loads for Decomposed Flow Modes with Application to Aeroacoustic Noise

Aerodynamic loads play a central role in many fluid dynamics applications, and we present a method for identifying the structures (or modes) in a flow that make dominant contributions to the time-varying aerodynamic loads in a flow. The method results from the combination of the force partitioning method (Menon and Mittal, J. Fluid Mech., 907:A37, 2021) and modal decomposition techniques such as Reynolds decomposition, triple decomposition, and proper orthogonal decomposition, and is applied here to three distinct flows - two-dimensional flows past a circular cylinder and an airfoil, and the three-dimensional flow over a revolving rectangular wing. We show that the force partitioning method applied to modal decomposition of velocity fields results in complex, and difficult to interpret inter-modal interactions. We therefore propose and apply modal decomposition directly to the $Q$-field associated with these flows. The variable $Q$ is a non-linear observable that is typically used to identify vortices in a flow, and we find that the direct decomposition of $Q$ leads to results that are more amenable to interpretation. We also demonstrate that this modal force partitioning can be extended to provide insights into the far-field aeroacoustic loading noise of these flows.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2025

Computational Modeling and Analysis of the Coupled Aero Structural Dynamics in Bat Inspired Wings

We employ a novel computational modeling framework to perform high-fidelity direct numerical simulations of aero-structural interactions in bat-inspired membrane wings. The wing of a bat consists of an elastic membrane supported by a highly articulated skeleton, enabling localized control over wing movement and deformation during flight. By modeling these complex deformations, along with realistic wing movements and interactions with the surrounding airflow, we expect to gain new insights into the performance of these unique wings. Our model achieves a high degree of realism by incorporating experimental measurements of the skeleton's joint movements to guide the fluid-structure interaction simulations. The simulations reveal that different segments of the wing undergo distinct aeroelastic deformations, impacting flow dynamics and aerodynamic loads. Specifically, the simulations show significant variations in the effectiveness of the wing in generating lift, drag, and thrust forces across different segments and regions of the wing. We employ a force partitioning method to analyze the causality of pressure loads over the wing, demonstrating that vortex-induced pressure forces are dominant while added mass contributions to aerodynamic loads are minimal. This approach also elucidates the role of various flow structures in shaping pressure distributions. Finally, we compare the fully articulated, flexible bat wing to equivalent stiff wings derived from the same kinematics, demonstrating the critical impact of wing articulation and deformation on aerodynamic efficiency.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2025

Bioinspired Drone Rotors for Reduced Aeroacoustic Noise and Improved Efficiency

The application of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is surging across several industries, paralleled by growing demand for these UAVs. However, the noise emitted by UAVs remains a significant impediment to their widespread use even though in areas such as product delivery, they can be more environmentally friendly than traditional delivery methods. Nature has often been a source of inspiration for devices that are efficient and eco-friendly. In the current study, we leverage the previous work by Seo et al. (Bioinsp. Biomimetics, 16 (4):046019, 2021) on the aeroacoustics of flapping wing flight in mosquitoes and fruit flies to propose and examine a simple strategy for reducing the aeroacoustic noise from drone rotors. In particular, inspired by these insects, we explore how an increase in the planform area of the rotor could be used to reduce the rotation rate and the associated aeroacoustic noise from small-scale rotors. The study employs a sharp-interface immersed boundary solver for the flow simulations and the aeroacoustic sound is predicted by the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings equation. Simulations indicate that the simple strategy of employing rotors with larger planform areas could lead not just to reduced aeroacoustic noise but improved power economy as well.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2024

Modeling the Effect of Sleeve Gastrectomy on Gastric Digestion in the Stomach: Insights from Multiphase Flow Modeling

The geometry and motility of the stomach play a critical role in the digestion of ingested liquid meals. Sleeve gastrectomy, a common type of bariatric surgery used to reduce the size of the stomach, significantly alters the stomach's anatomy and motility, which impacts gastric emptying and digestion. In this study, we use an imaging data-based computational model, StomachSim, to investigate the consequences of sleeve gastrectomy. The pre-operative stomach anatomy was derived from imaging data and the post-sleeve gastrectomy shapes were generated for different resection volumes. We investigate the effect of sleeve sizes and motility patterns on gastric mixing and emptying. Simulations were conducted using an immersed-boundary flow solver, modeling a liquid meal to analyze changes in gastric content mixing and emptying rates. The results reveal that different degrees of volume reduction and impaired gastric motility have complex effects on stomach's mixing and emptying functions, which are important factors in gastric health of the patient. These findings provide insights into the biomechanical effects of sleeve gastrectomy on gastric digestion and emptying functions, highlighting the potential of computational models to inform surgical planning and post-operative management.

physics.flu-dyn↗