University of Tasmania to join US academic institutions in hydrodynamics research
Australia’s naval capability will become the focus of a new research with a $3 million grant over three years provided to the University of Tasmania, which will partner with US universities for the study. The university will participate in the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) administered by the US Department of Defense.
The Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, has confirmed the grant, adding that the university’s Australian Maritime College will take part in hydrodynamics research with seven top US academic institutions that will help develop Australia’s ship and submarine capability. The grant was made possible under the Next Generation Technologies Fund led by the Defence Science and Technology Group.
“MURI is a highly successful collaborative US program that brings researchers from different disciplines together to investigate high-priority and complex military problems,” Pyne said. He added that it is an excellent example of adding value through expertise and funding from additional sources and that it is consistent with the intent of the Next Generation Technologies Fund.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the California Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Minnesota, the University of California, the University of Michigan and the University of Iowa are the US universities taking part in the hydrodynamics research. These institutions will obtain funding from the US Office of Naval Research.
The physics of cavitation will be the study's focus so researchers will have a better understanding of how it impacts naval vessel performance. Cavitation takes place when air bubbles form in the water flowing over a surface then collapse. The process was believed to cause damage to the surface when the air bubbles burst and cause erosion. It also leads to high levels of noise.
The cavitation tunnel could be utilised to study various hull shapes, propeller flexibility and propeller profiles to determine how they might affect cavitation, according to a media release from the Department of Defence Ministers. The study is expected to result in further understanding of shapes and flexibility that can reduce cavitation as well as noise and erosion.
“I congratulate the University of Tasmania on their sound research proposal and wish them all success with their US partnership in delivering a maritime capability for Australia,” Pyne said. The University of Tasmania is a national leader in industry-led research with a long record of working with industry, non-government organisations and individuals.
