This award supports a one-week project planning trip to Seoul, Korea for Eric Maslen of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of the University of Virginia. Professor Maslen intends to finalize the details of a collaborative research relationship with Professor Dong-Chul Han of the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of Seoul National University. The two institutions recently agreed on a program that facilitates research visits to Virginia by Korean graduate students. These have led to a familiarity and confidence that warrants a more substantive research partnership. The mutual interest of the two faculty members is the dynamic modeling of rotating machinery through a combination of engineering analysis and experimental data. Their recent research experience and expertise is complementary, and they expect to collaborate through a coordinated division of labor.
Beyond generating new knowledge, the anticipated research will have educational value through the international experience to be gained by participating U.S. graduate and undergraduate students. Furthermore, rotating machinery is the largest "consumer" of both fossil and nuclear fuels worldwide. The research being planned should lead to improvement in machine design for greater efficiency and lower fuel use, which carries with it obvious environmental and economic benefits.
