Assoc. Prof. Zhaolin Chen | 陈肇麟副教授
Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China | 南京航空航天大学
Dr. Zhaolin Chen earned his MEng in Aerospace Engineering in 2009 and his Ph.D. in Aerodynamics in 2014, both from the University of Sheffield, UK. Following his Ph.D., he began his career as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the same institution, working under Professor Ning Qin.
From 2015 to 2018, he served as a Senior Engineer in the Turbomachinery Design Department at FlaktGroup Ltd in the UK. In 2019, he joined the Department of Aircraft Design at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA).
His research focuses on developing computational methods for solving governing fluid flow equations and advancing optimization techniques. Specific areas of expertise include steady and unsteady flow simulation, mesh deformation techniques, optimization, and aerodynamic-structural coupling. His work is applied to aerodynamic and aeroacoustic simulation and optimization of wings and rotor blades. Recently, he has concentrated on designing aerial vehicles for Mars, involving the development of multi-fidelity codes for rotor design, aero-structural design of rotors, and experimental testing in Martian environments.
Title of Speech: An Integrated Multi-fidelity Framework for Mars Rotor Blade Design
Abstract: This current work presents a multi-fidelity design optimization framework for the aerodynamic shape design of a Martian rotor system. The framework integrates four key components: (1) multi-objective optimization of 2D airfoils using NURBS parameterization and a three-stage sampling strategy combined with parallel CFD simulations to build a high-fidelity aerodynamic database; (2) development of an optimum circulation distribution method for Mars rotor blades based on lifting line theory and variational optimization, inspired by coupled methods from contra-rotating propeller theory, with viscous corrections interpolated from the airfoil database; (3) efficient aerodynamic simulations using a moving reference frame (MRF) and single-passage structured grids with periodic boundary conditions, enabling rapid parametric studies; and (4) experimental validation in a Mars environment simulation chamber capable of replicating low-pressure and low-density conditions, with high-precision torque and thrust measurements. The proposed framework achieves significant improvements in rotor aerodynamic performance under given thrust constraints and provides a systematic solution for the design of Mars rotor blades. The multi-fidelity approach ensures both computational efficiency and predictive accuracy, bridging the gap between low-order models and high-fidelity simulations.