Research Activities and Facilities

Aerospace Computing Lab (Rms. 001, 017c)	The principal focus of the ACL is the development and application of numerical techniques in the design of aerospace products. The basis of these numerical techniques lies in the application of multigrid methods pioneered by Professor Jameson in the past decades. These methods are being used to solve mathematical models of fluid flow ranging from the linearized potential flow equations to the fully non-linear unsteady Navier-Stokes equations. The computational efficiency of these techniques has made them the de facto standard in the aerospace industry. These codes have been used to analyze and design vehicles ranging from sailboats to commercial airliners.
Aerospace Design Lab (Rm. 010a)	The Aerospace Design Laboratory (ADL) was established in order to foster the use of high-fidelity analysis and design tools in a variety of aerospace design problems including aircraft, turbomachinery, launch vehicles, helicopters, and spacecraft. The lab has three main areas of interest: development of discipline-specific advanced algorithms for the simulation of complex physical phenomena, advanced methods for design of complex systems, and practical applications of these advanced design tools. The goal at the ADL is to develop and test new algorithms and methodologies in abstractions of design problems that contain all the ingredients of industrial, real-life design problems, not just academic examples. This work is (or has been) funded by NASA, DARPA, DoE, AFRL, AFOSR, Boeing, Raytheon Aircraft, and the US Navy, among others.
Aero Fluid Mechanics  Laboratories (Rm. 051, 725-3290)	* Researchers in the High-Pressure Shock Tube Laboratory measure the density, temperature, pressure, and radiation of gas flows energized by shock waves. Current research involves the study of the interaction of compressible vortices with aerodynamic surfaces, with emphasis on the noise generated by such interactions.  * The Turbulence and Combustion Laboratory is dedicated to basic studies of the fundamental properties of turbulent flow. Areas of interest include measurements of the structure of turbulent flames, direct numerical simulation of free shear flows, and use of topological methods for interpretation of complex three-dimensional vector fields. Recent projects include studies of turbulent flames using a variable-pressure flow facility, the creation and use of a particle-tracking system to measure the instantaneous velocity field in an unsteady diffusion flame, and the simulation of compressible and incompressible wakes at relatively high Reynolds numbers. Recently, a powerful new method for finding and identifying significant features in turbulence-simulation datasets was developed. This method is now being used to discover previously unknown features of the fine-scale structure of turbulence.
Aerospace Robotics Laboratory (Rm. 017, 723-3608)	The ARL continually creates experimental systems for developing advanced robot systems and new control techniques with applications to free-flying space robots, to undersea and air systems, to mobile ground robots, and to industrial automation. The focus is on the human-robot team, with the human at the strategy and task-command level and the robot system doing the real-time planning and precise task execution. The modus operandi is to pursue entirely new control system concepts, one after another, to full experimental proof of concept. Outdoor and indoor precision GPS (2 cm) systems are an integral part of each of the above vehicle systems (except undersea). Joint projects are underway with the Computer Science Robotics Laboratory in the full vertical integration of task conceptualization, planning, and quick, precise execution. Experimental extension of these concepts to deep-underwater robotic vehicle development is being advanced with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
Aircraft Aerodynamics and Design Group (Rm. 167; 723-1640)	The Aircraft Aerodynamics and Design Group at Stanford University is involved with research in applied aerodynamics and aircraft design. Work ranges from the development of computational and experimental methods for aerodynamic analysis to studies of unconventional aircraft concepts and new architectures for multidisciplinary design optimization. The Flight Research Lab is devoted to studies of unusual aircraft configurations and novel flight control concepts; there, flight experiments involving small remotely-piloted aircraft instrumented with computers and sensors are used to augment results from analytical design studies.
GPS Laboratory (HEPL and Durand, 723-3755)	The GPS Laboratory is studying and building systems for vehicle navigation and attitude determination. Since the GPS satellite navigation system became operational in 1993, there is increasing interest in an array of applications for this technology. Specific Stanford accomplishments to date include: the demonstration of attitude determination with GPS in aircraft and spacecraft; the demonstration of centimeter-level accuracy in aircraft navigation during automatic landings; the demonstration of meter-level accuracy over continental areas using wide area differential techniques; the demonstration of the use of GPS for precision farming and open pit mining; and the demonstration of precision formation flight. In addition, the laboratory has been instrumental in the design of the new 3-frequency signals for future GPS satellites, and expects to be a leader in the development of this capability.
Gravity Probe B Project (GP-B) (HEPL, 725-4101)	The Gravity Probe B is a NASA satellite program being developed at Stanford. It is the largest program delegated to a University by NASA. GP-B supplies two entirely new, very precise, tests of Einstein's general theory of relativity, our fundamental, but very incompletely tested, theory of the large-scale structure of the Universe. Based on observations of gyroscopes in a "drag-free" satellite flying in Earth orbit, the mission will provide (a) by far the most precise test of general relativity ever attempted, and (b) the first measurement ever on one of Einstein's most fundamental predictions, the phenomenon of frame-dragging. These measurements have deep implications for unifying gravity with the other forces of nature, and for interpreting astrophysical phenomena.
Guidance and Control Labs	The Guidance and Control Laboratories include a wide spectrum of specialized facilities for making and testing novel instruments and control systems of extremely high precision. Applications include aerospace vehicle guidance and control, sensing instrument development and applications, internal combustion engine feedback for improved efficiency and reduced pollution, robotics for manufacturing and operations in space, precision engineering and fabrication, and ultraprecision machine tool design and development.
Hybrid Systems Lab (Rm. 032; 736-2103 and 736-4116)	The Hybrid Systems Laboratory is designing algorithms for the analysis and control of complex aerodynamic systems. Research ranges from systems design and control for the next generation of Air Traffic Systems, through the development of algorithms for automatic flight-mode switching in flight-management systems, to the design and control of a team of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
Networked Systems and Control Laboratory (Rm. 009, 723-1031)	The Networked Systems and Control Lab is developing algorithms and techniques for modeling, analysis, and robust design of complex interconnected and distributed systems. This research is at the intersection of dynamics, control, and computation. Applications include systems of multiple, semi-autonomous vehicles and data networks.
Space and Systems Development Laboratory (Rm. 007, 723-6021)	The Space and Systems Development Laboratory (SSDL) provides graduate students with a world-class education and research in the field of space system design, technology, and operation. SSDL's Satellite Quick Research Testbed (SQUIRT) trains students in all aspects of the spacecraft design life cycle through hands-on work on real, student-engineered satellites - intended to be excellent examples of simple, fast, cheap, flexible, and intelligent micro-satellite design, launched into orbit and operated from Stanford. SQUIRT also prepares students for participation in SSDL's advanced space research projects. Scientific and engineering partners in these projects include a variety of academic research centers, government laboratories, and industrial corporations. SSDL's flagship satellites are SAPPHIRE and OPAL.
Structures and Composites Laboratory (Rm. 054, 723-3524)	Research encompasses composite structural design, including vibration, stability, impact damage, and environmental effects; biological applications of composites; grid structures; composites in sports equipment; composite manufacturing; fiber optic and piezoelectric sensors; structural health monitoring; and smart structures. The laboratory is providing the data, design methods, and tools to make the most effective use of these materials.

 

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