The design and analysis of underwater propulsors forms a core area of research and development at ARL Penn State. With its excellent test facilities, ARL Penn State has traditionally focused on experimental fluid dynamics, where fundamental and exploratory research is conducted into the physical phenomena governing boundary layer flows, cavitation, flow control, and the hydrodynamics of marine vehicles.

In conjunction with research in experimental fluid dynamics, ARL Penn State works to develop a technology base for the design and analysis of marine vehicles integrated with their control systems and propulsors. This technology is applied in the development and demonstration of advanced concepts, with a focus on propulsor and turbomachinery design. This design work concurrently incorporates technology developed in other research areas at ARL Penn State, namely, flow and structural acoustics, computational mechanics, materials science, and manufacturing science.

Fluid and Structural Mechanics includes:

• Computational Mechanics
• Fluid Dynamics
• Noise Control & Hydroacoustics
• Research Facilities