Modeling Gravitation Field of M87*

MATLAB team project

A research project focused on modeling the gravitational field of the supermassive black hole M87* using tools from vector calculus, classical Newtonian gravity, and MATLAB-based numerical simulation. 

Presented findings at the university-wide Student Research Symposium, demonstrating technical computation, scientific communication, and analytical depth.

Simulation-Based Analysis of Aerolastic Flutter Using a 2-DOF Mass-Spring-Damper Model

As part of a research project for MA 345 (Differential Equations & Matrix Methods), our team built a MATLAB simulation to study wing flutter, the instability where aerodynamic, elastic, and inertial forces couple to produce self-reinforcing oscillations that can lead to structural failure. I developed the core MATLAB model, representing the wing as a 2-degree-of-freedom typical section (plunge and pitch) scaled to Cessna 172 wing parameters, and converted the governing second-order differential equations into a first-order state-space representation to solve for system eigenvalues across a 0–120 m/s velocity range.

We tested four candidate materials: aluminum 6061, birch, steel 36, and tungsten; comparing how mass, stiffness, and damping characteristics affected flutter onset. Across the tested range, all four materials showed consistently negative damping with no transition to instability, indicating no critical flutter speed was reached under the simulated conditions. The project also included time-domain simulation of the plunge and pitch response at a representative test velocity, showing decaying oscillations consistent with the eigenvalue results.

This project sharpened my ability to translate coupled structural dynamics into a numerical model, from setting up mass/stiffness/damping matrices to interpreting eigenvalue results physically, a skill set directly relevant to structural and aeroelastic analysis on real aircraft and launch vehicle hardware.