Kevin J. Maki

Professor Maki works in the area of marine computational mechanics with an emphasis on developing new methods for performance evaluation of marine vehicles.

His research in the marine domain can be organized into two themes. Firstly, he has developed a novel method to couple a full finite-element model of a ship with a nonlinear fluid model that includes breaking waves and turbulence to predict loading in extreme operating conditions. Secondly, he has developed computational-fluid-dynamics-based tools that are included within the new virtual design environment that is used by naval ship designers and engineers.

He currently is also active in performing research in the automotive sector and is leading a multi-disciplinary team to model the turbulent fluid flow around the vehicle body with consideration of small surface changes and impact on fuel economy. His research is directly tied to his teaching and has produced two new courses taught at the senior and graduate student levels on the topic of numerical methods and computational fluid dynamics for high-Reynolds number incompressible external flows with an air-water interface.

• NA 203 The Physics of Sailing
• NA 270 Introduction to Vessel/Platform Design
• NA 423 Introduction to Numerical Hydrodynamics

• P He, CA Mader, JRRA Martins, KJ Maki (2018) “An aerodynamic design optimization framework using a discrete adjoint approach with OpenFOAM”,
• Computers & Fluids, vol 168, pp 285-303.
• SA Mäkiharju, IHR Lee, GP Filip, KJ Maki, SL Ceccio (2017), “The topology of gas jets injected beneath a surface and subject to liquid cross-flow”, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, vol 818, pp 141-183.
• Y Chen, KJ Maki (2017), “A velocity decomposition approach for three-dimensional unsteady flow”, European Journal of Mechanics-B/Fluids, vol 62, pp 94-108.
• Rosemurgy, W.J., Beck, R.F., Maki, K.J., (2016) “A velocity decomposition formulation for 2D steady incompressible lifting problems” European Journal of Mechanics B/Fluids, vol 58, pp 70-84.
• MO Woolliscroft, KJ Maki (2016) “A fast-running CFD formulation for unsteady ship maneuvering performance prediction”, Ocean Engineering, vol 117, pp 154-162
• Filip, G., Kim, D.H., Sahu, S., Kat, J., Maki, K., (2014) “Bulbous Bow Retrofit of a Container Ship Using an Open-Source Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Toolbox”, Transactions of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, vol 122.
• Piro, D.J., Maki, K.J., (2012) “Hydroelastic analysis of bodies that enter and exit water” Journal of Fluids and Structures, vol  37, pp 134-150.