Fluid Mechanics and Aerodynamics Laboratory

With more than 30 years of activity, the Fluid Mechanics and Aerodynamics Laboratory (LabMFA) is one of the most established laboratories of the Department of Mechanical Engineering within COPPE - Graduate School of Engineering at UFRJ. The laboratory develops research in fluid mechanics with a current emphasis on computational modeling, finite element methods, multiphase flows, fluid-structure interaction, heat transfer, and complex flow simulation.


Prof. Gustavo R. Anjos Aline Barbosa Figueiredo Antonio Emanuel Marques dos Santos Breno Mota Sarmento Carina Nogueira Sondermann Carlos Echenique Daniel Barbedo Vasconcelos Santos Eduardo Dias Correa Eng. Carlos Humberto Lionel de Souza Fabio Gaspar Santos Junior Gabriel de Lucas Garden Gabriel Ricardo Güntensperger Sousa Higor Odilon Gottgtroy João Paulo Innocente de Souza Jorge Angel Aguilera Liendo Jose Lages da Silva Neto Juliana Calazans de Cerqueira Lucas Borges Menezes Lucas Mendes Miranda M.Sc. Jaciara Roberta Barbosa Raphael Viggiano Neves de Freitas Rodrigo Augusto Camara Patricio Rodrigo Gadelha Salvaterra Dutra

LabMFA members orient their activities toward the training of human resources and the development of new knowledge in computational and applied fluid mechanics. Aerodynamics remains part of the laboratory's history and capabilities, with selected activities still conducted in the area, but the present research profile is mainly driven by numerical methods and multiphysics flow problems. The training of human resources has been carried out at all levels, from undergraduate scientific research programs to graduate programs, with master's and doctoral students, including postdoctoral researchers.

Research at a Glance

Current LabMFA research is concentrated on:

  • Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and high-fidelity numerical simulation
  • Finite Element Method (FEM) formulations for fluid and coupled flow problems
  • Two-phase and multiphase flows, including deformable interfaces, bubble dynamics, coalescence, breakup, and surface-force-dominated flows
  • Fluid-structure interaction (FSI) involving moving boundaries, rigid body motion, and deformable structures
  • Heat and mass transfer in complex flow configurations
  • Aerodynamics and wind-related flows, maintained as a complementary and historical area of expertise

LabMFA in Numbers

  • More than 30 years of research activity
  • Approximately 300 m2 of laboratory building area
  • Approximately 200 m2 of open experimental area
  • 2 wind tunnels available for teaching, validation, and selected aerodynamic studies
  • High-performance computing and data storage infrastructure for numerical simulations
  • Training of undergraduate, M.Sc., D.Sc., and postdoctoral researchers
  • 16 current students and postdoctoral researchers supervised in LabMFA
  • 17 alumni from LabMFA supervision already listed on the site
  • 7 current student and postdoctoral profiles and 8 alumni profiles with at least one coauthored publication listed
  • 7 journal articles and 33 conference papers with student or postdoctoral coauthors

Explore LabMFA

The left image below is a photography of the building showing the 3-floor installations as well as the open area where experimental facilities are installed. The right hand side photo is the inside view of the meeting room located on the 3rd floor of LabMFA.

laboratory building meeting room

The working space comprises a 3-floor laboratory, including 300 m2 of building area with a meeting room, a fully equipped 20-seat lecture room, student offices, a permanent staff room, and an atelier/machinery repair shop. The laboratory also has approximately 200 m2 of open space with experimental facilities, including 2 wind tunnels with balance and instrumentation used for education, validation, and selected research activities.