Ray LeBeau, Ph.D., P.E.
Associate Professor; Associate Department Chair
Education
Ph.D. in Planetary Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.S. in Engineering Physics, University of Virginia
B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia
Research Interests
His research focus is computational fluid dynamics, but over a broad range of topics including flow control, aerodynamic design optimization, unmanned aerial vehicle design, inflatable wings, plasma actuators, cluster computer design, performance of computational codes, and the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune
Labs and Facilities
Fluid Systems Laboratory
Subsonic Wind Tunnel
There is a 28x40 inch closed-throat, open circuit low speed wind tunnel, that is capable
of continuous air speeds up to 150 mph. A six component strain gauge balance with
computerized data acquisition and analysis using LabVIEW is available. A helium bubble
generator unit is available for flow visualization studies. A Laser Doppler Velocimetry
system is available for flow measurements. This facility is utilized for undergraduate
laboratory instruction. Students and faculty use this facility for model testing and
experimental research. This facility is also used for graduate research as well as
externally funded research.
There is a 12X12 inch closed-throat, open circuit low speed wind tunnel, that is capable
of air speeds up to 120 mph. A four component strain gage balance is available for
measuring forces on a sting mounted model. This facility is primarily used for undergraduate
laboratory instruction.
Supersonic Wind Tunnel
There is a 4x4 inch supersonic blow down wind tunnel with speed to Mach 4. A four
component strain gauge balance and computerized data reduction system is available.
Flow visualization in the supersonic wind tunnel is done through a Schlieren Optical
System. This facility is used primarily for undergraduate laboratory instruction.
Water Tunnel
There is a water tunnel (Eidetics 1520) for flow visualization studies as well as
investigating other fluid flow behavior past bodies. A dynamic model support is available.
This facility is used for undergraduate laboratory instruction as well as graduate
research. A shear layer water tunnel is also available. There exists a state of the
art Digital Particle Image Velocimetry System (DPIV) along with high-speed data acquisition
system for flow visualization & analysis in the two water tunnels.
Publications and Media Placements
Printed Archival Peer-Reviewed Journals
de Pater, I., L.A. Sromovsky, Heidi B. Hammel, P.M. Fry, R.P. LeBeau, K. Rages, M.
Showalter, K. Matthews, 2011. Post-equinox Observations of Uranus: Berg’s Evolution,
Vertical Structure, and Track towards the Equator. Icarus, 215, 332-345. doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2011.06.022
Hauser, Th. and R.P. LeBeau, Jr., 2010. Optimization of a Computational Fluid Dynamics
Code for the Memory Hierarchy: A Case Study. International Journal for High Performance
Computing Applications, 24, 299-318. doi: 10.1177/1094342009358413
Hammel, H.B., L.A. Sromovsky, P.M. Fry, K. Rages, M. Showalter, I. de Pater, M. van
Dam, R.P. LeBeau, and X. Deng, 2009. The Dark Spot in the Atmosphere of Uranus in
2006: Discovery, Description, and Dynamical Simulations. Icarus 201, Issue 1, p. 257-271.
doi: 10.1016/j.icarus.2008.08.019
Santhanakrishnan, A., D.A. Reasor, Jr., and R.P. LeBeau, Jr., 2009. Characterization
of Linear Plasma Synthetic Jet Actuators in an Initially Quiescent Medium. Physics
of Fluids, 21, Issue 4, 043601, 18 pages. doi: 10.1063/1.3097004
Peer-Reviewed Conference Papers Zhang, F., K.J. Ghobadi, R.P. LeBeau, Jr., and M.
McQuilling, 2013. Examination of Three Dimensional Flow over a Chambered Inflatable
Wing. Accepted to the 31st AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference, San Diego, CA. R.P.
LeBeau, Jr. and Cs. Palotai, 2013. In Search of Links Between Terrestrial Hurricanes
and Drifting Ice Giant Vortices. Accepted to the 5th AIAA Atmospheric and Space Environments
Conference, San Diego, CA.
Ghobadi, K.J., E. Pifer, R.P. LeBeau, Jr., G. Bramesfeld, and M. McQuilling, 2012.
A Computational and Experimental Investigation of Flow over an Inflatable Wing. 30th
AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference, AIAAA-2012-2899, New Orleans, LA, June 26.
Warning, S.W., R.P. LeBeau, Jr., Cs. Palotai, and X. Deng, 2012. Effects of Hemispheric
Circulation on Uranian Atmospheric Dynamics and Methane Depletion. 4th AIAA Atmospheric
and Space Environments Conference, AIAA-2012-2931, New Orleans, LA, June 26.
Ghobadi, K.J., R.P. LeBeau, Jr., and Th. Hauser, 2012. Computational Testing of Inflatable
Airfoils for Improved Design. 50th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, AIAA-2012-1213,
Nashville, TN, January 12.
Warning, S.W., R.P. LeBeau, Jr., Cs. Palotai, and X. Deng, 2012. An Examination of
the Local Dynamics of Ice Giant Atmospheric Phenomena. 50th AIAA Aerospace Sciences
Meeting, AIAA-2012-0561, Nashville, TN, January 10.
Hauser, Th., T.A. Johansen, and R.P. LeBeau, Jr., 2011. Computational Optimization
of a Low Reynolds Number Inflatable Airfoil. 20th AIAA Computational Fluid Dynamics
Conference, AIAA-2011-3534, Honolulu, HI, June 27-30.
LeBeau, R.P., Jr., S. W. Warning, and Cs. Palotai, 2011. Orographic Cloud Development
Paired With Atmospheric Vortex Dynamics on Uranus and Neptune. 3rd AIAA Atmospheric
and Space Environments Conference, AIAA-2011-3202, Honolulu, HI, June 27-30.
Takahashi, D., and R.P. LeBeau, Jr., 2011. Computational Investigation of Reynolds
Number Effects on Flow over Inflatable Airfoils.49th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting,
AIAA 2011-0337, Orlando, FL, January, 4-7.
LeBeau, R.P., X. Deng, and C. Palotai, 2010.The Influence of Persistent Companion
Clouds on Geophysical Vortex Dynamics, 40th AIAA Fluid Dynamics Conference and Exhibit,
AIAA 2010-4300, Chicago, IL, Jun 28-Jul 1
Conference Abstracts
LeBeau, R.P., Jr., G. Bramesfeld, S.W. Warning, and Cs. Palotai, 2012. Examining Atmospheric
Conditions for the Potential Exploration of Gas Giant Vortices with Autonomous Gliders.
31st Congress of the Organisation Scientific et Technique Internationale du Vol a
Voile (OSTIV), Uvalde, TX August 8-15.
Warning, S.W., R.P. LeBeau, Jr., and Cs. Palotai, 2011. Orographic Cloud Formation
and Evolution about Ice Giant Vortices, 36th Annual Dayton-Cincinnati Aerospace Science
Symposium, Dayton, OH, March 1
Conference Posters
LeBeau, R.P., Jr., S.W. Warning, Cs. Palotai, and X. Deng, 2012. A Closer Examination
of the Joint Behavior of Dark Spots and their Companion Clouds on the Ice Giants.
44th Annual Meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences, Reno, NV October 14-19.
LeBeau, R.P., Jr., Cs. Palotai, X. Deng, and S.W. Warning, 2011. A Numerical Examination
of Companion Cloud-Vortex Morphology on the Ice Giants. 43rd Annual Meeting of the
Division for Planetary Sciences, Nantes, France, October 3-7.
LeBeau, R.P., Jr., C. Palotai, and X. Deng, 2010. Simulating Ice Giant Vortices and
their Bright Companion Clouds. 42nd Annual Meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences,
Pasadena, CA, October 3-8, Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 42, 1023
Professional Organizations and Associations
LeBeau is currently an Associate Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a member in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers, and the American Astronomical Society, Division for Planetary Sciences. He is also a registered as a Professional Engineer in Kentucky.
Community Work and Service
Ray LeBeau joined the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering department at Parks College in 2010, previously having worked at the University of Kentucky in the departments of Mechanical Engineering and Physics and Astronomy. LeBeau is an author on more than 60 journal and conference papers and has served as advisor for more than 15 M.S. and Ph.D. students.