Emeritus Professor David Mee

Emeritus Professor

School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology

Overview

Prof David Mee's research interests are in Hypersonic and Supersonic Flow.

After completing his PhD at UQ, he spent five years as a Research Fellow in the turbomachinery research group at Oxford University in the U.K. He returned to UQ as an ARC Queen Elizabeth II Research Fellow in 1991 and joined the academic staff of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1993. He served as Head of the Division of Mechanical Engineering from 2007 to 2017, acting Head of the School of Engineering from January to July 2009 and Head of the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering from July 2009 to February 2017. He retired in 2020 and is currently an Emeritus Professor in the School.

David's main areas of research are focussed in the field of hypersonics aerothermodynamics. He has undertaken much research on rapid response, stress-wave force balances, which are essential technology for categorising the performance of scramjet engines in transient facilities, such as shock tubes. He was a member of the team that conducted the first known wind-tunnel test in which a scramjet vehicle produced net thrust. He has also published on the transient processes in the latter stages of boundary layer transition in hypersonic flows.

Research Interests

  • Superorbital Flows with Separation
    This project is directed towards the influence that real gas effects may have on separation regions in superorbital hypersonic flows.
  • Boundary-layer combustion
    Injection, ignition and combustion of fuel into the boundary layer of a supersonic flow can lead to substantial reductions in skin friction. This has potential for improvement of the performance of scramjet-powered vehicles.
  • Force Measurement in Impulse Facilities
    Measurement of aerodynamic forces on bodies in short-duration impulse facilities. A number of such facilities exist at The University of Queensland.
  • Scramjet Testing in Shock Tunnels
    Generally half the drag of hypersonic vehicles will be caused by air friction on the aircraft�s skin. A new method of reducing skin friction has been discovered. The range of conditions under which this method will be effective are being investigated.
  • Boundary-layer Transition
    This project studies the processes by which a laminar boundary layer transitions to a turbulent one under conditions of hypervelocity flow. This will lead to a better understanding and improved modelling of the high-speed transition process.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor of Engineering, The University of Queensland

Publications

  • Ananthapadmanaban, Ramprakash, McIntyre, Timothy J., Wheatley, Vincent and Mee, David J. (2024). Noise Generated in a Scramjet Combustor. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, 1-13. doi: 10.2514/1.a35779

  • Ananthapadmanaban, Ramprakash, Veeraragavan, Ananthanarayanan, McIntyre, Timothy, Wheatley, Vincent and Mee, David (2023). Measurements of Free stream Density Fluctuations in the T4 Stalker Tube. 25th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, Karnataka, India, 28 May - 1 June 2023. Reston, VA United States: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. doi: 10.2514/6.2023-3031

  • Mee, David J., Raghunath, Sreekanth and McGilvray, Matthew (2023). Heat-transfer gauge arrays for identifying spot initiation in hypersonic transitional boundary layers. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, 60 (5), 1-8. doi: 10.2514/1.a35662

View all Publications

Available Projects

  • Measurement of turbulence in hypersonic boundary layers.

    We are looking for suitable Australian citizens/PR for a project involving measurements on a model of a hypersonic flight test configuration in the T4 Stalker tube at UQ. The project is primarily experimental but will involve collaboration with other students in Australia and overseas.

View all Available Projects

Publications

Book Chapter

  • Hannemann, Klaus, Itoh, Katsuhiro, Mee, David J. and Hornung, Hans G. (2016). Free piston shock tunnels HEG, HIEST, T4 and T5. Experimental methods of shock wave research. (pp. 181-264) edited by Hans Grönig, Yasuyuki Horie and Kazuyoshi Takayama. London, United Kingdom: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-23745-9_7

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Edited Outputs

  • Peter Jacobs, Peter McIntyre, Matthew Cleary, David Buttsworth, David Mee, Rose, Clements, Richard Morgan and Charles Lemckert eds. (2007). Proceedings of the 16th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference. 16th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Gold Coast, QLD Australia, 3-7 December 2007. Brisbane, QLD Australia: The University of Queensland.

  • D. J. Mee, R. J. Hooker and I. D. M. Hillock eds. (2004). Acoustics 2004 - Transportation Noise and Vibration - the New Millennium. Proceedings of the annual conference of the Australian Acoustical Society, Gold Coast, Australia, 3-5 November 2004. Australia: Australian Acoustical Society.

  • Mee, David J. ed. (2003). Proceedings of the 10th Australian International Aerospace Congress. 10th Australian International Aerospace Congress, Brisbane, Australia, 29 July – 1 August, 2003. Barton, Australia: Engineers Australia.

Other Outputs

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

Completed Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • Measurement of turbulence in hypersonic boundary layers.

    We are looking for suitable Australian citizens/PR for a project involving measurements on a model of a hypersonic flight test configuration in the T4 Stalker tube at UQ. The project is primarily experimental but will involve collaboration with other students in Australia and overseas.