Stuart "Alex" Craig

Assistant Professor, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Arizona Research Center of Hypersonics Image
sacraig@arizona.edu

Boundary-layer stability and transition in high-speed and hypersonic flows

Prof. Alex Craig has been an active researcher the field of boundary-layer stability and transition and hydrodynamic stability for 10 years with experience in both incompressible and compressible flows. His research has primarily focused on the experimental study of high-speed and hypersonic boundary layers. Prof. Craig recently conducted a study on the nonlinear interaction between waves in a hypersonic boundary layer in aquiet wind tunnel, which provided evidence of a possible triad interaction. He also performed the first-ever detailed mapping of a crossflow-dominated hypersonic boundary layer, revealing a substantial similarity between hypersonic and subsonic crossflow vortices. Additionally, he has conducted experience using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators as a flow control device for implementing transition delay on low-speed swept wings in wind tunnel and flight tests. Recently, his team has completed the reactivation and shakedown of a Mach 4 quiet Ludwieg tube. A Mach 5 Ludwieg tube has also been constructed by his team and is currently undergoing shakedown testing.

Prof. Craig is an active member of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and a member of the AIAA Fluid DynamicsTechnical Committee and has given a number of invited lectures around the U.S.

Publications

  • Craig SA, Humble RA, Hofferth JW, Saric WS. (2019) “Nonlinear behaviour of the Mack mode in a hypersonic boundary layer.” J. Fluid Mech. 872, 74–99. doi:10.1017/jfm.2019.359.
  • Kocian TS, Moyes AJ, Reed HL, Craig SA, Saric WS, Schneider SP, Edelman JB. (2018) “Hypersonic crossflow instability.” J. Spacecr. Rockets. doi:10.2514/1.A34289.
  • Craig SA, Saric WS. (2016) “Crossflow instability in a hypersonic boundary layer.” J. Fluid Mech. 808, 224–244. doi:10.1017/jfm.2016.643.
  • Craig SA, Saric WS. (2015) “Crossflow instability on a yawed cone at Mach 6.” Procedia IUTAM. 14. 15–25. doi:10.1016/j.piutam.2015.03.019.
  • Humble RA, Craig SA, Hofferth JW, Saric WS. (2013) “Spatiotemporal structure of a millimetric annular dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator.” Phys. Fluids. 25, 017103 (2013). doi:10.1063/1.4774334.