Farhan Gandhi, Ph.D.
Professor of Aerospace Engineering
231C Hammond Building
Penn State University
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: 814-865-1164 / Fax: 814-865-7092
E-mail: fgandhi@psu.edu
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Aerospace Engineering, August 1995 University of Maryland, College Park, Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center Modeling of Nonlinear Elastomeric Dampers and Effects on Bearingless Rotor Aeroelasticity (Thesis Advisor: Inderjit Chopra)
Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering, May 1992 University of Maryland, College Park, Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center
Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering, July 1989 Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
Honors and Awards
2nd Place in the American Helicopter Society Student Design Competition, May 1996, Team of five students was supervised by (jointly with E. C. Smith). -
US Army Research Office Young Investigator Award, June 1997. - 1998
American Helicopter Society Francois Xavier Bagnoud Award for Outstanding Contributions to Vertical Flight Technology by a society member under the age of 35. -
2nd Place in the American Helicopter Society Student Design Competition, May 1998, Team of five students was supervised by (jointly with E. C. Smith). -
Best paper in Aircraft Design at the American Helicopter Society Annual Forum in 2002. - 2007
Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award for a Centrifugal Force Actuated Variable Span Morphing Helicopter Rotor. http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4224761.html?series=37
Research Interests
Rotorcraft Dynamics and Aeroelasticity – Conventional helicopters, compound helicopters, tiltrotor aircraft, and swashplateless rotors. Passive design optimization, active and semi-active controls; for helicopter vibration reduction, aeroelastic and aeromechanical stability augmenation, and blade-vortex interaction alleviation. Smart Materials and Structures – Shape Memory Alloys and polymers, Electrorheological and Magnetorheological Fluids, Piezoelectric actuators and Active Constrained Layer Treatments; for structural vibration reduction and damping augmentation. Variable Stiffness Structures, Cellular Structures and Bi-Stable Structures. Morphing aircraft/rotorcraft systems – Variable camber, span, twist, chord, flexible skin design.