Dr Joseph Banks

Research interests

• Performance sport engineering;
• Experimental methods for fluid structure interaction problems;
• Performance of sailing vessels and wind assited ships;
• Numerical methods for determining resistance and propulsion.

Current research

Performance sport engineering

I work closely with the UK Sports Institute (UKSI) to improve athletes’ performance through a greater understanding of the physical mechanisms of resistance and propulsion. This research mainly focuses on the sports of Swimming, Sailing, Rowing and Bob-skeleton and supports British Athletes at the Olympic games.

Performance of sailing vessels and wind-assisted ships

My personal interest in the sport of sailing means that I have keen professional interest in understanding the physics behind a yacht’s performance and how we can use the wind to reduce the emmisions from commercial ships. This predominantly focuses of the fluid dynamics involved in sailing, from the aerodynamic forces that propel the vessel forward to the hydrodynamic forces generated by the hull, keel, rudder, propeller or hydrofoils.

I am currently leading the 2 year innovate UK funded research program 'Winds of Change' with Smart Green Shipping Ltd to install their FastFig wing sails on a ship for the first time. 

Experimental methods for fluid structure interaction problems

Increased use of composite materials is leading to more flexible structures being designed to operate in a marine environment (for example composite propellers and hydrofoils). The ability to quantify the impact of structural deformations is crucial to maximising their performance. Developing experimental methods for measuring the structural deformations (such as Digital Image Correlation) can be combined with flow field measurements (such as Particle Image Correlation) to understand how the fluid and structure interact. 

Numerical methods for determining resistance and propulsion

Computational fluid dynamics allows detailed simulations of the flow structures that develop around a body moving through the water. This allows the physical causes of different resistance components and propulsive mechanisms to be quantified and their interactions understood. These techniques can be used to help improve the efficiency of a commercial ship, the performance of lifting surfaces in sailing or minimise a swimmer’s drag.