Phononic and Metamaterial Subsurfaces for Flow Manipulation

Rooted in acoustics and elastic wave physics, this Research Topic examines how band-gap engineering, local resonance, and dispersion control in phononic media can be harnessed to govern fluid-structure wave coupling, extending core acoustics principles into an emerging application space in flow control. One of the most pressing challenges in this space is controlling laminar-to-turbulent boundary layer transition in aerospace engineering. Turbulent boundary layers drive skin-friction drag leading to fuel inefficiency which carries significant environmental and operational costs. Conventional passive solutions lack the precision to target specific instability modes at the fluid structure interface. Phononic crystals and acoustic metamaterials offer another route: by engineering the subsurface wave supporting material of a flow bounded structure, it is possible to suppress flow instabilities that trigger transition. These engineered material systems operate without moving parts or external power, making them highly attractive for real-world solutions.This Research Topic brings together experimental, computational, and theoretical contributions at the intersection of wave propagation and fluid dynamics. The collection aims to accelerate the translation of phononic and metamaterial concepts, from fundamental wave physics to applied flow control, covering design, modeling, fabrication, and validation across aerodynamic and hydrodynamic settings. By uniting researchers across aerospace engineering, acoustics, vibrations, materials science and fluid dynamics, the Topic seeks to establish engineered metamaterial systems as credible, scalable passive strategies for drag reduction and transition delay in next-generation aircraft and marine vehicles.We welcome original research, reviews, and perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:· Design and optimization of passive and active phononic subsurfaces for boundary layer control and transition delay· Theoretical and numerical modeling of coupled fluid-metamaterial interactions· Suppression of boundary layer instabilities via phononic and metamaterial flow manipulation· Novel metamaterial topologies (e.g., hierarchical, coiled, reconfigurable, locally resonant) for aerodynamic and hydrodynamic applications.· Analytical treatments of the fluid metamaterial interaction problem (e.g. linear stability analysis, resolvent analysis, or other related techniques)· Experimental wind-tunnel, water-tunnel, or in-flight validations of metamaterial controlled flow· Acoustic band-gap and dispersion engineering in phononic subsurfaces as a mechanism for governing fluid-structure wave coupling· Contributions from related areas that address either flows or metamaterials on their own, framed as opportunities for this field, such as metamaterial behaviors not yet explored in coupled dynamics with surrounding flows, flow control problems that novel architectures might unlock, and new modeling techniques for structural design and optimization toward targeted coupled outcomes. Topic editors: Andres Goza, Carson Willey Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85512/phononic-and-metamaterial-subsurfaces-for-flow-manipulation