This timelapse video demonstrates the pattern variations occurring when air is injected into a wet granular mixture in a Hele-Shaw cell. When the filling fraction–the percentage of the total volume Keep reading
Month: May 2023
Smoke-Wire Visualization
One common simple form of flow visualization is the smoke-wire technique. A thin wire is coated in oil, then heated. The resulting smoke flows over and around the object of Keep reading
Voyager Explores the Edge of the Solar System
Though unconventional by our terrestrial concepts of fluids, the solar wind and its interaction with objects in and around our solar system can be considered a form of fluid dynamics. Keep reading
Convection Visualization
Here on Earth a fascinating form of convection occurs every time we put a pot of water on the stove. As the fluid near the burner warms up, its density Keep reading
Bullet Shock Wave and Cavitation
A 9mm bullet impacts a falling jet of water. High-speed video reveals the formation of a shock wave inside the jet. Because this shock wave is confined inside the jet, Keep reading
Jellyfish Flow
Florescent dye reveals the flow pattern of ocean water around a swimming jellyfish. Some researchers posit that fluid drift associated with the swimming of marine animals may be as substantial Keep reading
Jovian Storms
Home to storms capable of lasting for a hundred years or more, Jupiter’s atmosphere is a highly turbulent place. Currently, no comprehensive theory exists to explain the symmetry of Jupiter’s Keep reading
Soap Bubble Burst
High-speed video of a soap bubble being popped reveals the directionality of the process. Like a the rubber of a bursting balloon, the soap film rushes away from the point Keep reading
How Scramjets Work
The scramjet–supersonic combustion ramjet–engine has been a holy grail of aerospace engineering for 50 years. It is an air-breathing engine with no moving parts capable of propelling crafts at hypersonic Keep reading
Vibration-Induced Atomization
Atomization–breaking a liquid into a fine spay of droplets–is common in engines, printers, and in the shower. Here a droplet of water is placed on a thin metal diaphragm that Keep reading